In this article, we will understand what a specialist in search engine promotion does, as well as what knowledge and skills are necessary for someone who is planning to master this profession. Of course, each SEO specialist has his own unique experience of development in the profession, but, in general, all in one way or another face the same questions and difficulties.
The basics of SEO
If words like “software engineer infrastructure” sound too complicated to you, then maybe you should take a crack at SEO. Let’s review what is SEO. In short, SEO optimization is a set of works aimed at the development and promotion of the site in order to improve its position in the search engines.
Introduction and general information
For a good start in SEO, we recommend that beginners read and watch this useful resource: Google’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization for Beginners.
This guide was originally created as a reference document for Google employees, but then it became available to all Internet users. In the document, you will not find the secrets of successful site promotion, but novice webmasters and optimizers can learn the basics of search engine optimization in accordance with the recommendations of the search engine and improve the quality of their site. In other words, treat the guide as a thesaurus and a short list of basic rules.
The principles of search engines
Now we will understand the mechanism of search engines. You need to know this if you are going to provide an effective SEO promotion of your site and make the search engines to “like” yours among thousands of others.
Search engine ranking factors
Ranking factors are characteristics used by search engine algorithms to assess the quality and relevance of a website’s pages and determine its position in a listing. Each search engine has more than 100 ranking factors.
Search Engine Sanctions
For violations of the recommendations of search engines and promotion of black methods, the site may fall under sanctions, i.e. drop in position or even disappear from the index. Thus, the PS are struggling with poor-quality resources, which resorted to manipulations and tricks.
To find out which violations can get a site sanctioned, read our post “Black Hat SEO: what it is, and what methods of black hat optimization exist”.
SEO Audit
A SEO audit is a check of a website for various internal errors. The fewer SEO-optimization errors on a website, the more convenient it becomes for users and the higher quality “in the eyes” of search engines. This is a rather complex topic with many nuances, one post is not enough to cover them all.
Competitor Analysis
Studying your competitors helps you find techniques and methods of SEO strategy that can improve the promotion of your website. Competitor analysis will also allow you to see the winning tactics, weaknesses, and strengths of other players, and basically learn from other mistakes and understand which way to go.
No matter how much theory you study, you won’t know unless you try. Many things come with experience, so learning SEO without your own site is pointless. Read, try, and track the dynamics of change. The more sites and topics you work on, the more valuable you will be on the market.