SEO. SERP. PR. We throw the terms out and expect you to know what we mean. Sorry! Perhaps this short article will give you some insight so your want feel like a “dummy.” I know the feeling well, believe me. And, it’s no fun!First let’s de-mystify the acronyms:

SEO: Search Engine Optimization.
SERP: Search Engine Rank Placement or Search Engine Results Page
PR: Page Rank

SEO is what you do (or hire a consultant to do) to get a high SERP which usually results in a high PR as well. SEO consists of developing your web page with the goal of getting it listed on the first page of the search for as many keywords pertaining to your site as possible. You want to be on the first page of the keyword search because most people tend not to search past the first page.

SERP is the listing of web pages returned by a search engine (such as Google or Yahoo) in response to a keyword query (such as flowers, rose garden, etc.). When you do a search you see a list of web pages with titles, a link to the page, and a short description showing where the keywords have matched content within the page. The higher on the page of results you find a website listed, the higher SERP it is said to have for that particular search query.

There are two primary ways to get SERP: Paid and Free.

1. The “paid” method can be obtained by bidding on keywords (at search engines like Google, MSN, Yahoo). If you are willing to pay the price by bidding the most for that keyword your site will be listed at the very top of the search page. Each time anyone clicks on your link you will be charged whatever the cpc (cost per click) is for that term.

2. The “free” method takes longer and involves more work but is very worthwhile in the long run. In my opinion the very best way get search engine traffic is through good SEO.

PageRank was developed by the founders of Google. Basically PR is a link analysis algorithm which assigns a numerical weighting to each web page on the Internet, with the purpose of “measuring” its relative importance, with 10 being the highest ranking. If you have a high page rank, your website is (in Google’s eyes) very important. It used to be that the higher the SERP, the higher the page rank you had. That’s no longer true. Now if you have a high page rank you can charge more for advertising on your site but it might not get you listed first in the search engines.

So, how do you optimize your pages for high SERP?

SEO BookAfter studying Aaron Wall’s SEObook, I discovered that search engine optimization encompasses all of the following: Picking a Product, Choosing a Domain Name, Where you Host your domain, Keyword Selection, Page Optimization, Home Page Optimization, Site Optimization, and Link Building. All of these subjects are important, and are thoroughly covered in the 331 page SEObook, but in this article we are focusing on SEO through keyword selection, layout and design. Below is a synopsis of what you will need to do to optimize your web pages.

First choose your keywords. To optimize your pages you must carefully study, test and choose the best keywords for your site. You can use keyword tools, website stats, and customer feedback to find the most targeted keyword phrases for your site. Aaron Wall suggests to develop grouped themes of keywords that reflect the different sections of your site. Keeping within a grouped theme, choose different keywords to target each page.

Second, optimize your pages based on the key word phrases and groups (above). Put your chosen words for each page in your page title tags. Make sure your page title tag text is unique to each page. Write a description for the meta description tag. Make sure your description is unique to each page. Use only one H1 header per page, and target similar keyword phrases as the ones you targeted when writing the page title. Use subheaders H2 and H3 on your page when necessary. Use bulleted lists and bolding to make content easier to read. Make sure your text is written for human consumption—not bots.

Third optimize your Home Page so that it builds credibility and directs consumers to the most important parts of your site. Target your most competitive keyword on your home page or a page that is well integrated into your site. Link to major theme pages from your home page. Link to your home page from every sub page.

Fourth, Optimize your Web Site. Use text-based navigation — not fancy graphics. If you already have, or insist on using, graphic navigation, use descriptive alt text on the images, and link to every primary page from your sub pages in the footer of the sub pages. Use descriptive keyword breadcrumb navigation. Make a site map. Check the text that links pages of your site to make sure it’s descriptive whenever possible. Link to resources outside your own site that improve each user’s experience. Deep link to related articles and content from your page copy. Rely as little as possible on the site navigation. Instead, guide your visitor through your site with links in the active content portion of the site. Link to, and use, a cascading style sheet from every page. Avoid duplicate content issues. Ensure that each page has significantly unique content that does not exist on other pages on your site or other sites.

And, that’s just the beginning. You really should get the book if you are serious about creating a successful web site. I highly recommend it. After you’ve optimized your site’s pages you are now ready for getting traffic to your site. And, that’s another story — all found in Aaron Wall’s great SEObook!

~Linda