[Webnauts]

SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization". It is the process of analyzing your potential design and problems for search engines indexing and positioning. In other words, making your web site and its content attractive, relevant and visible to search engines and web searchers.

There is nothing worse than having a beautiful web site with excellent written content, though you still lose traffic or you even keep potential visitors away, while your site cannot be found.

Before you begin optimizing your pages for Search Engines, consider that the following search engine optimization techniques are SPAM!

* automatically generated doorway pages
* cloaking and false redirects
* keyword stuffing
* hidden text or hidden links
* pages loaded with irrelevant words
* duplicated content on multiple pages
* misspelling of well-known web sites
* unrelated and centralized link farms
* other methods that try to trick search engines

If you use one of the above techniques, you might get short term results, but it's most likely that your site will be banned from search engines, and therefore you will put your business at severe risk.

You will have more success, if you will optimize your site for humans, and not machines.

Good luck with Search Engine Optimization,

John S. Britsios
Web Architect & Marketing Consultant


Don't miss this article too! "Why SEO should be important to you".


VALUABLE RESOURCES & TOOLS
Please report broken links or other issues, as misleading information, etc.

SEO Code of Ethics
* Search Engine Optimization Code of Ethics http://www.bruceclay.com/web_ethics.htm

Search Engines Guidelines for Webmasters
* Google Webmaster Guidelines http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
* Yahoo! Search Site Guidelines http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearc...basics-18.html
* MSN Guidelines for Webmasters http://search.msn.com.my/webmasters/guidelines.aspx
* Ask Jeeves Guidelines for Webmasters http://sp.ask.com/docs/about/policy.html
* Open Directory Editorial Guidelines http://dmoz.org/guidelines/include.html
* Zeal Guidelines Overview http://www.zeal.com/guidelines/overview.jhtml
* Overture's SiteMatch™ Content Guidelines http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ays/sm_gl.jhtml

* Filing at Google a reinclusion request - howto http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/reincl...request-howto/

Search Engine Spammer Reporting
* Overture, AllTheWeb feedback@Overture.com
* AltaVista http://www.altavista.com/help/contact/search
* Google, AOL http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html
* Ask Jeeves http://sp.ask.com/docs/about/contact_tuwyt.php
* DMOZ / ODP http://report-abuse.dmoz.org/
* Lycos http://help.lycos.com/watchdog/watchdog_1_help.asp
* Inktomi, MSN reportspam@inktomi.com
* Teoma ask@teoma.com
* Yahoo reportsearchspam@yahoo-inc.com

Search Engines Information for Webmasters
* Google Information for Webmasters http://www.google.com/webmasters/bot.html

SEO Tutorials
* SEOmoz | Beginner's Guide to Search Engine Optimization http://www.seomoz.org/beginners.php
* Do It Yourself SEO, Where Do I Begin http://www.jaankanellis.com/seo-where-do-i-begin/
* Basics of search engine optimisation http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/2005...e_optimisation/
* Website Promotion Tutorials by instantPROMOTION http://www.instantposition.com/website-promotion/

SEO TIPS
* SEO Toolkit 21 part guide to getting a top-10 listing on Google and Yahoo http://www.rlrouse.com/SEO.html
* Ten Tips to the Top of the Search Engines http://www.highrankings.com/tentips.htm
* Bruce Cley Search Engine Optimization Technical Tips http://www.bruceclay.com/seo-tech-tips/techtips.htm

