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Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]
- briankim 13y agoThanks for sharing
- JTon 13y agoI'm not a webmaster but skimmed the document anyways. Really good read for those of us not very familiar with SEO terms and practices in general. It was easily digestible.
- ddedden 13y agoThis is a good start, but the guide is actually really old - the copyright is from 2010. Some of this stuff is no longer valid.
- wasd 13y agodo you know of a more recent resource?
- josephjrobison 13y agohttp://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo
- Matt_Cutts 13y agoWe wrote the guide to be pretty evergreen. If there's anything you see that's out of date, just mention it and we'll look into updating it.
- bhartzer 13y agoMatt, here's a few things: - on page 4 you might mention that Google may change your title tag on the search results. - on page 8, you might mention case sensitive URLs (can cause dupe content if not used consistently) and the use of hyphens vs underscores in URLs. - on page 15, I would updated the heading "Create content primarily for your users, not search engines" so it takes out the word 'primarily'. - Page 18, would it be helpful for users to add location and tags, titles, in EXIF data in images? - Page 21, I would mention specifying xml sitemap location in robots.txt file.
- izak30 13y agoWhy is it on a user content domain?
- packetslave 13y agoGoogle is pretty paranoid about hosting things under google.com unless they absolutely have to be there, since user authentication cookies are the holy grail for malware or other attacks. The published papers from research.google.com are linked off the same static.googleusercontent.com site, for example.
- fwdbureau 13y agoIn the section about 'alt' tags, "If a user is viewing your site on a browser that doesn't support images" sounds like something coming from a very old text. I wonder if that's still relevant for anyone. The second part of the sentence (screenreaders) taught me something, though!
- ry0ohki 13y agoBlind people still use browsers like this, it's a 508 compliant standard if nothing else.
- kaugesaar 13y agoThis seems out of date: "Google AdWords provides a handy Keyword Tool". You'll end up on a page explaining Keyword Planner has replaced Keyword Tool. To access the tool I must sign in to my AdWords account.
- jonknee 13y agoSo you have to sign into your free Google AdWords account to use a feature of Google AdWords? The link still works and even explains what has changed in significant detail.
- jonknee 13y agoI think Google knows more about how Google works than whatever SEO source you're trusting does...
- redblacktree 13y agouhm, ok? How does that help me, if I want my site to rank higher for a particular term?
- jonknee 13y agoFollow the guidelines in the document? It's not rocket science and unlike most SEO guides it's not filled with voodoo.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- ericcholis 13y agoSome worthwhile alternatives: http://moz.com/blog/perfecting-onpage-optimization-for-ecommerce-websites http://moz.com/blog/perfecting-onpage-optimization-for-ecomm... http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo (PDF: http://static.seomoz.org/files/SEOmoz-The-Beginners-Guide-To-SEO-2012.pdf http://static.seomoz.org/files/SEOmoz-The-Beginners-Guide-To...)
- rfnslyr 13y agoWhy was this downvoted? Are these guides not good?
- crockstar 13y agoI'm biased but I always recommend that anyone interested in SEO start with the Beginner's Guide. It is a fantastic resource that is updated regularly frequently and I find it easier for folks to grasp than many of the alternatives. It's not "straight from the horse's mouth" as is the case with the Google guide (which frankly what Google wants to drive rankings does not always tie up nicely with what actually seems to drive rankings in practice), but I always have users start there and then look further afield if they're still interested.
- trg2 13y agoI have an online SEO training class, but frequently refer people back to this doc before they get started. This is a great refresher, thanks for sharing. Edit: SEO checklist is http://www.clickminded.com/seo-checklist/ http://www.clickminded.com/seo-checklist/
- doughj3 13y agoMisread as "Google CEO Starter Guide" and expected a tongue-in-cheek critique of Larry Page.
