Whether you're getting into search engine optimization or you are looking for better ways to bring more customers to your business, SEO can be daunting at the beginning. The reality is that it is a beautifully ever-changing field that makes it very difficult for a business owner - who needs to focus on his or her business - to also learn how to implement optimization strategies effectively. This article is for absolute beginners who simply want to start to get their heads around what this crazy thing called SEO is. Further articles will follow. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. Boston SEO Geeks info@bostonseogeeks.com https://www.boston-seo.org 1731 Beacon St, Ste 1213 Brookline, MA 02445 (617) 370-5958

1. Boston SEO Geeks ० 1731 Beacon St, Ste 1213 Brookline, MA 02445 ० (617) 370-5958
SEO For Beginners
by Deborah Bradley, Local SEO Expert
Search Engine Optimization can truly be seen as a science. And an art. And a neverending path
of learning.
In truth, it can be extremely daunting at the beginning.
The overall concepts though are really quite simple. So simple that I'm going to lay them out for
you right here and I’m going to divide everything into two categories:
1. On-Page Criteria
This one's probably the most obvious. When someone goes to your website, what information
do they find there?
Are there tips about dog training? Articles about building tree-houses? Do the articles all have
some sort of theme? Or are they a big mish-mosh of topics?

2. Boston SEO Geeks ० 1731 Beacon St, Ste 1213 Brookline, MA 02445 ० (617) 370-5958
Google (or whatever search engine you’re using) looks at what topics, words, pictures, and
videos are on each page.
That’s how they start to determine what your website is likely to be ranked for in the search
engine results.
A Word Of Warning: Many people learn this part of SEO strategy and do something called
“keyword stuffing.” In other words, if they want to rank for the search term “plumbers boston”,
they put that phrase all over the place - in the site title, the URL, the header, the subheaders,
and all though the content.
There was a time when this kind of strategy worked. Brilliantly.
But times have changed and Google has gotten much smarter. These days, Google will see that
kind of copy as trying to manipulate the search results and will likely give you a penalty for over-
optimizing your website. What does that mean? That mean’s you’ll be less likely to get the
ranking results you’re striving for.
On-Page Criteria also includes the overall structure of your website. How your pages or posts
link together and the names of each URL (or article address).
2. Off-Page Criteria
Off-Page Criteria is everything that gives Google a better understanding of your website (and
your business) from off of your website.
This includes:
● Social Media - What profiles your business has, how active they are and how often your
content is getting shared or your business is getting mentioned.
● Directory Listings - How many trusted and related resources have listed your business
as a credible option.
● Backlinks - See below.
Backlinking is really the mother of SEO strategy. Google has determined that if you’re getting a
significant number of links from authoritative websites (preferably that are related in some way
to your business), that must mean that you’ve got a business worth promoting in the search
results.
An important part of backlinking is looking at the “anchor text.” Anchor text is the words (or
image) that get clicked on when a visitor gets sent to your website.

3. Boston SEO Geeks ० 1731 Beacon St, Ste 1213 Brookline, MA 02445 ० (617) 370-5958
So, if you’re trying to rank for “plumbers boston,” you’d want to have anchor text coming to your
website that says things like, “best plumbers in boston” or “boston plumbers.” If instead, you had
links going to your site that said, “best dog training videos” or “treehouse instructions” Google
would start to get confused and your chances of moving up the rankings would go down.
I hope this has been helpful in getting a taste of what SEO is about, if nothing else, has taken
away any fear or confusion that you might have had around the topic.
Please feel free to be in touch with any questions if you believe we can help your business! You
can find us through our Brookline Chamber of Commerce listing.