Search Engine Optimization refers to the collection of techniques and practices that allow a site to get more traffic from search engines (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft).
SEO is not purchasing the number #1 sponsored link through Google Adwords and proclaiming that you have a #1 ranking on Google. Purchasing paid placements on search engines is a type of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and is not covered in this tutorial.
SEO is not ranking #1 for your company's name. If you're reading this tutorial, you probably already know that ranking for popular terms is darn near impossible, but specific terms, such as a company name, is a freebie. The search engines usually are smart enough to award you that rank by default (unless you are being penalized).
PageRank is a ranking system that previously was the foundation of the infamous search engine, Google. When search engines were first developed, they ranked all websites equally and would return results based only on the content and meta tags the pages contained. At the time, however, the
PageRank system would revolutionize search engine rankings by including one key factor: a site's authority.
There are a lot of repetitive tasks to be done when optimizing your site for the search engines. To make your life easier, we've compiled a list of the most popular SEO Tools (nearly all 100% free) and categorized them into the following:
Keyword Discovery - Find popular keywords that your site should be targeting.
Keyword Volume - Estimate how much search traffic a specific keyword receives each month.
Keyword Density - Analyze how well a specific webpage is targeting a keyword.
Backlink Trackers - Keep track of how many sites are linking to you.
Site Popularity - Determine how popular your site is on the internet.
Keyword Rankings - Track of your site's rankings for a keyword in the search engines.
Firefox Addons - Install these addons to turn your browser into an SEO research powerhouse.