- 3825 13y agoWell, your query is funnier[0] > Showing results for "Google SEO Starter Guide" > No results found for "Google CEO Starter Guide" [0] https://www.google.com/search?q="Google+CEO+Starter+Guide" https://www.google.com/search?q="Google+CEO+Starter+Guide"
- hartator 13y agoHaha, I have this thread now. GJG! Good Job Google! <3
- jarrett 13y agoI would love it if Google published an official answer to the perennial client question: "Why can't you get my site to the top of the SERPs for [insert competitive keywords here]?" My answer is usually along these lines: "Your site is competing for placement with many other professionally-built sites. If I'm doing my job properly, and so are the other web developers, none of us is or should be entitled to top placement. Also, placement depends heavily on factors that are solely in your control as the site owner, such as the quality of the content." But when web devs say this, clients sometimes think we're just trying to shirk responsibility. So I would be really happy if I could point them to an official statement from Gogole that conveys roughly the same message.
- ry0ohki 13y agohttps://www.google.com/competition/howgooglesearchworks.html https://www.google.com/competition/howgooglesearchworks.html
- jarrett 13y agoAnything in particular on that page you'd like to highlight? I'm putting myself in the shoes of a client who just wants "my site to be ranked higher." From this client's perspective, it's the web dev's job to make that happen. I don't see anything on the linked-to page that directly dispels this notion. Just to be clear: I recognize that the web developer plays a role in improving Google rankings. I.e. the web dev should definitely follow Google guidelines. But following the guidelines doesn't automatically get you to the top. (What if everyone follows the guidelines? They can't all be in first place.)
- gk1 13y ago1. List some of the high-level factors that affect search engine rankings. Eg: quality of content, mentions on other sites and social media, and site structure. 2. Circle the factors over which you as a developer have control. In the above example it would be "site structure." 3. Explain that the other factors are out of your control or are not within the scope of work. There's no shortage of marketing consultants (I'm one) and specialists that can help with the other factors.
- mbesto 13y agoI read this awhile back and it's great. Curious honest question to the SEOs out there - other than present me with a strategy, is there anything specifically an SEO can offer to my site? As far as I can tell, any gimmick or scheme an SEO could do previously is now effectively non-existent since the Penguin and Hummingbird updates to Google. Is there anything outside of the standard stuff that I have to do that can make my site stand out?
- butler14 13y agoUm, your question is unclear so I'm not sure exactly what answer you're looking for but, in short, yes, there's quite a lot you can do to improve your site from an SEO perspective.
- mbesto 13y agoLet me try to rephrase. If an SEO comes and regurgitates the same tools and strategies that are easily obtainable to me, what value is the SEO adding? Are there limitless things outside of a predetermined checklist of 50 or so items that fall outside my general responsibilities as a startup founder? Which would therefore require me to outsource it? If an SEO told me that you could go build link farms and that would boost my SERP, I'd pay an SEO. Seems like a good ROI right? My general assumption with SEO is (1) create good content and (2) make sure content is tagged correctly (3) share content. Honestly, I'd love to be sold on why I should ever spend money on it, but given the recent updates to the Google algorithm, I can't seem to figure out why...
- gabemart 13y agoThe most difficult part of SEO (and, perhaps tellingly, the part covered only extremely briefly and superficially in the PDF) is getting links from relevant, high-authority sources with relevant anchor text. It's more important than any other factor by a vast margin. Building image sitemaps or optimizing your custom 404 error pages pales in significance by many orders of magnitude. On-site SEO is child's play compared to offsite SEO. Getting these links ethically is a hard problem to solve, even for a high quality site with unique content. I don't have much connection with the world of commercial SEO, but I imagine there are people good enough at solving this problem to charge a premium and get good returns for their clients.
- JonoBB 13y agoYeah, this is all good and everything. But to get to the top in a competitive market, there is usually very little option but to buy high quality links.
- Matt_Cutts 13y agoThat's a really bad long-term strategy.
