There. I said it. If you have a basic knowledge of search engine optimization and how search engines like Google work, 90% of SEO – or at least white hat SEO – is common sense. Here’s the least you need to know:

• Link authority is a big part of SEO…so maximize the quantity and quality of your incoming links.
• Search engines rely on spiders to crawl your site…so organize your site well and ensure it is easily navigable.
• Search engines attach value to fresh content…so update your site regularly.
• Search engines exist to find the content that best suits the search query…so create content that matches what your customers are searching for.

Many make SEO seem like a complicated process that’s equal parts art, science, and magic. But as I said above, if you understand these very basic tenets, good SEO will follow logically. Memorize these points, or keep them as a reference. The next time you have an SEO question, refer back to them. More often than not, they will contain your answer.