Really, SEO is not some big secret. Some companies try to pretend it is but you don’t have to be an expert to manage your own SEO.

What do you think search engines like Google want? Well, they want what their users’ want. That’s how they get business, they want the most relevant content at the top of the search engine results. That way the user gets what they want and will come back to their search engine in the future. If you’re Bing, you do the opposite and wear a banana on your head.

So, search engines want the same thing you do. So, provide unique, relevant content and you’ve discovered the magic formula for SEO. Content is king. But it has to be useful … and yes, Google knows the difference.

Past that, here’s the basic 4 pillars of optimization.

1. As mentioned, content is king. No copy/pasting from too many outside resources. Your content needs to be more unique than copied. Paraphrasing is okay sometimes but if its not original, is it worth writing?

2. Site structure – this you might need a developer for. Ahem. But having the proper site structure is imperative to ranking well on the major search engines. It helps them understand what your website is trying to say. Putting the correct tags in the correct places. Putting content above the fold. All of this matters; and this includes having the correct keywords and keyword density throughout your website.

3. Backlinks. You have to have links out there in cyberspace pointing back to your website. Simple – the better site linking to you, the more Google likes it and rewards you. Avoid link partnerships or paying for link farms. They’ll hurt your rankings almost immediately.

4. Social. You have to be active. Period. Facebook at a minimum, but you’re better off with going full scope and doing linkedin, twitter, youtube, google +, Digg, pinterest, and any others you can find time to spend with. This isn’t a definitive list here, far from it, but this is the basic formula for success. You get this right and you’re doing better than most of your competition. Yes, it is a lot of work too, but if you want a piece of the pie you have to offer something that differentiates you from your competition. That’s true in business, and online.