Search engine optimization changes as quick as you can say "SEO." How can you ever become an expert with information moving this quickly? Follow these steps to get started and keep up to date with SEO.
Get Reading
There are plenty of resources available to you when it comes to learning what's new and what's coming with SEO. One of those includes the blog of SEOmoz (http://moz.com/blog), Another is Matt Cutts' blog, Google's head of search spam. He tells us what's new with how Google operates and answers questions from people who want to be better at SEO. Other resources include the community-based SearchEngineLand (http://searchengineland.com/).
Watch Videos
SEO gurus and webmasters flock to YouTube in hordes. You can learn how to optimize your website, get the most out of your AdWords campaigns and increase ROI with social media with video tutorials that walk you through the process step by step. This is perfect if you're an absolutely novice when it comes to SEO.
The following YouTube accounts are chock-full of helpful tutorials, Q&As and other videos:
- SEOBook
- TheSEOMethod
- Lisa3876
- GoogleWebmasterHelp
The MozBlog also includes videos every Friday as part of the Whiteboard Friday project.
Talk to Others
While the basis of SEO is that you want your website to have more visibility than that of the competition, you shouldn't look at everyone as an enemy. You might be surprised what you can learn from other people who are beefing up their own skills or working on their own websites when you consider them as resources. There are plenty of places where this conversation can get rolling.
Consider LinkedIn, the social network for businesses and professionals. The groups on the network are a great place to ask and answer questions. While Facebook wasn't designed specifically for SEO gurus, you'll find plenty of groups for bloggers, webmasters and SEO help just by typing a keyword or two into the search box. Even Twitter can offer some insight if you pose a question and use a hashtag to trace it.
Attend a Conference
Social media and online interactions aren't the only way to talk about SEO. Consider attending SEO workshops and conferences. Here, you'll attend panels hosted by people who work for search engines and SEO pros who want to share their insight. You can take notes and engage in water-cooler talk with other people to share experience and tips. Some popular conferences include MozCon, Content Marketing World and Inbound Marketing Summit.
Practice, Practice, Practice
The truth about search engine optimization is that you have to put it into play before you'll know what works well for your. Your specific style, your audience and industry all affect what works particularly well for you. You have to be willing to experiment and measure results to make changes to make sure you're getting the most out of your SEO efforts. However, this flexibility will lead to success where rigidity and clinging to old traditions won't.