The importance of SEO in online publishing
SEO is an acronym for search engine optimization. Google, Yahoo and Bing are examples of search engines. You need to consider how search engines work in order to optimize the chances that something you post to the Internet is going to be found by anyone. You need to consider SEO.
SEO fascinates me – in part because it’s always changing. Like any innovative business would do, the companies running search engines like Google are constantly tweaking how their products work. Google uses algorithms to calculate what you might be looking for when you search online and these algorithms are constantly evolving. This fact was lesser known in the early days of Web 2.0 and ruined businesses based entirely Google’s tactics.
Because algorithms are always in flux, it’s almost impossible to win the game every day – but we can do our best to compete. Here are some tactics that are generally accepted as good SEO practice:
- know your keywords
- use your keywords strategically on your Web site and your Web content
- hyperlink (out) to related Web content
- try to get hyperlinks (in) to your Web content
Some day I’ll get around to blogging about each of these points, but for now, consider the value of learning this stuff in one morning at my social media seminars this month in Belleville, Kingston, Cobourg and Toronto.
SEO has a big role to play in social media; and in our small town marketplace of Prince Edward County and surrounding area, I’m seeing only a vague familiarity with the concept.
And if you’re really keen, try following my favourite gurus, The Search Engine People and The Keyword Academy, to learn more about SEO.
I like what you’ve been doing Jen – I’m following along!