To say that SEO has changed by leaps and bounds over the last 5 years would be the understatement… of the last 5 years. What was once a measure of a onsite meta tags and coding dilligence, has now become a larger measure of offsite influences. Algorithmic formulas have become more sophisticated as the big three (Google, Yahoo, MSN) try to differentiate themselves from one another. Objective SERP (Search Engine Ranking Page) relevance of a given keyword search will make or break a user’s confidence in a very short amount of time. If an individual has a hard time finding what they’re looking for when using Google, due to off-target or spammy results, they’ll try MSN - and so on.

Through a focused combination of attention to both your code and your surrounding landscape you can better the chances of your domain being interpreted positively by search engines and in turn reach your target market effectively.

The Pony’s 5 Golden Rules of SEO:

1. Fix Your TITLE Tags: Titles must be unique to each and every page, whenever possible. They should contain your top keywords, in a variety of iterations, throughout your site and be especially targeted to the content of the given page in question.
2. Utilize Your URL Structure: If you don’t need to have dynamic, alpha-numeric URLS, then don’t! Make your URLs SEO-Friendly by incorporating keywords, or automatically mimicking page titles via a mod-rewrite script.
3. External, Incoming Link Building: Currently one of the most effective ways in which to increase your rankings is by getting other sites to link back to yours. This can be done via superior original content, press releases, good old fashioned flesh-pressing and more. Think of every incoming link as a vote to your site - because the search engines will! Link building is not easy, takes time and is never truly finished. Hang in there.
4. Keyword Density and Placement: Your pages should contain an average of 3-500 words of ASCII text, with major keywords and iterations sprinkled healthily throughout. The best rule of thumb when walking the line between density and SPAM is to remember: If the copy reads poorly to you, there’s a good change it will sound funny to the spiders as well. Use keywords and phrases in moderation.
5. Don’t Panic: SEOs do just that - they optimize. Ultimately, webmasters have very little control over how their site is viewed by the major search engines. One can do everything right, follow all of the best practices and still be invisible for their most desired words and phrases. Algorithms fluctutate, and SERPs change - constantly. Just because you’re buried today, or have lost ground for yourself or a client, doesn’t mean that all can’t change in a few days. Stay dilligent with the offsite SEO and make sure you haven’t done anything for which you may be penalized.

Search Engine Optimization has many complex facets and is always evolving. However, there are effective means in which you can improve your visibility if you pay attention and stay slightly ahead of the crowd. Remember - Anything that search engine engineers can add to an algorithim to keep SEO companies and web masters from manipulating it’s organic SERP - they eventually will. All “proven” offsite SEO methods, and many onsite (hidden text and keyword stuffing for example) will eventually be discounted and even become cause for index expulsion. Stay current, be patient and build those links!

• The Ethics of SEO

The number one goal for any search engine optimization professional is to achieve high rankings for their clients. The methods optimizers employ in an attempt to achieve this success do not fall in line with a roadmap or best practice plan. SEO is full of grey areas and guesswork – however there are identified tactics that have been proven to increase the risk of a site being penalized or banned from directories. As a result, web marketing professionals must be careful when making changes to a...

• FaceBook for Social Media Marketing

Let's face it - I'm a little long in the tooth to be using FaceBook. But, as they're attempting to increase their value, FB has opened up the network to people without .edu email addresses. So here I am, an SEO/SEM enthusiast, getting to know all about 'the Book' and maybe feeling a little creepy about it in the process. FaceBook is a social media network - a very functional and cool one, and Social Media Optimization has become an important facet of Search Engine Marketing. Social Media is h...

• SEO with HubPages

Google absolutely adores Squidoo, and I have discussed several times how the network can be used for the purposes of search engine optimization. But Squidoo has a few younger siblings that shouldn't be overlooked in a comprehensive link building effort, the most advanced and spidered of which seems to be HubPages. But what is HP, and how exactly can it complement your online marketing efforts? After you register and open an account, pick a topic and create a new hub. The process is pretty sel...