Chapter 1: An Introduction to SEO – Still Kicking
How SEO Works
SEO essentially works by attempting to second guess the algorithms used by Google to decide which sites to index and where to rank them. Google works by using bots, an index, and an algorithm. The bots, also known as ‘robots’ or ‘spiders’, are small pieces of code designed to head out onto the web and look for content. They read webpages and they add that content to a massive index, that Google can use as a reference.
From there, Google will then use an algorithm to identify which content in that index is relevant to which search – and which is offering value to the end user. Ultimately, the aim of Google is to help people find interesting content that will be relevant to what they’re looking for.
This involves a lot of factors and the algorithm will look at how many links the content has, how visitors behave on that website and the use of key phrases within the content. If a word or phrase is repeated often enough, then it is possible to deduce that said word or phrase is likely to be the subject matter – and thus it should come up in searches for matching terms.​
SEO basically works by predicting and guessing how the algorithm works (because no one can be completely sure) and then using that information in order to engineer your website to get the maximum number of hits. It means gaming the system and this, in turn, can allow you to ‘trick’ Google into believing that your site should be number one.
Of course it’s not quite that simple though and actually, as we dig deeper, we’ll see that there are other ways of looking at SEO that are more efficient. Apart from anything else, Google is constantly updating its algorithms (usually with words beginning with ‘P’ like Penguin, Panda, and Pidgeon) and that means that second guessing Google can get you into trouble.
Being effective at SEO means having an up-to-date understanding of how it works and it means knowing the core principles that underlie the different strategies. That’s where this book comes in. Read on and you’ll learn which old, outdated strategies you need to avoid, how to work with Google to get the very best results and how to future-proof your site for upcoming changes.
This is the modern guide to SEO for modern marketers and site owners. This is your SEO bible and your key to unlocking incredible success on the web!