I've been reading a lot about SEO theory (to give it a pretentious name) but I'm starting to realize that I just don't have the skills to implement a lot of what I'm learning, on virtually every level. What skills are the most important to SEO? Programming PHP, Javascript, advanced HTML?, Design using CSS? I'm sure there are other skills that I haven't even thought of. Which skill is the #1 necessity? And what comes after it? Please list skills in order of importance. Feel free to email suggestions to me as well to nate (at) jazzcatseo (dot) com.
SEO is a skill as anything else from your list, so don't separate it. Those skills can help you with seo, but they are not part of it. About your question, you should start with basic HTML/CSS, so you can implement some of seo techniques into your site. After that you could try scripting languages.
Although I suspect this post is a vague invitation to visit your blog, I'll have to forgive your forum etiquette with recognition of your writing abilities. Why are you asking such silly questions? Obviously you already possess more than the requisite skills and intelligence needed to excel at SEO -- again, special emphasis on your writing skills. When you get down to basics, SEO is only the spice that accents an arrangement of words and phrases for a particular topic of interest. Since you already have ample authorship abilities, all you would need do is apply a few simple HTML attributes to enhance a given work with SEO. ...but somehow I think you already know that -- you scoundrel!
Thanks for the compliment, SEOTutor. It means a lot coming from one writer to another. And I hope you had the chance to enjoy the little content that I've put up on my blog thus far. As far as the whole SEO skillset question goes, I think that it resulted from a failure to differentiate between site creation and site optimization. (Thanks, skyblue webteam) I don't know if this is a bad thing necessarily, because they should probably be parts of a holistic web development approach, but I think that understanding that they are different would help me to put a finer point on my question. So my real question is how important is it to be able to design, create, and modify your own sites? And what's more important? The form, or the function (other than delivering written content, I'm referring to the actual coding of the site for things like ratings systems, dynamic pages, or other functions).
There you go again -- you have it pegged already -- yes, Web dev is holistic in nature. Again, I'm compelled to say that you are not doing a very good job of concealing your expertise. Why do you persist and fein inexperience when it's more than obvious your quite knowledgeable? Okay, I'll play along. The importance of designing, creating and modifying one's own site would depend entirely upon the needs & desires of the individual. As for the significance of function over form, or vice versa, either would be determined by the particular site model involved (e-commerce, portfolio, content, etc.). Ultimately what's most important? Given how search engine optimization should be an integral part of site development (from the beginning), the webmaster's forward strategy would include (1) categorizing his/her site within a specific topic (industry), (2) determining and expediting the site's preferred action and (3) working towards associating the site with its particular industry (via off-site & on-site SEO) -- not unlike the librarian's task of filing books to their proper shelf. To be sure, there are too many variables and possibilities concerning code to be discussed here. In the end, many of the perceived shortcomings discussed repeatedly in this forum and elsewhere warrant little more than casual observance anyway. Without hesitation, here's the crowning jewel. Before embarking upon ANY project, my best suggestion would be to create a mission statement first. Once you have a refined intent firmly in mind (and on paper), from it, all subsequent decisions and actions will flow effortlessly. Add persistence and passion -- and presto -- success!