Search engine optimization is a confusing thing...

The experts contradict themselves, and every one of them seems bent on making it so complex that you'll give up in frustration. Not only that, but the experts are all talking about optimizing large corporate sites, and what works for them is not cost effective for a small site!

There are strategies which are simple to implement, and make a huge difference. There are small things which don't make much of a difference, but which make sense to do because they are so simple to do. There are other things which take moderate time, and still return a reasonable result, but which may or may not be necessary for your site.

And lastly, there are costly or time consuming strategies which make very little difference, which the experts treat like they are necessary.

You need to know which is which, so you can use your time and resources on the things that matter for YOU. You need to know which things you can do quickly that will really help, so you can do what makes the most difference first, and then slowly work on the rest later.

The things that make sense for huge corporate sites won't make sense for a small start-up, or even a well established small site. Your cost/benefit scale is different than theirs. You only have two choices – be the jack of all trades and learn enough to do the important things yourself, or hire someone to do it for you on the little you can afford. And hiring involves risks if you don't know what they are doing, or where the billing will stop!

So this guide is aimed at helping owners of small sites know just what actually needs to be done, and what WILL help. It also is written to help you understand why things matter that do, and what the trade offs are for the various strategies. I'll cover the six things you SHOULD absolutely do, and then some optional things. I'll also cover the stuff that I don't think is worth the bother, and explain why.

The purpose of this site is not to confuse you so much that you give up and think you'll never get it. It is not to give you just enough information to make you feel like you have to hire someone. I am not doing this to sell you my services, but rather to give you all the information you need to do the things I suggest. If I fail to do that, you have an open invitation to email me and inform me of that, and I'll reply with a personal explanation – and I'll improve the site!