Newbie and Crappy

[danielos4ever]

I was hired by my current work about three years ago where I was started off creating cost analysis report and changing bids monthly part time. I have grown in my current position into a full time web management position where my main goal is to expand out small business on web media through search and content. Although I have been doing this for three years I still feel lost on Search Engine terminology and strategies. I read through the forums and feel more insecure and lost as I listen to other professionals discuss major topics and issues in the search world. I was wondering what I can do to grow and learn and get on top of things. How long does it take to get to where I feel everyone else is, but me. Sorry to sound whiny but I just feel confused.

[JEccles]

We should start our own club - I've been doing this for almost 2 years now and still feel like I'm mostly in the dark. ususally what I do, when a term comes up that I don't understand (and there are ALOT) I either ask or google the term. gives me a little better knowledge about what is being talked about.

[danielos4ever]

Thanks, nice to know I am not the only one.

[Jazajay]

HI
The easist thing to do if you are sturgling to get to grips is to just to learn the basics and the rest will follow.

If you dont no XHTMl or CSS either learn or delgate. XHTML is the easiest language to learn out there. The basic things that will get any site ranked are

relavance - How relevant your site is for your keywords.

links - how many people link to your site.

on page factors - title tag, h1 tags if text is bold etc..

content - how much of your site can the search engines index the more the better.

PR - Page Rank this is classed as a tie breaker if 2 sites rank identically then the site with the highest PR will be ranked higher. Dont worry about this as increasing the other things will by default increase this.

Just consentrate on the simple things and the rest will follow.

Here are some questions you need to answer?

1. Do you know what your keywords are?

2. Now you know your keywords are they the right ones.- ie e-mail and email are 2 differnet keywords?
(keywords are what your customers type in the search engines to find you not what you think they are).

3. How many relavant links do you have pointing at your site?
(As in sites that are similar to you.)

4. Do you have the right on-page factors?
4a. Have you got a title tag or does it say untitled-1?
4b. Do you have a good meta description tag that will incourage people to click though to your site - with your keywords in?
4c. Do you have enough header tags?
4d. Do you have too many header tags?
4e. Are there keywords spread though out the page and though out your site?
4f. Can the search engines read your site navigation.?
4g. Does my site/s use black hat - Techniques the search engines class as cheating?
4h. Do i understand any of the above?

5. Is my site actually in the search engines?

There are other questions, more on-pages factors etc.. but consontrate on those and then you can worry about the rest later when you understand them. If you dont know the answers to those questions you website deveolper should.

6. Do you need a new website deveoler

It's all down to you i picked it up rather quickly but then i'm sad
Dont worry about how much time it'll take just consontrate on the basics and when you understand them you can move on

Hope this helps

[sam890]

I have been doing SEO for about half a year but I have great employees that I can learn from. I don't think I know a lot well probably a lot less than most people here but I can still market a site get great results with patients and understanding by research. I tell you it is a great feeling when you have been trying to get your site near the top of the search engines and then it is suddenly there. I am constantly learning and adapting to the changing environment of SEO.

Basically good luck. Keep up-to date with techniques and new ideas.

[thenooguy]

if you guys are gonna start a Newbie club then count me in. i've only been involved with this stuff for 4 months and i already feel like my head's gonna bust! Thanx for the tips Jaz- can you recommend a site that I can learn XHTML?

[Jazajay]

A site no but I do recomend a book -

Head First Html with CSS and XHTML

brill it uses loads of techniques that keeps your mind flowing and stops you from getting bored.
It covers everything, starts you off from html 4.01 really easy stuff but very good basics, then moves to xhtml 1.0 by upgrading your html 4.01 code you have already written.

If you follow the advice you cant go wrong. It also tells you how to design table less layouts which is the way to go. where as other books, such as html 4 for dummies which has good code for newbies to coding, have all their examples as table based layouts, which is very old school and not great for SEO

[danielos4ever]

I don't know about xhtml but I found this site that gives you a html tutorial for free. http://www.html.net/tutorials/ It will give you good basics to start off on. Hey are any of you attending the ses san jose we could have our first official meeting of the newbies club!

[potpot]

Originally Posted by danielos4ever

Thanks, nice to know I am not the only one.

can i join the club? lol

[caugas]

excellent resource sempo.org, many white papers to get you in the loop

[potpot]

Originally Posted by caugas

excellent resource sempo.org, many white papers to get you in the loop

nice site.. thanks! great help for the newbies.

[thenooguy]

Originally Posted by Jazajay

A site no but I do recomend a book -

Head First Html with CSS and XHTML

brill it uses loads of techniques that keeps your mind flowing and stops you from getting bored.
It covers everything, starts you off from html 4.01 really easy stuff but very good basics, then moves to xhtml 1.0 by upgrading your html 4.01 code you have already written.

If you follow the advice you cant go wrong. It also tells you how to design table less layouts which is the way to go. where as other books, such as html 4 for dummies which has good code for newbies to coding, have all their examples as table based layouts, which is very old school and not great for SEO

thanx jaz, i'll get that 2day.

And yes potpot, as long as its okay with the other newbs, you can join the club too.

[thenooguy]

Originally Posted by caugas

excellent resource sempo.org, many white papers to get you in the loop

do you recommend paying for a membership or is what they offer for free sufficient for newbs like me?

[caugas]

Originally Posted by thenooguy

do you recommend paying for a membership or is what they offer for free sufficient for newbs like me?

You do not need to pay for the membership. Much of the readings are free souce publications. Happy reading!!!

[thenooguy]

cool (good thing cuz I didn't have the money to pay for it anyway!)

[caugas]

i hear ya.

[potpot]

if you're a newbie, i guess you are not that willing to pay for any membership, right?! there's a lot of free sources out there..

[cooluks]

Originally Posted by danielos4ever

I was hired by my current work about three years ago where I was started off creating cost analysis report and changing bids monthly part time. I have grown in my current position into a full time web management position where my main goal is to expand out small business on web media through search and content. Although I have been doing this for three years I still feel lost on Search Engine terminology and strategies. I read through the forums and feel more insecure and lost as I listen to other professionals discuss major topics and issues in the search world. I was wondering what I can do to grow and learn and get on top of things. How long does it take to get to where I feel everyone else is, but me. Sorry to sound whiny but I just feel confused.

I can give you this link for Beginner's Guide to SEO..

And This for SEO Terminologies....

Hope this helps...

[Wavy Davy]

I have been "doing SEO" for just over ten years and still feel like a newbie at times....

There always seems to be someone inventing a fancy term that tends to disappear or stay

Just hang in there

[Smooth Operator]

I will be attending the SES conference in San Jose and would be interested in joining the newb club. I am just starting out and would like as much insight on what I have jumped into as possible.