Updated August 26, 2022
Reading Time: 2 minutesGreat video of Matt Cutts answering the question “Does Google consider SEO spam?” In a nutshell, no. Matt explains that Google’s primary goal is to present the best search results. By using White Hat SEO, you can make sure your pages are well represented to search engines, serving up relevant and timely information by appropriately using keywords and other good optimization practices.
Matt gives the following advice for those inclined for DIY SEO:
Crawl-able Pages
Be sure that your web pages are crawl-able. Too many times we’ve found that web developers have forgotten to change a setting in robots.txt when launching a site. Without flipping this switch, your site remains invisible to search engines and your potential target audience.
Consider this analogy. When set incorrectly, robots.txt is like a police tape that wraps around your website. Search engine crawlers are like spectators/reporters held back behind the tape. Essentially, your website doesn’t allow access unless you show the right credentials. You’ve invested time, money and energy into your website. If you’re stilling hearing crickets after your pages are indexed with search engines, then you’ve got other problems to solve.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS75vhGO-kk]Speed Matters
No one likes to wait for a slow-loading site. Site speed is a factor for SEO ranking as it provides a better overall experience to your human visitor. If you don’t have access to your site’s Web Analytics or Webmaster tools, use this free Google Page Speed tool to analyze your website.
Test What Converts
Once you get visitors to you site, test to see what converts. One metric you should be consistently monitoring is conversion rate. Consider A/B Testing to compare results when trying out variations of text, images, calls to action, and colors. It’s about getting the desired outcome: generating sales through your online storefront.
DIY SEO is a full-time job. Here’s a starter guide to learn the ropes.