True Foundation of Search Engine Optimization

The true foundation of Search Engine Optimization begins with content. Content is important because that is what grabs individuals' attentions. The three different types of areas dealing with content include curation, creation, and collaboration. When a person curates content that individual actually goes out of their way to find information and then share it while either reviewing or commenting on it. The second type of content is actually creating the content, this is the best form of content if one is trying to stand out from the rest. Creating content can be hard because it has to be original; however, if a person has a blog that he/she creates the content on, then this is an excellent way to target viewers because the content can be tailored for the audience. The interests of the audience can help generate traffic to one's blog and give more ideas on what to write about. Lastly, the third type of content is collaborating with other people on different topics to write about and this is a good learning experience if one is just starting out on learning to write content.

Blogging is a great way to learn how to write content and by including images and/or videos in one's blog is another form of content that can help those viewers who are more visual learners. Search Engine Optimization would not exist if content was not developed. Therefore, content itself is important to get one's views across and the best part about it, is one does not need to be an expert. Find a passion and just write about it, this is all it takes to be a good writer.

Understanding Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization is the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by making sure the content appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine. Most of the time individuals who pay more for his/her advertisements end up higher on the results list because that individual is paying for it. However, the most important thing to have when it comes to search engine optimization is to have quality content.

By writing quality content related to specific topics will allow Google to find the information, and more importantly, people will find the articles as well. That is why it is crucial to have relevant and meaningful information that is helpful, which will make people want to share the information with other people. If the information is shared, then the articles will become more likely to grow higher on the results list which is the ultimate goal. When developing quality content, 90% of an individual's time should be devoted to it because this will set the bar for the rest of the minor details included in the articles and/or advertisements. Information is key and in order to have people come to one's website the information has to be of quality for a person to be willing to trust the site. Therefore, focusing on quality content should be high on ones list in order to help understand search engine optimization.

Google Search Advertising Exam

In order to pass our Google Adwords class, we had to pass the Google Adwords Exam as well as the Google Search Advertising Exam. I had to study the material a lot in order to understand the concepts presented. The Google Adwords Exam in my opinion was easier to understand and pass than the Google Search Advertising Exam, because the Google Adwords material was the fundamental material for the Google Search Advertising material. At first, I thought it would be extremely difficult to learn because when I first tried taking the Google Adwords Exam I received a 57%, but that was without studying the material and just taking the test to see what I would end up getting. After taking time to learn the material and trying to understand what Google Adwords was all about I ended up receiving an 84% on the test, which I felt extremely proud in accomplishing. Once I completed the first exam and received my certification I moved on to try to pass the Google Search Advertising Exam. This time I had to study harder and longer in order to pass the exam. However, once I passed the exam I felt great. I passed with an 84% for the second exam as well which was weird that I received the same score for both exams, but I did not mind because I passed both which is all that matters.

Writing Effective Ads

In order for an effective ad to be seen by many, make sure to be creative when writing it. One must stand out from the other advertisers in order for their ad to be successful and get higher click-through rates, higher quality scores, and higher conversion rates. When writing effective ads keep in mind what the end goal is. Understanding this can be the secret to writing an ad that stands out from the rest of the competitors. Another major component to writing great ads is to make sure that the material is current and not outdated. Also, get really specific with your ads so people know exactly what your selling or the service you are providing. Lastly, one of the best things to do when writing ads is to make the advertisements personal in order to focus on the customer's needs. The best way to go about this is to use the power of "you" to craft your ads and make them stand out to get more clicks in the end.

Pay-Per-Click

Pay-Per-Click, also known as PPC is a model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. Basically this method is a way of buying visits to one's site, rather than attempting to "earn" those visits organically. One of the most popular forms of PPC is search engine advertising. Advertisers are able to bid for an ad placement in the search engine's sponsored links based off the keyword searches people type in.

A successful PPC campaign takes a lot of effort to create. First one has to research and select the keywords that will be utilized in the campaign. Next, one has to set up PPC landing pages that are optimized for conversions. An interesting concept to know is that search engines reward advertisers who can create relevant pay-per-click campaigns by charging them less for ad clicks. Therefore, try to create useful ads and landing pages that are satisfying to users because Google will charge you less per click, which can lead to higher profits for your business.

Quality Score

A Quality Score is a metric Google uses to determine where advertisers rank. The score serves as a check against rule by budget alone, by requiring advertisers to prove their relevance. More relevant ads generally get higher click-through rates (CTR), so CTR is one of the major components of Quality Score. Other factors that may also influence the Quality Score include: landing page quality, your historical account performance, the relevance of your keyword to its ad group, and the relevance of your ad text.

Based on what keywords you are bidding on and what match types you are using, Google calculates a score between 1 and 10 for your ad. The higher your score, the better your ad rank will be. A high Quality Score can even qualify you to rank above people who are bidding more than you. Another major component of Quality Score is that it has an enormous effect on how much you pay when someone clicks your ad. 

National Tiger Sanctuary Monthly Report

I decided to take a look at the whole month of October for the National Tiger Sanctuary and see how the website was doing. When taking a look at the new visitors compared to the returning visitors to the site there was 12.1% who actually returned to the site for the month of October. I think there should be a higher percentage of people who return to the website but unfortunately there was not.

The number of pageviews was 131 with 116 sessions. More than majority of the sessions lasted anywhere between 0-10 seconds, which means that the users did not tend to stay on the website for very long. The National Tiger Sanctuary can utilize this information to see how they can keep users on their website as well as gain new users. Engagement is important because this is what helps websites become successful. Lastly, the top three channels that were used during the month of October for the website was direct, organic search, and referral. The top channel used was the referral channel, which was 90.5%. This is important to know because it helps a company figure out how people are getting to the website.