Internet Marketing SEO and Google

Google's undisputed position as the world's leading search engine makes it the obvious starting point for anyone interested in internet marketing SEO. Their ever changing algorithm is a closely guarded secret and something of a Holy Grail for website optimizers. The odds of 'beating' the hundreds of PhD's that populate the Googleplex headquarters are slim, but the following steps should at least set you in the right direction:

Trust no one: It may sound a touch paranoid, but in the world of internet marketing SEO; there really is no such thing as a free lunch. Self proclaimed 'web gurus' and specialist SEO companies should be approached sceptically; after all if they really are as good as they claim, how come they've got any spare time to help you? Shouldn't they be lunching with their financial advisor instead? Having sounded a warning salvo, there are some great sources of information; notably the growing number of online forums and discussion boards (which will only keep working if you put in as much as you take out).

On vs. off page factors: Anyone who's been in the internet marketing game a while will fondly remember the time when your rankings could be manipulated in Dreamweaver . Then Google threw a spanner in the works in the guise of Page Rank. On page factors are still as important today as ever, but Google's spiders are now pay just as much attention to what's going on behind the scenes.

Content is King: Search engines love quality content and it's a case of; the more the better. Think about it like this: for Google to maintain its position as market leader they need to provide the best possible search results. If you publish a site packed with unique content, then it's in everybody's interest to display your site more prominently. Once you're site begins to climb the rankings; keep feeding it with fresh content.

Size does matter: While the debate about the optimum site size still rages, everyone agrees that pages should be kept as small as possible (ideally less than 20K). Go easy on images and tables and you'll produce a page that loads quickly and appeals to both users and search engines alike.

Keep it simple: when it comes to the question of design: less is more. If you need further proof of the benefits of minimal design look no further than Google's homepage, then pay a visit to MSN and Yahoo.

Enjoy yourself: If you're fanatical about what you do, it soon rubs off on others.