Where to Start with SEO: A Beginner’s Journey

Do you ever get PPC mixed up with the BBC? Or thought that hosting a web site meant that you had to prepare appetizers?

A search engine results page, or SERP, in Google.

My first forays into online marketing left me asking a lot of questions. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience. Luckily, for people like us, there is a wealth of resources and expert knowledge available on the Internet to help even the greenest of online marketers get started.

My first step was to get a working definition of SEO. I quickly learned that SEO stands for search engine optimization, the process of optimizing your web site so it is easier for the search engines to find it, thus driving more visitors to your site. More visitor traffic means more chances to communicate, and more communication can provide opportunities to produce more sales.

As a beginning SEO, there were a few resources that helped me immensely in charting these new waters. This particular one is a great guide to search engine optimization that starts right at the beginning:

Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization

I highly recommend reading the entire thing (it’s several pages) if you really want to further your knowledge and give yourself an edge. This guide covers just about every key topic including:

• How search engines work to gather information, and some simple steps you can follow to take advantage of these processes.
• Keyword research: What words/phrases people are using to search for your information and how to incorporate those keywords into your site.
• Great tips on how to make your site accessible and create content that is valuable to your customers.
• (And much, much more including links to other helpful resources.)

Here’s another great resource, courtesy of the web site Search Engine Watch:

SEM Basics: A Guide for Webmasters and Search Engine Marketers

They offer great tips, and several “101” articles to help beginners get started.

A great way to learn is to periodically check some expert SEO and online marketing blogs. In addition to our own blog (blog.kutenda.com), the following sites have excellent insights into the world of Internet marketing, as well as SEO-specific tips, techniques and news:

• Seomoz.org
• Searchengineland.com
• Seobook.com

Here are a few tips for developing a foundation in SEO:

1. Learn in manageable sections. When you have some time devoted to this, sit down and work on a couple of topics. Maybe play with some different content ideas, or spend an hour learning about Pay-Per-Click advertising and what it can do for your business.
2. Use the guides above or an interesting article to help you decide what topic to learn about.
3. Be sure to bookmark this blog and return for a regular dose of practical tips and helpful explanations.
4. Consider using a free RSS reader (we recommend Google Reader) so you can subscribe to numerous SEO-focused web sites and read them all from one place—a huge time-saver.

No one can expect to become an expert over night, but with some practice and the right tools—such as the Kutenda Online Marketing Suite—you too can be using Internet acronyms with the best of ‘em!