Free Online SEO Tools
* instantPROMOTION SEO Tools http://www.instantposition.com/free_tools.cfm
* Sitening SEO Analyzer - A Web Standards & SEO Web Design Page Analyzer http://www.sitening.com/tools/seo-analyzer/
* Reaction Engine Free Online SEO Analysis http://www.reactionengine.com/
* Digitalpoint Keyword Ranking Monitor (Search Engine Positioning Tool) http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/keywords/
* SEOBook Free SEO Tools http://tools.seobook.com
* AbiLogic Page Keywords Analyzer http://www.abilogic.com/seo/
* SEO Scanner http://www.webmasterbrain.com/
* Keyword Density & Prominence http://www.ranks.nl/tools/spider.html
* Meta Tag Analyzer http://www.submitexpress.com/analyzer/
* Search Engine Keyword Tracker & Keyword Ranking Tool http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/keywords/
* Web Site Analysis http://www.sitesolutions.com/analysis.asp
* Free Robots.txt Generator http://www.mcanerin.com/search-engine/robots-txt.htm
* Robots.txt syntax checker http://www.sxw.org.uk/computing/robots/check.html
* Robots.txt Validator http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/robotcheck.cgi
* Link Vendor SEO Tools http://www.linkvendor.com/seo-tools/
* Bad Neighborhood Text Link Checker http://www.bad-neighborhood.com/
* Google Banned Tool http://www.123promotion.co.uk/tools/googlebanned.php

Free SEO Desktop Tools
* WebCEO http://www.webnauts.net/webceo.html
* Good Keywords http://www.goodkeywords.com/
* Free Monitor for Google http://www.cleverstat.com/google-monitor-query.htm
* SEO Junkie Site Wide Duplicate Content Analyzer http://www.seojunkie.com/2006/05/24/...tent-analyzer/
* GSite Crawler Google Sitemap Generator for Windows http://gsitecrawler.com/

Web Site Submission at Major Search Engines
* Google http://www.google.com/addurl/
* Yahoo! https://login.yahoo.com/config/login?.src=s...om/free/request
* MSN http://search.msn.com/docs/submit.aspx

Web Site Submission at Human-edited Directories
* DMOZ http://www.dmoz.org/add.html
* Webnauts Net Human and Search Engine Friendly Web Directory http://directory.webnauts.net/suggest-link.php

SEO Discussion Forums
* Webnauts Net http://forums.webnauts.net
* Digitalpoint http://forums.digitalpoint.com
* Google Community http://www.googlecommunity.com/
* Search Engine Forums http://www.searchengineforums.com/

SEO Joke
A declaration of the abbreviation SPAM:
S = SITES
P = PLACED
A = ABOVE
M = MINE

[Mike Dammann]

here is another one that has some good info:
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/

[crazyfish]

I've to go through that list sometime real soon. Thanks

[Mike Dammann]

My attention span is not long enough

[Jamie]

Yet another, great set of links John, thank you.

[sea otter]

Two forums I've found useful:

http://www.searchengineforums.com/
http://www.googlecommunity.com/

[the_pm]

As this thread contains nothing self-promotional and the resources are excellent, it has been stickied

[Mike Dammann]

In that case lemme share one cool tool
http://www.webuildpages.com/cool-seo-tool/

[crazyfish]

Quoting Mike Dammann:

In that case lemme share one cool tool
http://www.webuildpages.com/cool-seo-tool/

Thats pretty neat I like it.

[loco.m]

thx for the links guys, I really like that googleforum site, I think I'll register

[the_pm]

This thread has been updated with the new links and advice supplied by webnauts.

Thanks

[Ste]

Just wanted to say thanks for putting together such a comprehensive list.

I haven't had chance to look at everything, but the parts I've looked at have helped me out a great deal and opened up my eyes to something that I never considered / knew existed.

[Mike Dammann]

Quoting Ste:

Just wanted to say thanks for putting together such a comprehensive list.

I haven't had chance to look at everything, but the parts I've looked at have helped me out a great deal and opened up my eyes to something that I never considered / knew existed.

If you come across something good that hasn't been listed here, feel free to post it as well

[Bluebonic]

This post was pulled from Seomoz.org I believe Randfish wrote it but i'm sure they don't mind. That is some great info.

[the_pm]

Quoting Bluebonic:

This post was pulled from Seomoz.org I believe Randfish wrote it but i'm sure they don't mind. That is some great info.

That reminds me - Randfish quoted me once a couple years ago: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-do-h...have-in-common

"IMNSHO, paying for pagerank v. seeking out legitimate links is the difference between meeting someone, falling in love and getting married v. paying for a hooker."

I thought that was a pretty good line on my part - glad it got some publicity