Search Engine Optimization is a buzz phrase that we marketers love to wax poetic about. But the chasm between the goods and the greats of SEO is a huge one. At one time, I thought becoming a search engine marketing expert was just the path for me. Then I realized that all most of us need to do is understand the basics, and then focus the majority of our efforts on developing great content for a specific community. So that’s what I’m in the very early stages of doing right now.

With that said, two key transitions have occurred over the past three or four years. One, the gateway to true SEO expertise has become a tough line to cross. And that’s a good thing for all of us. The people at sites like SEOMoz.org and SEObook.com immediately smack us in the face with just one quick read as to what expertise in this field really looks like.

Second, as it’s becoming evident that marketing is simply done online now, and is not a segmented expertise for just some people to grasp, understanding SEO basics is now a prerequisite for pretty much anyone wanting to make a dent at all in today’s markets. That includes you. Regardless of what you’re creating and producing, you must consider how it can be leverage online and how almighty Google will look at your creation.

Search Engine Optimization Basics – 5 Great Links

So, for those of us who need constant reminders as to what matter, or for those who don’t have a clue but know they need to get one, I offer these five excellent posts to get you pretty much all you need to know without bogging you down with hours and hours of reading, studying, etc.

  1. SEO Basics for Blogs – Problogger.net, Darren Rowse: If you blog, you need to read Problogger.net. Darren touches on the topic of SEO often, but this article is an excellent first step into understanding what’s really important and what you can really control.
  2. Search Engine Ranking Factors 2009 – SEOMoz.org: Every couple years, SEOmoz surveys the top search engine marketers and finds out what’s really moving the needle in terms of how pages rank. The real takeaway here? You have less and less direct control over most of these factors.
  3. Web Developer’s SEO Cheat Sheet – SEOmoz.org: SEOmoz is loaded with tons of extremely useful resources like this one. This one is a bit on the technical side, but they have other cheat sheets for those who can’t speak code.
  4. SEO Tools – SEOmoz.org: OK, last time I mention SEOmoz. The simple fact is they are pretty much the authority on SEO, and the reason is they give away so much extremely valuable content. Many of these tools are free. Use them.
  5. SEO Tools – SEOBook.com: Aaron Wall was probably the first search expert I stumbled upon online a few years ago. Like SEOmoz, this site is chock-full of free tools and great advice.

Similar Posts: