So, now that you know that there are two elements to SEO (on-site and off-site) and three types of SEO (Black, White and Grey Hat) and you know why you should be implementing SEO, all you need are a few tips and tricks to make sure that you are going about SEO the right way (and the most effective way).

1. Use title tags - Have meaningful, focused, short, titles tags for each page which include as little ‘fluff’ as possible. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your company name is enough. And don’t use generic terms like ‘About Us’ and ‘Contact Us’; every website could have the same title tag. Yours should stand out from the crowd. To do this, use your descriptive keywords. If you run a plumbing business in Melbourne called Pete’s Plumbing, a good title tag would be: Melbourne plumber | Pete’s Plumbing.
2. Use heading tags - Website users do not like big slabs of text. They are a sure-fire way to lose your online audience. So, break up your text with headings and sub-headings wherever possible. It will make your audience more inclined to read your content and it will enable search engines to understand your content. This, in turn, will improve your search engine rankings.
3. Don’t forget about your images - If you are going to include images or graphics on your website, then you might as well make the most of them; properly label each one. Search engines can read the alt tags of images. If your image fails to load, then the alt tags will be displayed. So, not only does labelling your images help with SEO, it improves the experience for the user. The same advice goes for the labels as title tags. Give each image a meaningful, focused, short label which contains relevant keywords and no ‘fluff’.
4. Use the meta description - The meta descriptions of webpages don’t really do much in terms of improving search engine rankings but don’t just dismiss them. When your website appears in search engine results, the accompanying description of your site usually comes from the meta description of the page. The page description helps your audience decide whether to view your website. So you better make yours count.
5. Choose your keywords carefully - With your subject, product or service in mind, think about what keywords you want to target. What do you think your audience will type into Google to find you? Brainstorm. Come up with a list. Use a free keyword suggestion tool like Google’s Adwords.
6. Remember that content is king - Make sure your website has as much original, unique content as possible. Make sure that content contains your keywords. Make sure articles are around 450 words in length (they are easier for search engine spiders to scan). And, make sure that your content is regularly updated. The more often you update the content, the more often the spiders will scan your website and the more your search engine ranking will improve.