A quick guide to Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a fancy way of saying that your content is easily found on sites like Google and Bing. Most of us use these sites on a daily basis—and if you do it right, there’s enormous potential to reach new readers interested in what you have to say.
Search sites rely heavily on two things:
1. Content that’s full of the right keywords and phrases, and
2. Content “validated” by links from other sites.
The logic of search engines goes that if your content matches a user’s search query and is linked from other sites, it must be important. That means you should:
- Try to anticipate the keywords (and phrases) your target readers are likely to search for. Use them in titles, bolded text, and links.
- Try to ?nd speci?c words and phrases that set your work apart so you don’t have as much competition. For example, a term like “healthcare” is referenced by 122 million pages, “Oregon healthcare” by 287,000, and “Oregon healthcare reform” by only 16,800.
- Solicit links back to your content from other sites. Links from popular, high-traf? c sites improve your ranking. Ask other bloggers if they wouldn’t mind including a link in a recent related post.
- Above all: Content is King. Well-written, tailored, high-quality content should be your top priority. You’ll get more return links, social shares, and higher search rankings. Do your keyword research, but make sure your content still makes for a good read.
More: A beginner’s guide to SEO.
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