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Can you get by without knowing much about html and SEO?

by Liam Hamer
20 replies
These are 2 areas I'm pretty weak on, especially html. I know how to do basic html, clickable links, change fonts and such - but I wouldn't where to start if I was creating from scratch. I'm definitely learning more about SEO, and maybe it will be worth my while really knuckling down and learning html. I was just wondering what your thoughts are - are these 2 skills completely necessary to be successful in your opinion? Do you encourage your customers/teams/downlines to learn these skills?
#html #knowing #seo
  • Profile picture of the author Stefan Vee
    I think it's a major advantage if you have some good html knowledge.
    I learned it from Elizabeth Castro some 10, 15 years ago.
    Her books are both simple and great!
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  • Profile picture of the author TimGross
    A couple options:

    1) Pay someone else to do whatever you can't do.

    2) Use Wordpress blogs as your websites (there are themes you can use that make it not look like a blog if that's your goal) and use an SEO Plugin for Wordpress to help your blog be SEO-friendly.

    If you're not aware, putting Wordpress on a website is as simple as paying for hosting somewhere that offers CPanel with "automatic" Wordpress installation.

    Hope that gets you started.
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    • Profile picture of the author Liam Hamer
      Originally Posted by TimGross View Post

      A couple options:

      1) Pay someone else to do whatever you can't do.

      2) Use Wordpress blogs as your websites (there are themes you can use that make it not look like a blog if that's your goal) and use an SEO Plugin for Wordpress to help your blog be SEO-friendly.

      If you're not aware, putting Wordpress on a website is as simple as paying for hosting somewhere that offers CPanel with "automatic" Wordpress installation.

      Hope that gets you started.
      My main site is a Wordpress blog I use All In One SEO pack for SEO. I was talking more long term, a lot of the top guys out there seem to have studied and learned all this stuff. At the moment I get by without too much knowledge about them, but maybe long term it would be beneficial to have the skills in my locker.
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    • Profile picture of the author mike52683
      Two great suggestions by TimGross. I would also add Weebly as an option for building simple websites. If you can drag n drop, you can build a website using Weebly.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Sullivan
      I would agree that using blogging platforms is a good way to start if you have no idea about html and SEO because blogs get indexed fast normally through a variety of methods such as pinging, submitting RSS feeds together with site maps and social bookmarking. This in itself is often enough to get a good ranking in the search engines.

      John
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      • Profile picture of the author Liam Hamer
        It's a tough one for me really, I want to have all the skills necessary, yet know learning a lot of this stuff is taking time away I could spend on other things. I guess I'd just feel like more of a leader if I was an expert in these things. But then, people aren't always looking for experts, just people that will guide them in the right direction.
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  • Profile picture of the author Abledragon
    HTML and SEO are 2 of the basic tools of an online business - there are more!

    That doesn't stop you from outsourcing them or from using blogs to get around the need for knowing them in detail.

    But understanding them well enough to know what kind of titles and descriptions to write in your All-in-one-SEO pack fields, or how fix a problem in a WordPress text widget that's not co-operating, is pretty essential - at least I think so.

    Plus they're not hard!

    The reason I learnt how to build websites originally was precisely so that I could learn the tools of my trade. By doing this I get benefits in areas beyond just my sites and blogs - for example filling out titles, descriptions and keywords in my All-in-one, in sites like Slideshare, LinkedIn etc.

    I'm certainly not an expert, but it does enable me to understand how even sites like WordPress do things, and where to look when things go awry.

    And, yes - I do encourage my customers to learn about them, plus CSS.

    Cheers,

    Martin.
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    WealthyDragon - Earning My Living Online
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  • Profile picture of the author OSContent
    Tim made some good suggestions. Unless your business is related to SEO or site design, I wouldn't worry too much about becoming an expert in either area. Hire other people to do that stuff for you (or use templates if they are sufficient); and then spend your time doing what it is that you do best.
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    • Profile picture of the author Liam Hamer
      Thanks for all your thoughts and feedback - much appreciated I'm not too worried about being an expert in either for now, but I think I will try and gradually develop in both areas.
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  • Profile picture of the author YellowDot Software
    Crubalo,

    My recommendation is to know as much about how HTML works as possible. It's a very set language, you just send in tags with attributes, and you get full displays back. Pretty simple, so you really just need to know how to look up what each tag does.

    Personally I use W3Schools Online Web Tutorials once you understand the basic concepts of html, you need only to go there and look up the documentation on each tag. You can do the same with css, since it's mainly just configuring preset attributes.

