Google also provides a bit more of this data in its free Webmaster Tools interface (if you don’t have an account set up, this is a very valuable SEO tool for both uncovering search query data and diagnosing various technical SEO issues — more on webmaster tools here set up). For many companies, getting the technical aspects of SEO right, understanding the keywords, and developing a strategy to link and share your website’s pages is really all you need to know about SEO. On the other hand, there is Black Hat SEO, which allows a company to improve its ranking in search engine optimization by violating the search engine’s terms of use. If you have a large and complex website, focus on getting technical SEO right (or hire someone who can).
If you’re a small business that would benefit from ranking for very specific geo-focused terms, but not much else, base your local SEO efforts (and then maybe focus on other marketing efforts once you see that your efforts there are declining returns). Black hat SEO is one way a company can use to improve its ranking in search engine optimization by violating the search engine’s terms of use. As we’ve discussed, keyword research is still valuable, and technical SEO issues that prevent Google and other search engines from understanding and evaluating website content are still prevalent. Also, check out our off-page SEO walkthrough (the factors on other websites that can impact your own website’s ranking).
Even if your URLs aren’t “pretty,” and you don’t feel they’re negatively impacting users and your business in general, don’t change them to focus more on keywords for “better SEO.” White hat SEO is a longer-lasting technique than the other types of SEO because you stick to the rules and regulations. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in the keyword section of the guide, Google has made it difficult to get data on the actual keywords people are searching for. However, by looking at traffic at the page level (outside of your website’s home page), you can gain insight into your overall SEO progress. So how can you track how well they’re performing when you start writing your great SEO content and getting all those steps going?
At first glance, this question has a fairly simple answer with a few key SEO metrics to focus on. However, with any metric, there are a few key factors to consider when you measure your website’s SEO performance. If you’re new to search engine optimization and want to leverage the channel, these riskier and more aggressive ways to get links probably aren’t a good fit for your business because you don’t know how to properly bypass the pitfalls and assess the risks. If you’re a small business or just starting out with SEO, I recommend choosing a free and easy-to-use tool, and keeping in mind just a handful of the core terms you want to track to help you measure progress.