As a web developer of seven years I’ve just about got the knowledge of how the whole SEO practise actually works and no-one in their right mind will ever know the ins and outs of SEO because the world of SEO changes on a daily basis. You may have used the best method to go about things one day but the next day people could be using an even better method you wouldn’t have a clue about so your “working method” goes out the window in a flash.

Because of the daily changes and the different methods people use you will almost certainly want to be “on your game” and be motivated to succeed the successor. Motivation should be your top priority when optimizing websites and if you don’t have any you may as well give up now and let your competitors fight it out because you will have no chance.

Not only do you need to be motivated when first starting SEO but you need to be motivated all the time as it’s more of a never ending adventure rather than a job you can start and finish the same day. Keep in mind there are different ways of doing things and the SEO world can change in an instant then pounce on a new method you feel could outwit your competitors and let them do all the thinking.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Deep linking probably isn’t for the most basic of SEO enthusiasts but it can have a very big effect on where your website lies within the search engine rankings and therefore is an important step to take when optimizing your website. Deep linking has only really become popular in recent months but most webmasters are doing it and you should be jumping on the bandwagon with them.

The whole point of deep linking is to get your inner website pages recognised by search engines rather than your homepage so in theory if you can get all of your pages targeting different keywords related to your website niche you have more chance of getting that organic traffic you deserve – not to mention a well placed link in the search engines.

Getting your inner pages linked isn’t too hard and can be achieved by writing articles and submitting them to article directories or using anchor links on another website to an inner page. You can also contact website owners with websites related to yours to do a link exchange – it won’t benefit you too much so trying to achieve one-way deep links is the best.

If you don’t opt for the deep linking route then there are ways of achieving results with plain backlinks to your homepage from blog commenting and other forms of link building although it won’t benefit your website as much as deep links will.

Popularity: 10% [?]

When you use your favorite search engine you will type in your desired keywords to find information about it and within a matter of split seconds you’re pounded in the face with millions of links directing towards the information you seek. Search engines have their own rules and a set of algorithms they edit on a regular basis to determine where your website should be placed in the results pages.

You may wonder why you’re in last position in the search engines for a specific keyword or how you can get that top position on Google for another keyword and all that comes down to rankings and how highly the search engines value your website and its content. The fact is if your website isn’t being listed on the first page of the search engines results page for keywords you’re targeting then you’re either not optimizing your website properly or you’re being lazy!

No-one can be too specific with the rules and 100% correct about what algorithms search engines use other than the search engines themselves but with information collected from thousands of webmasters on the internet the most important factor when being ranked is how quality the content is and how it can benefit the searchers

Popularity: 6% [?]

If you are struggling to get around the fact your website isn’t doing any where near as well as your competitors in the search engines and you’re not listed as high as you would expect then maybe SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can explain? With SEO there really are no limits on how well you can optimize and promote your website to its full potential.

SEO is more or less what it says on the tin – You optimize your website in the best possible way so search engines can determine whether it’s worth being put near the top for a specific keyword search or near the bottom where it’s pretty much deemed useless. Everyone starts at the bottom no matter what industry you’re in and SEO is exactly the same – you will need to work hard to get your website near the top to be able to see any results.

The more you know about SEO the better your website will do and you’re not going to learn how to achieve fantastic results overnight so a lot of trial and error will be involved along the way. You could just search for a load of tips to help you but again that isn’t going to help you in the short run because you haven’t “technically” learnt anything for yourself.

A basic fact in life is if you make an error you will learn not to do it again and using SEO in the same way will make you a better web developer and SEO artist.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Buying permanent backlinks can end up being very expensive but the benefit of doing so pretty much guarantees you a permanent back link where as a free permanent back link may not be as “permanent” as you may think. As said above, buying permanent back links may be a costly way of doing things so if you don’t have too much money to invest then luckily for you there are ways of going about getting back links for free.

You may have noticed that I never included “permanent” before “back links” in my previous sentence and that’s because no one can really guarantee you a permanent back link unless you pay for it and especially when they offer you it for free! Getting back links when you’re not paying for them will take you a lot of time and patience. The best way of getting back links is by blog commenting but this is a very repetitive job and you can lose motivation very quickly.

Successful blogs and websites are key when looking for free back links especially if they have been established for a while – at least you then know they will be around for a lot longer and then the myth of a free permanent back link becomes possible.

If you have the cash to splash then buying permanent back links from successful websites is definitely the way forward and you will definitely see results a lot quicker.

Popularity: 14% [?]