Who links to this website.

**Snoopy_inc** · 19-Jul-07, 09:36 AM

I have to admit i would love to learn about SEO and optimization of websites.

If anyone has tips or tricks. Please post them. or maybe ref me to a site that explains how it works and how to implement.

**Dave A** · 19-Jul-07, 10:53 AM

SEO can be broken down into two broad categories - on-site optimisation and off-site optimisation.

Both have fairly simple underlying principles - but a seeming infinite range of subtleties.

Basically, off-site SEO is paying attention to how other sites link to you. An example of off-site optimisation is posting a link to your website here, with anchor text that is relevant to the page you are posting the link to. This adds an external link to your site (which makes it seem just that little bit more important in the eyes of search engines), and also re-inforces the keywords that might be associated with that page. You also need to pay attention as to which sites link to you. Some can help, some can actually be harmful.

On-site optimisation is technically a much more diverse subject, but at the root it's about how easy it is for search engine robots to find and understand the content of your website. Having some sense of what these robots are actually looking at and what parts are important is critical. Also, setting up files designed to specifically help robots do their job can make a big difference.

I have to dash now, but I'll come back and add to this later. There are hosts of forums that deal with SEO specifically - and they are busy. The challenge is to seperate the noise from what is really important - and prioritising to do the important changes first that will have the most effect. The subtle stuff can come later.

**Snoopy_inc** · 19-Jul-07, 11:02 AM

Thanks Dave, appriciate the effort

**Chatmaster** · 19-Jul-07, 11:22 AM

You are taking up a very tough subject. I frequent many forums and SEO is most probably where most of my forum visits are focused. Very few people actually understand the concept of SEO. I read posts daily on SEO forums and have had discussions with "so called" SEO gurus. Some of them are even highly respected, but actually do not grasp how it works. I remember attending an SEO course in Sandton in 2004 and ended up paining through a day where the guy who was a very good and convincing speaker ended up getting excellent reviews afterwards, but knew very little about SEO. He didn't even have a complete understanding of how a website was designed, but because he was earning a good income from his sites, he was regarded as being knowledgable...

I guess my point is that you need to be very careful where you go with this. I have been in the SEO industry a very long time and things continually changes in how SEO is done. There are no tips and tricks, except maybe understanding the full concept of Lateral Marketing, Web 2.0 and it's effects on your SEO strategies.

If you want to learn SEO, buy Aaron Wall's, SEO Book. I can recommend it as it will give you an understanding of SEO. There after you need to learn to think out of the box, get rid of your tunnel vision and start thinking for yourself. SEO only truly works for you when you integrate marketing, acquisitions, retention and recency into your design and maintenance of your websites as well as your general marketing strategies.

**Dave A** · 19-Jul-07, 02:47 PM

I'm not even going to try to argue with a person who is in the SEO business. I've seen some of those debates Chatmaster refers too. I have to agree, the subtleties are... complex. And Aaron Wall's SEO Book is widely considered the place to start.

**Chatmaster** · 19-Jul-07, 02:55 PM

lol, Dave!

You are spot on with regards to on and off-page factors. Your basic summary is spot on too. I just have a firm believe that someone should spent the money on Aaron Wall's book first. This would give you the basics and the background to understand the info you receive from other people and understand exactly what you hear. Reading the book would take you at most 2 days, and it is a good read. Thereafter joining a forum and asking for advice is the best way to learn.

**Dave A** · 19-Jul-07, 03:05 PM

Yeah. I actually trashed a much longer post after I'd put a bit of thought into where you were coming from.

After that, even simple stuff like discussing the page title suddenly became a big subject if you are going to cover the ground from scratch.

**Chatmaster** · 19-Jul-07, 03:36 PM

The big issue here is that there is over 200 factors, of which at least 25 needs to be discussed in detail, not to mention years of research, Google patents, basic HTML understanding, Basic technical knowledge about hosting, domains etc. and so much more. Then we get to copy writing and possible strategies around that... Link building strategies and differences between types of links. The point is that it will take you a very long time to explain SEO in enough detail to ensure someone understands exactly what it is and can apply it.

**Snoopy_inc** · 19-Jul-07, 04:39 PM

Well.... I wouldn't mind a SEO debate here

Chatmaster let me put you at a bit of ease.... im in the IT market myself.... i host clients sites have hosted my own and know about designing and html etc. Meta tags and the likes i know what they are..... What im asking is Where does one start and how important is the web2.0

I have enough experience in this market myself. I just don't understand SEO as well as i should i suppose.

That book you were talking about... any idea where i can find it?