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Special FeaturePage 29SEO 101by Stephen GulukWhat is it?SEO - Search Engine Optimizationis the means and methods used toposition your website in the mostadvantageous condition so as to beranked high when someone searchesfor the product you offer.HistorySecuring high ranking in SearchEngine Results Pages (SERPs) havealways been on website owners list ofrequirements. Back when I first started(1994) teaching people to createtheir own web pages for AOL, it wasrelatively simple to get a high rankingSERP. Keyword frequency seemed tobe the only algorithmic variable usedto determine which websites rankedthe highest. Stuffing a page full ofkeywords and even placing hundredsof white colored keywords on a whitebackground was acceptable andworked quite well.Over time, Netscape and Google,wanting to create a better experiencefor their users added to their algos(algorithms) to block those that weretaking advantage of the simplicityof the system. Obviously, if a searchengine cannot return the highestquality results pages to it’s customers,they’re not doing a very good job.Google ended up adding more andmore variables to their algos and theycontinue to update them on a regularbasis. Exactly how many variables theyuse and exactly what they are, is aclosely guarded industry secret, thoughit is common knowledge that upwardsof 50 different variables are used whenyou perform a basic search.How important?More than 80% of home buyers usethe internet as a tool when searchingfor their next home(2008 NAR survey *).Should you?If a certain percentage of buyersuse a specific method of searching foryour product, it would seem wise toallocate a proportional amount of yourannual marketing budget to target thatmedium.How?Learn. Invest.Know your website. What areyour target keywords? Identify yourintended market/demographics andtry to figure what basic search phrasethose potential customers would usewhen looking for the product or serviceyou offer. From that perspective youcan isolate your keywords as well astest the keyphrase in a search engineto see where you rank. Make a note ofwhat page you are currently on so youcan chart your progress.Quick Tip 1: Google provides a freetool that suggests keywords. Put yourwebsite address in the appropriatefield to check what keywords andkeyphrases may work well for you.Quick Tip 2: You can also use thistool to see what keywords are usedby those listed higher in the ranks.Studying the competition is a usefultool for any SEO.After creating a list of keywords andkeyphrases that are going to be yourSEO Campaign targets, look at yourcurrent website and see where you canadd new, and replace less favorablekeywords. Write solid content that is ofvalue to your prospective customers oreven industry related content. Havingpeople link to your site is another factorsearch engines use to give you a higherrank. Conversely, keyword stuffing,or copying content from other sites(known as scrapping) will have yourrank lessened and even a full demotionfrom a search engine.Quick Tip 3: If you sell manufacturedhomes, and are an active memberof CMHI, you can add three of yourhomes to their site. It will give moreexposure to your listings, but alsoprovide a “link back” to your websiteadding favorable ranking over a similarsite when in contention for SERPresults.Invest in your website, eitherthe time it takes you to becomeknowledgeable or hire someone thatcan assist in these areas. Prices rangefrom several hundred per month tomultiple thousands per month. Grantedthere are all sorts of people out thereclaiming they can put you on thefront page of a search engine…butthat claim will never be stated by areputable company, as it is a changinglandscape with no guarantees on whatfactors will determine tomorrow frontpage results. But, if you have goodcontent, know and implement yourtarget keywords/phrases, and activelyenhance your website, your chancesof being in front of your competition isvery good.SEO is a long term investment. Yourwork today will give return benefitsfor many months or even years. Beingaware of what search phrases youexpect to rank high in, will allow you towrite better content for your website.The rush is on so don’t get leftbehind. Your competition will be morethan happy to take those front pagesearch engine positions if you aren’tactively positioning your website tooccupy those spots.* An overwhelming majority (87%) of recent homebuyers in the US say they used the internet asan information resource during their home-buyingprocess, and nearly one-third say they firstlearned about their newly purchased home froman online channel, according to a study from theNational Association of Realtors (NAR).Stephen Guluk is the owner ofSGDesign, an Internet Developmentcompany that produces customapplications, websites and onlinemarketing campaigns.