subject: Three Ideas for SEO [print this page] SEO might seem confusing at first, but there are some basics that you should know before you get too far into it.
Be committed. Remember that optimizing a site isn't something you do once, then walk away from it. Search engines love fresh content, so think of ways to keep turning over the content in a site and keep it fresh, be it through a blog, guest blogger, forum or newsletter. Also remember that search engines' algorithms keep changing and you need to stay on top of the changes. What works in SEO right now most likely will not work two years from now. Remember that your competitors are aware of this, and they're staying on top of the game.
Write quality content. Yes, of course you want your keywords and keyphrases in your content to boost search engine rankings. But you don't want those keyphrases at the expense of quality, readable, engaging content. You're writing for human users, not search engines. Keep the keyphrases, but don't stuff them in there so much that the content is stilted and awkward. Watch your spelling, punctuation and sentence structure as well. Search engines may not care, but your users will, and nothing can torpedo your credibility quicker than content that looks like it was written by a semi-literate 7th grader.
Use robots.txt. If you've got duplicates of any folders, archives or files, use a robots.txt file to instruct bots to look elsewhere. Search engines don't like duplicate content on a site, and it's good for bots to look at the original content and not the duplicate. Do, however, include those files on the sitemap. In fact, don't neglect the need for a sitemap (some do), which will help search engine bots find all the elements of the site that you want them to see.
This is far from being a comprehensive rundown of SEO ideas, but it's a start. Remember that it's something where you need to be committed. Committed to learning it properly, committed to maintaining the sites you've already done for fresh content and committed to staying abreast of the changes in the field. Jerry Renshaw
