In 2003 my husband I were confronted with a dilemna. We had been running an ISP business successfully for years, but there was one big problem; it was a dial up ISP business and the era of cable and DSL (and even faster technologies) loomed large. Since we also had a small web hosting business, we were famiiar with many concepts of internet marketing, so we decided we would build websites for a living. 5 years later, we're still here. And one of the main reasons is because we were able to learn basic SEO online. This Hub will attempt to outline the tactics we used successfully.

1) Google is everything. The first thing you need to learn is that Google is all when it comes to SEO. There are no other search engines that can provide any traffic at all compared to what comes from Google, so make sure you focus your efforts accordingly.

2) Think long term. Forget any ideas about "Black Hat SEO" or using short cuts to get to the top. This is business and there are no easy ways to succeed in business. Just work hard and smart and the rest will take care of itself.

3) Ignore your competitors. Google indexes billions of web pages. Concentrate on your own efforts rather than worrying about what others will do. What if you focus on building your website one way because someone with a short term advantage over you has done it that way? If the trick falls out favor with Google, so will your rankings.

4) Don't be a link snob or a link addict. Sure, links are very important to Google's search engine algorhythm, but don't become obsessed by them. Incoming linkage can come as a result of direct efforts you make, but it is also a byproduct of excellent content. Just be intelligent in your efforts, and don't be afraid of getting links from anywhere. Some links may not count as highly as others, but every little bit helps.

5) The Title Tag is your primary weapon. Well crafted titles help you in many ways. They help search engines discover your content, but they also are the reason many people will decide to click on your content or not. Write for humans, but make sure to use common sense and place keywords somewhere in your title.

6) Proximity matters. Group your main keywords ahead of other verbiage. Relevance and proximity have remained cornerstones of good search engine rankings for years.

7) Use a blog for frequent updates. Blogging is a quick and unique way to get extra traffic to your website. You can always use a stand alone blog too. Wordpress is free and comes with excellent SEO. You also ping other services when you update, so crawlers tend to stay active.