- hopeandglory 13y agoTravelSupermarket have been doing this as a long-term strategy and get away with it. http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!searchin/webmasters/travelsupermarket/webmasters/u56C6Y-Wwkk/3CccKZ6xU4oJ http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!searchin/webmasters/... I'm hoping someone from Google can explain, or at least commit to investigate why the leading brand in our niche (travel) has escaped a Penguin 2.0 demotion. It may come across as sour grapes as yes, we were demoted following Penguin 2, due to links built by an SEO agency in 2008 that we have tried (pre-pengiun) to have removed for years, despite passing a manual link review and having a manual penalty removed, the algorithm clearly has no discretion and re-penalised us for the same issue, however the fact remains that the largest brand, a household name, in our niche is engaging in far worse and at a much greater scale and continues to do so that has left them top of the pile for a huge number of very lucrative search terms. Here is just a small sample of paid links, paid blog posts and article submissions clearly designed to manipulate the SERP's that are no doubt paying huge dividends for them. Isn't it about time Google stepped in and stopped these brands being so well protected, whether it be from manual or algorithmic penalties. We've been watching their dominance in the travel market for 2-3 years now and assumed that one day Google would take a look but so far nothing and now we are in a position where we are laying off staff due to factors outside of our control (and accepted by the search quality team), whilst the largest and most active spammy link buyers in our niche go from strength to strength. http://www.heatheronhertravels.com/ http://www.heatheronhertravels.com/ paid http://1000fights.com/how-to-kiss-correctly/ http://1000fights.com/how-to-kiss-correctly/ paid http://1familyvacation.blogspot.com/2009_04_26_archive.html http://1familyvacation.blogspot.com/2009_04_26_archive.html paid post http://2backpackers.com/8940/usa/fleet-week-san-francisco-travel-photos-1 http://2backpackers.com/8940/usa/fleet-week-san-francisco-tr... paid post http://2nomads1narrative.com/2012/07/03/guest-post-signature-dishes-of-india/ http://2nomads1narrative.com/2012/07/03/guest-post-signature... paid post http://acrossandabroad.com/2011/08/23/dubai-holidays-diving-in-dubai/ http://acrossandabroad.com/2011/08/23/dubai-holidays-diving-... paid post http://activetap.com/554567-Flights-Viva-Prague.html http://activetap.com/554567-Flights-Viva-Prague.html paid post http://alcudiaholidays.org.uk/reasons-to-visitalcudia http://alcudiaholidays.org.uk/reasons-to-visitalcudia paid post http://allfiji.com.au/travel/fiji-beaches/ http://allfiji.com.au/travel/fiji-beaches/ paid post http://allfrance.com.au/the-best-budget-hotels-in-paris/ http://allfrance.com.au/the-best-budget-hotels-in-paris/ paid post http://allthailand.com.au/touring-thailand-top-tours-in-thailand/ http://allthailand.com.au/touring-thailand-top-tours-in-thai... paid post http://allusa.com.au/americas-greatest-parks/ http://allusa.com.au/americas-greatest-parks/ paid post http://archive.anfieldroad.com/news-archive/201009063972/fc-utrecht-v-liverpool-%E2%80%93-travel-information.html/ http://archive.anfieldroad.com/news-archive/201009063972/fc-... paid post http://archive.anfieldroad.com/news-archive/201103084572/a-guide-to-braga.html/ http://archive.anfieldroad.com/news-archive/201103084572/a-g... paid post http://aussietopia.org/2011/03/ http://aussietopia.org/2011/03/ paid post http://aussietopia.org/category/cities/melbourne/ http://aussietopia.org/category/cities/melbourne/ paid
- noveltysystems 13y agoSEO has evolved however much of the published SEO advice is stuck in the past. People are proclaiming "SEO is dead"... that will only be true the day people stop using search engines to find information, more like "SEO has changed". There's a new SEO in town. What exactly is the new SEO you ask? Check out my full answer here: https://medium.com/on-startups/f15264e5d790 https://medium.com/on-startups/f15264e5d790
- granttimmerman 13y agoWarning: This guide is 3-4 years old and may have some outdated techniques.
- user24 13y agosadly I know people who respond to this with "Yeah but why would you trust what Google say, they don't want to tell you how to game the system".
- techaddict009 13y agoThis guide is 3 years old. I think lot many stuffs have changed today.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]