SEO

Google's Search Engine Optimization
Starter Guide
Version 1.1, published 13 November 2008
Welcome to Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide. This document first began as an
effort to help teams within Google, but we thought it'd be just as useful to webmasters that are new to
the topic of search engine optimization and wish to improve their sites' interaction with both users and
search engines. Although this guide won't tell you any secrets that'll automatically rank your site first
for queries in Google (sorry!), following the best practices outlined below will make it easier for search
engines to both crawl and index your content.
Search engine optimization is often about making small modifications to parts of your website. When
viewed individually, these changes might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined
with other optimizations, they could have a noticeable impact on your site's user experience and
performance in organic search results. You're likely already familiar with many of the topics in this
guide, because they're essential ingredients for any webpage, but you may not be making the most
out of them.
Search engine optimization affects only organic search results, not paid or "sponsored" results,
such as Google AdWords
Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, Version 1.1, published 13 November 2008