Search engine optimization is often confused with building as many backlinks as possible in the shortest period of time. While there is some truth to this approach, it will be even more powerful when combined with good onsite SEO.

While backlinks will help establish a website's importance in the eyes of Google, onsite optimization will confirm that the backlinks are relevant. Take, for instance, if you were getting backlinks to a website dedicated to widgets, but the word "widgets" was never used on the site. Google would have a hard time believing that the backlinks were relevant. Onsite optimization will support your offsite optimization. Now that you know why it's important, how do you do it?

Meta Tags

You have probably heard the news that meta tags are losing their importance as a part of search engine optimization. This is only partially correct. In the past meta tags were used to manipulate the search engines through the use of keyword stuffing. This was an easy way to get good search engine rankings in the early days of the internet. Since the search engines caught on, meta tags can no longer be used in this manner. This does not mean that they are not useful. Today they let the search engines know what to look for on the page. Then the search engine will use other methods to certify that the information is correct. It is wise to make sure your meta tags accurately reflect your content.

High Quality Content

Ever heard the phrase "content is king"? Well, it's true. You will get more benefit out of having good content than any other SEO technique you attempt. The better your content, the more people will want to talk about it. This means your content will create backlinks all by itself. This will save you hours of tedious link building work.

Keep it Fresh

Now that Google Caffeine is in full steam, you should focus on providing fresh content to your visitors. Not only will this make your visitors happier, but you will appease the great Google. Google places a heavy weight on having fresh content. The more new content you have, the higher you will rank in the search engines. This will also help you attack more keywords. More pages on your site mean that you will have more search engine listings.

Site Speed

Google places some weight on how fast your page runs. If you have an overabundance of graphics or videos and your server can't handle it, you may end up suffering a hit in the search engines because your site is simply too slow. You will need to trim down, while keeping your site visually appealing to visitors. While you need to keep the search engines happy with your site, it's more important to keep your visitors happy.

Keywords

You might find it hard to place keywords if your site isn't text driven. This can get a little tricky, but make sure to name your objects and pictures with your targeted keywords. Google will look at these when they decide where to rank you in the search engines as well as any text you may have.

What Not To Do

While it is important to learn what you should be doing on your site, it is also imperative to avoid shortcuts and black hat SEO strategies. These methods may earn you some short victories, but the search engines will figure out what you are doing soon enough. Black Hat SEO includes approaches like keyword stuffing, automated link building, and blog comment spamming.

Onsite SEO is an ongoing process. It never stops. If you want to earn, and retain, the coveted top spot on Google you are going to need to keep your content fresh and relevant to the rest of your site. Becoming comfortable and lax will only lead to disappointment in the long term.