The truth is – there are no secret tricks to SEO once you understand this:

The goal of search providers (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) is to return the most relevant results to their visitors’ queries, as quickly as possible.

So, when I Google “gluten-free chocolate brownie recipe” Google finds about 1,920,000 pages that appear to contain a recipe, or information about gluten-free chocolate brownies.

You want your website to be shown first – therefore you need to be one of the best.

Search Engine Optimization is about making it abundantly clear to search engines what your site, and every page on it, is about; and showing them that you’re the best damn resource around when it comes to your subject area.

I’ll repeat that…Search Engine Optimization involves:

1. Making it abundantly clear to search engines what your site, and every page on it, is about; and,

2. Being the best damn resource around when it comes to your subject area.

So how do you do this?

Let’s take Google as a great example and explore some of the things they look for when scanning the web, in order to determine what web pages are about, and which are the best.

1. Endorsements

People can’t help but share content they love. If Google notices other high quality websites linking to your content they consider it a thumbs up.

Another type of endorsement is via social media. Are the pages on your site getting shared across social networks? I hope so.

In the words of Google: “Organic or word-of-mouth buzz is what helps build your site’s reputation with both users and Google, and it rarely comes without quality content.”

2. Fresh, New Content

Search engine crawlers will visit your website on a regular basis. If they find the same old stuff each time they visit, and no new pages have been added, your site starts to look stagnant.

Search engines want to provide valuable content to their visitors…not outdated, stagnant content. Fresh content offers value to visitors and keeps them coming back. 

In the words of Google: “Improving content and services should be a priority, regardless of the type of website.”

3. Proper Use of Meta Tags

Sorry about the jargon, but this is important. Meta Tags are code embedded in each page of your site that tells search engines what that page is about.

The two meta tags that are most important are the “Title” meta tag and the “Description” meta tag.

I’ve come across many websites (even those created by professional web designers) that do not have proper Title and Description meta tags.

Getting Meta Tags right is very important!

If you’d like me to have a look at your website and see if it is making proper use of meta tags, please download our free report “Why Your Website Isn’t Getting More Traffic from Search Engines“.

It’s a quick and easy read, and at the end there’s a link you can click to book a free website audit with me.

In the words of Google: “Page titles are an important aspect of search engine optimization.” and “Use description meta tags to provide both search engines and users with a summary of what your page is about!”

4. Proper Spelling, Grammar and Organization

Naturally, high quality web pages will be free of spelling and grammar errors, and organized into paragraphs with descriptive headings.

Pages on the site will also be organized into an easy-to-follow hierarchy and internal link structure.

This makes things easy for your visitors, and it’s another indicator of quality that Google looks for.

In the words of Google: “Designing your site around your visitors’ needs while making sure your site is easily accessible to search engines usually produces positive results.”

5. Unique, Compelling Content

Back in the old days, a business website would typically consist of the following pages:

• Homepage
• Our Services -or- Our Products
• Why Choose Us
• About Us
• Contact Us

These days a minimalist website isn’t going to get much search engine love.

Afterall, unless someone is Googling your company name, or the exact name of one of your services, a minimal website doesn’t give search engines much in the way of beefy content to return to their searchers.

Heck, even if they search for the exact name of one of your services, you’d better have more content/writing/description about that service than your competitors.

Compare a basic website to a company who has all that, PLUS an entire resource section (such as a blog) dedicated to answering questions people have about their products. Here search engines have a heck of a whole lot more content to consider sending their searchers to.

BUT, it better be really good and it better be unique.

In the words of Google: “Creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any of the other factors discussed
here”

There you have it, the truth about SEO is a whole lot more clear when you understand the goals of a search engine…

Search Engines aim to return the most relevant results to their searchers’ queries.  Therefore, SEO is about having the most relevant content, and making sure that search engines know it!

Here are five of the indicators of quality again:

1. Endorsements
2. Fresh, New Content
3. Proper Use of Meta Tags
4. Proper Spelling, Grammar and Organization
5. Unique, Compelling Content

Thank you for reading, and don’t miss this…

For more information on this topic please download our Free Report: “5 Big Reasons Your Website Isn’t Getting More Search Traffic“. It’s a quick and easy read and as a bonus you can optionally sign up for a FREE 20-MINUTE WEBSITE AUDIT.