What is SEO in Plain Simple Language - SEO for Beginners

by katiem2

What is SEO? Get the simple facts and guide to SEO in plain simple terms. Everything you need to know about SEO here, minus the stuff you don't need to know! SEO for beginners.

What exactly is SEO? is it really that complicated and how does it work? If you're tired of hearing the hype or high tech babble from some self-proclaimed guru settle in your chair and prepare to get schooled in the simple facts and basics of SEO or Search Engine Optimization in plain simple language anyone can understand.

SEO is Search Engine Optimization. I know it sounds a bit technical but with a simple and clear explanation, you will be talking tech in no time. SEO is vital because it helps promote sites, blogs and web pages. It is a concrete means by which content providers and online writers make certain their content reaches the masses. The SEO machine is a promotion and selection process of any online content. SEO determines if your information delivers or meets the search criteria people are typing into their browser. It is all about relevance.

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What is SEO in Simple Terms?

SEO or search engine optimization are guidelines online content providers must follow to achieve their online writing goals.

It is the policies and procedures you should read when you take a new job but often don't, you know the fine print. I feel its best explained like this, you build a site, web page or blog you want to be popular receiving a lot of traffic translating into money.

In order to achieve this you must first make your page, blog or site relevant to the information in terms of wording or phrasing people actually type into their browser. I have my own name for this, I call it; See a Need, Meet a Need. In so many ways SEO is the customer service business with the intent on delivering what the customer needs.

In order to get the Google, Yahoo, or other search engine love you must follow the rules for getting top ratings to compete with the masses. There is after all a lot of people doing what you're doing and with the same goal. While this helps you build traffic it’s not really a form of advertising.

SEO Getting it Right

The vital facts any online content provider, writer, blog or website host should know are the basics regarding how search engines function.

Simple Fact

The basic guideline is to be relevant to the search terms.

You must get yourself in front of the traffic (web browsers) to first be seen, second make your mark in branding yourself and lastly make money. You really want to be in the sweet spot to earn the attention of search engines.

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Facts about Search Engines

What exactly a search engine is and is not.

A Search Engine is Not

  • Search Engines are not human beings, there are no real people implementing it.
  • Search Engines are text driven.
  • Search Engines crawl (search) the web for content or text accessing its relevance or demand.
  • Search Engines then index, process, calculate relevancy and retrieve the best result.
  • Search Engines look for specific items, and or text to learn what your site, blog or page pertaining and if done so adequately.

Crawling Spiders or Bots

Spiders and or Bots are the function by which all internet content is analyzed.

Crawl – The infamous spiders and or bots go about crawling the web with a fine tooth comb checking out and analyzing the content. This is done by a software program called a crawler or spider, or in Google’s case a Google bot. I do love Google!

These spiders and bots absorb and process the textual content then follow any links from one page to the next indexing the findings. 

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Indexing Online Content

The next process to SEO is indexing, the bots and or spiders index the data they collect from your content.

Index - Once the page is crawled the words, expression and phrases best describing the site, blog or page content is stored in a huge database where it is kept for later reference or retrieval if relevant to current search request.

The blog, site or page is assigned a category in order by which the value of the keywords and content is determined. In other words, it's not what you think; it's what the actual text content describes it to be.

What are Algorithms?

Algorithms calculate relevancy and pairing of several different factors.

Algorithms calculate relevancy using several different factors such as meta tags, links, and keyword density.

Algorithms are the reason different search engines determine different results for your site, blog or pages. The major search engines, Google, Yahoo, and MSN etc. will vary or change algorithms at any given time. To stay fresh and current with these changes edit and add current content to your site, blog or page on a regular basis. 

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How Retrieval Works

In the end good SEO adds up to traffic for your content.

Retrieving - The last and yet most vital order of the day is the end result or the retrieval process. This is the action of placement, your page, blog or site is placed in the browser in order of the most relevant to least relevant.

How Long Does it Take to Make Money?

The topic of relevance cannot be emphasized enough as it is paramount to any online writers success.

Relevance is Key to Success - This entire process takes a lot of time given there are oh about 20 billion or so sources to collect vital stats and data from. It is for this reason you must be patient and wait for your site, blog or revenue sharing site pages to mature getting both noticed and utilized by the search engines. This will happen if you follow the basics of relevancy. 

The number one complaint I hear from those attempting to make a go of it and prosper online is why haven’t I made money yet? Well, it's because you haven't earned your position in the game yet! 

Think about the masses out there in the wide open west we call the Internet surfing about and trying to do exactly what you’re doing. Think about the old adage, patience is a virtue and remember spiders view mostly text, not photos, videos, or product images.

The quality of your content or text is KING in terms of the all mighty spiders and your ranking depends on it. The next time you set down to write content remember the only thing that really matters to the spiders is that big juicy fly which is your written content and it better be good!

Note: You also want your site, blog or page to be pleasing to the mere mortals who view it. It is for this reason to make it eye catching and interactive adding photo's, duels, polls and videos.

Tip - If you give photos a descriptive title it helps the bots understand and calculate its content. This option can help to make images relevant to the spiders and bots, they cannot collect data from the actual image itself but a descriptive title is useful in some cases. 

For example I wrote an article about a popular artist, I included a picture of this artist tattoo on the page, I added a title "Artist name here, blanks tattoo" turns out it was the most relevant key words searched for by internet browsers. It rewarded me with amazing traffic. 

SEO in Simple Terms Reviewed

The written content provided any site, blog or web page is the foundation for SEO basics, the means by which your online activity becomes lucrative.

WARNING - You must be very careful to optimize the page correctly for it to be put in the right category, otherwise it's a crap shoot. The spiders and bots are not your friends, they don't get your personal little quirks, they aren't humans and cannot get it right in terms of your intentions. It is purely the content you provide by which you are scored, stored and awaits visitors. 

How Search Engines Utilize Content -  Anytime a search request comes into the search engines the request is processed, compared it to the indexed pages stored in the database to determine the best match to retrieve, the site, blog or page. The content is pulled by the simple calculation. The relevancy of each page in conjunction with related request made equals popularity. That my friend is how you get picked!

I do hope you've found this to be both helpful and simple.

Happy Returns, Katiem2

Updated: 08/26/2015, katiem2
 
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What is SEO in Plain Simple Language Chat

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katiem2 on 06/07/2017

Derdriu, I feel writing in a manner which utilizes relative terms as in words is more effective than any keyword saturation. For example this article is about SEO so I find it vital to write using relative words such as search engine, Optimization, etc. Talking about the whole story instead of focusing on one part makes for broad relevance all of which search engines, bots, spiders etc. find most easily.

DerdriuMarriner on 05/23/2017

katiem2, What keyword density do you recommend?

katiem2 on 05/02/2013

Thanks Joe, Glad you found this helpful.

katiem2 on 02/21/2013

Thanks RebeccaE :)

RebeccaE on 02/21/2013

easy, plain and simple.

BLong206B on 02/17/2013

TTG+L

katiem2 on 01/13/2013

Burntchestnut, Thank you ! !

AngelaJohnson on 01/12/2013

Yes, this information was presented in plain simple language. Well done!

katiem2 on 12/07/2012

Good to hear from you Mike.

teddletonmr on 12/07/2012

I agree with your take on SEO and use the principles surrounding good solid SEO practices. I appreciate the clean and concise way you explained what SEO is, well done. I'm sure this will benefit many who are scratching their heads over search engine optimization.


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