    A little elbow grease and you're good to go, but I wouldnt tell you not to outsource it if you can afford it
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    • Profile picture of the author Liam Hamer
      Originally Posted by YellowDot Software View Post

      Crubalo,

      My recommendation is to know as much about how HTML works as possible. It's a very set language, you just send in tags with attributes, and you get full displays back. Pretty simple, so you really just need to know how to look up what each tag does.

      Personally I use W3Schools Online Web Tutorials once you understand the basic concepts of html, you need only to go there and look up the documentation on each tag. You can do the same with css, since it's mainly just configuring preset attributes.

      A little elbow grease and you're good to go, but I wouldnt tell you not to outsource it if you can afford it
      That's a great link - thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    Sure you can.

    My 11 year-old daughter can code a page in html from scratch but I can't.

    I know all the major tags:

    I know how images on webpages are invoked etc.

    I know the difference between display mode and html mode when editing a page.

    I know where and how to insert code & java script for pop-ups and opt-in forms that can go on pages to make them more interactive and profitable etc.

    You really don't need to know a lot else about html since no one creates a page from scratch anymore.

    All my hosting accounts have good point and click webpage builders but...

    Knowing the basics of html will save you lots of time when you want to make changes to your pages - so you should at least master the basics of html.



    Regarding seo...

    If you want free visitors from the search engines, you'll either learn seo or have someone do it for you.

    Some/most SEO techniques are quite simple and can be learned by anyone with common sense and can follow directions.

    Hope This Helps!!

    TL
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    "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. -- Mark Twain

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    • Profile picture of the author manjit129
      You can if you outsource
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    • Profile picture of the author NickCook
      SEO: I'm using SBI! to build my content/traffic sites, that takes care of SEO...
      HTML: Rapid Action Profits to build my sales/oto/payment pages...
      There's a learning curve with both, but a shortcut option if you don't want to get into SEO and html
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    • Profile picture of the author Barbara Eyre
      Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator View Post

      You really don't need to know a lot else about html since no one creates a page from scratch anymore.
      TL
      Ummmmm, that is a very incorrect statement. I create all the websites I touch from scratch. I do not use WYSIWYG editors. I'm just as quick, if not quicker, doing it by hand, as I am using those editors.

      I am self-taught HTML, CSS, and SEO ... meaning, I didn't take college courses, etc. I read online tutorials, studied the source code of websites that had elements I wanted to copy, and I asked how-to questions in forums.

      Even if you never truly build websites, it would behoove you to learn HTML and basic CSS, just so you have some creative control on even the simplest of things.

      You should also take the time to learn SEO - as it was mentioned - so you can choose the right keywords and such when creating articles, posts, and links back to your blog/site.
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    • Profile picture of the author Patrick Judge
      Crubalo, I just popped in, havent been over in a while, w3schools link above gives some good tips, its handy to know,

      Sure if your stuck theres a few here that can sort some codes if needs be

      I hear a lot about wordpress too.

      It is very handy to know a bit of html...just when you need it

      Now I know some I wouldnt be without...but again

      If you really needed html...outsource..let someone else do it !!

      Patrick
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      Patrick

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  • Profile picture of the author BJ Min
    no you don't need to know html...

    i personally don't know html and i run all my 20+ websites...
    how? i just use frontpage...and wordpress...

    no need to know html...

    but SEO? i guess that is part of internet marketing...so yes, seo is easy
    to learn...it's less technical than knowing html...

    so seo, i would say you SHOULD know it...it's much easier
    to know SEO i would say...
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  • Profile picture of the author backdoor23
    html, you don't need to know, hire cheap out of the Philippines

    SEO is pretty basic now days when you have platforms like WP, just make sure your title tag is on point and your use your keywords in the URL too, I'd install the breadcrumb navigation plugin, and the sitemap (these two plugins will help your internal linking), after that it's all about content and inbound links
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    • Profile picture of the author edwellman
      I don't believe you need to know html as such. It sounds like you've got the basics down. How to make links etc is about all I know anyway.....

      It's true you can just pay others to do the work for you, but I agree that Wordpress is the way to go.

      It simultaneously solves your 2 problems. It's a ready-made website with customizable themes so you can change the look, and has built in SEO.

      I used to think SEO was really complicated. I used to think I had to learn it all perfectly and then, if I had everything in place, it would all happen overnight.

      If you use Wordpress (+the All-In-One-SEO plugin that was mentioned), then you've got the basics right there.

      Then really all you have to concentrate on is providing fresh, reader-friendly material.

      Don't think about the search engines, think about the readers.

      ..and finally, I wouldn't worry too much about what the 'big names' have learned on their way to success. Focus on yourself, and keep to your short-term goals, and you'll do well.

      Do your own thing.
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