You’re not about to read anything new. In fact, you’ve probably come across these “steps” in some of your readings. Funny thing is, very few “SEO folk” follow them. Yes, I sometimes wonder myself why…

OK, so what happened to my previous declarations that “there are no rules to SEO”? Well, there aren’t. I’ve always preferred to use common sense, knowledge and a methodical plan of action when deciding on a SEO strategy.

So what does this “plan” consist of? Again, nothing groundbreaking. Some of you may already use a couple from my list below. Perhaps even all (I sure hope so!). But just in case you’ve fallen blind to the wealth of SEO information at your disposal, allow me to clear the air and share with you what I see as the fundamentals of any SEO campaign.

1. Review Your Site

You’d be surprised how many folk out there don’t actually review a site prior to digging into quotations and developing strategies. Some think that one successful strategy that worked for one site will be equally as successful for another site. Surprise dear reader; no two sites are ever the same!

It is imperative that your site be examined for any issues that might hinder good rankings on search engines. You should take this one step further by being aware of any issues that might make your site a user-nightmare. This includes your site’s style, design, architecture, and content.

Questions to ask yourself include: is it clear what the purpose of my site is? Is my site easy to navigate? Is my site too graphic intensive?

2. Research Your Target Market with Meticulous Keyword Research

I have always said that keywords are the heart of any search marketing campaign because they generate much of the life your online presence requires to sustain itself. They do this by generating traffic to your site. Without traffic, a website is merely an empty byte of unused bandwidth.

Nothing is as fundamentally important as choosing the right keywords for your website. These words will be used to make your site search engine and user friendly in a number of different ways.

Several proprietary keyword research tools are available. Wordtracker, for example, is an extensive tool that allows you to find popular search terms, the frequency with which they are entered into search engines, as well as the amount of indexed sites that are competing for that term. There are however many other valuable sources available for researching your keywords.

3. Optimise Your Site Content

By optimising your site’s content for your target market and search engines, your site will benefit from high search engine rankings and good conversion rates.

The role of web content is to enlighten a reader and entice a desired response. In most cases this is to generate a lead; a name, phone number, or email address. This information will in turn feed your sales department with invaluable contacts, relying on their traditional selling techniques.

I am sure that you have come across the saying that “people read differently on the Net”. This is absolutely correct! People don’t read word for word on the Internet. They scan! They look for headings, bold text, hyperlinks, keywords, and short paragraphs. Time is of the essence on the Net and the one thing that comes between the array of information on the Web and the users that use the Internet is impatience. Contrary to my articles, – I am a verbose individual to say the least - web writing needs to be kept as brief as possible.

4. Optimise your site’s HTML coding

While keywords are the heart of a SEO campaign, HTML code is the core of every web page. Sure, Internet users don't see the actual HTML code, but search engine spiders do. In fact, this is all they see. For this reason, it’s important to optimise your site’s HTML coding for high search engine rankings.

I’m often surprised to learn that an otherwise proper looking page in Internet Explorer looks different in Firefox. Or a page that displays fine in any browser is laden with code errors visible only by viewing the source.

The question is: will a search engine penalise a site that has these otherwise undetectable errors? My answer is yes. But there are some other HTML factors that need to be investigated.

Session IDs and dynamic page URLs are two of the most common problems website owners face. There are ways to get around these problems, such as switching Session IDs off for any search-engine-spider visits and using a ‘URL rewriting’ technique that involves a web-server plug-in.

5. Embark on a Link Development Campaign

So much has been said about the importance of attracting as many inbound links from quality sites as possible. This is because search engines count inbound links to your site as “popularity votes”.

It is therefore very important to find complimentary, industry-specific links from sites and portals relative to your site. This shows that your site is relevant and useful in its category, which in turn leads to increased link popularity and, ultimately, increased website traffic.

The question often left unanswered is how do you build quality inbound links to your site? I firmly believe that building a content-rich site that forms the foundation for a useful, resource-filled website is the answer.

6. Embark on a Content Development Campaign

It’s been reported that Internet users consider "most" of the information available online to be trustworthy and accurate. To take advantage of this, website owners should publish their “expert” content on third party websites.

The question I often get asked is what to write about. I came across a useful quote on the Net – I forget the source – that summed it up nicely:”A good article is one that focuses solely, completely and entirely on solving a particular problem your audience faces.”

I won’t go into too much detail here. The simplest (and possibly best) kind of content centers around “How To” articles. Content relating to the latest developments in your industry are also always in high demand.

7. Monitor & Maintain Your Campaign

This is perhaps the most overlooked part of a SEO campaign. People optimise a site, eventually get top rankings, and then forget to follow up. Three months down the line, they wonder why their rankings have disappeared off the likes of Google.

You absolutely have to monitor your SEO campaign by regularly checking your search engine rankings, either manually or automatically.

Manually checking results is a time consuming affair. I often find myself occasionally entering in random keyphrases that I think a site could rank well for but have otherwise overlooked. Another reason why I like to occasionally manually check my rankings for a select few keyphrases is because I can visually see what my competition is.

Naturally, checking your rankings manually for every keyphrase could become a nightmare, especially if you manage more than one website. This is where automatic ranking software becomes useful. I only recommend using legitimate, automatic software if you are registered with Google's Web API and under no circumstances should a domain be checked more than once a week.

8. Keep Up To Date

You have to stay up to date on what’s happening in the search engine industry. This is a time-consuming mission. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Reading blogs, newsletters, forum postings, white papers and case studies is what sets professionals apart from amateurs. If you want to be taken seriously in this industry, start touching up on your research skills. A course in speed reading might also be useful. Whatever you do, remember that what happened yesterday is old.

Summing It Up

Another verbose article by yours truly. Unfortunately, some things can’t go left unsaid. Just like some things can’t go left undone. Especially when it comes to SEO.

There’s a hidden canon that keeps this strategy in place. It’s called patience and dedication. Without it, you’re doomed for failure. With it, your bandwidth and online business will grow and flourish.

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