Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

Nearly two years old now, Google's SEO guide for beginners is a useful free resource in the form of a 22 page printable PDF currently online here. It's a useful overview of technical points that should be understandable to a novice, with a bit of additional web research. A basic understanding of HTML is very useful.

Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide from Google

The topics include:

• Create unique, accurate page titles
• Good practices for page title tags
• Make use of the "description" meta tag
• Good practices for description meta tags
• Improve the structure of your URLs
• Good practices for URL structure
• Make your site easier to navigate
• Good practices for site navigation
• Offer quality content and services
• Good practices for content
• Write better anchor text
• Good practices for anchor text
• Use heading tags appropriately
• Good practices for heading tags
• Optimize your use of images
• Good practices for images
• Make effective use of robots.txt
• Good practices for robots.txt
• Be aware of rel="nofollow" for links
• Promote your website in the right ways
• Good practices for promoting your website
• Make use of free webmaster tools
• Take advantage of web analytics services
• Helpful resources for webmasters

Tom Fox
Louisville, Kentucky
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