Learning basic SEO?

[Zachary]

Where can I go to learn basic SEO quickly? I really want a no-nonsense guide on how to choose a good domain name, so that when I run an AdWords campaign, I won't be penalized with high costs for having a lame name.

Willing to pay like $10 or so if somebody has an eBook that will go over this stuff in quick, rapid, bullet-point style.

[Sven]

I sell windvane self steering systems. To my amazement windvaneselfsteering.com was available.

But a domain name like this is only important when it is to be expected that people will try their luck and type a domain name. If you are a programmer, programming.com would not be specific enough.

[FrozenCanuck]

Sven - the domain name that you have IS very important.

Your use of keywords in your domain will help massively with search engine rankings.

Key point: Make sure you pick a domain that incorporates words that your potential customers will type into a google search.

Sven: I typed in "wind vane self steering" into Google and you show up as #7, but you are missing a massive opportunity for traffic because your result shows up as

www.mistervee.com - Home
Wind vane self steering systems have been around for a long time. And quite a few that are on the market today have not changed since they were introduced ...

You need to add a title metatag that is more descriptive. I learned this from StomperNet. Your search engine description IS YOUR ADVERTISEMENT.

Original poster: I HIGHLY recommend a course called "Stomping the Search Engines 2.0".

Check stompernet.com to see if it's still offered. They had a $1 offer a while back. It's a great course.

[wfernley]

I have been doing SEO for about 7 years now. I always found www.webmasterworld.com (Google Forum) to be a great resouce :)