There has been so much written about SEO at this point, if you are just getting your feet wet in the space, it can be a little overwhelming to know where to prioritize.  So here is my Top 5 list of what you should do to get started on your SEO efforts if you are a beginner.

1) Add Keywords to Your Title Tags

Your title tags are the most important “onpage” factor you have for SEO.  They carry a lot of weight in the search engines and it is important that your primary keywords be included in this field.  As a general rule, I use 8 to 12 words typically in a page title.  Some people feel that 64 characters is a good limit for page titles because that’s all the engines display in their listings.  But we know that Yahoo is the only engine with a reasonably small hard limit on the number of characters it will index for a Page Title (150 characters).  MSN and Google go way past that.  So instead of worrying about character counts, concentrate on making a page title that most accurately reflects the content of the page and uses the main keyword phrases that the content is focused around.  This should give you some big wins, especially if your current page titles suck…lol.

2) Add those same keywords to your Meta Descriptions

The biggest thing here is to make sure that all your Meta Descriptions are UNIQUE.  And you want to include the same keyword phrases that you used in the page title in the Meta description.  Additionally, this is an excellent place to put your competitive differentiators.  Remember that the description information is used by searchers to make a decision as to which link to click.  The more enticing your offer to them via this field, the high click through rate your listings will have.

3) Keyword focused Information Architecture

Make sure that your most important keyword phrases are represented in the global navigation of your site.  And don’t assume that Google knows that words are related to each other.  So for example, if you are a software company, don’t assume that Google knows that.  Use the word software in your link text.  So if you were Microsoft with a link to Access, it would be better to label the link “Access Database Software”.  This is a HUGE driver of search rankings.

Also make sure that you have divided your content into keyword focused groupings.  Application pages where you write about the most common applications of your product and why your products are superior solutions for those applications can be excellent additions to your current IA.

4) Make sure homepage logo has a keyword focused ALT tag.

Remember that a link is a vote and your homepage logo is voting for your homepage from every other page of your site.  Make your homepage alt tag 7 to 10 words and make it as close to your homepage title tag as you can.

5) Blog

If you don’t have a blog by now, you are blowing it.  And that’s the nicest way I can put that.  Blogging helps SEO in that it constantly creates new keyword focused content which gives you an additional opportunity to rank well for related searches and it also reinforces the importance of your existing content because it adds another page of related information.  Additionally, an effective blogging strategy is probably the easiest and most scalable link building solution for SEO that is currently available.  I will be writing another article shortly just on this topic because I feel so strongly about it.  So if you aren’t blogging yet, there is no time like the present, get started today.  Don’t let the fear of the unknown and the fear of failure stop you from getting your feet wet because there is a learning curve and the sooner you get started, the sooner you will be effective in this medium.

I hope that gives SEO newbies a head start on their SEO and something they can do today to increase their traffic.  Have a great week and I will see everyone next week at OMS Houston!