Returning to SEO after 5 years - please bring me up date

[ron_ron]

I have been away from SEOing sites for so long I would not know where to start. Is this stuff still recommended: keywords in title, description, keyword meta tag, headlines, alt tags, bodytext including underlining and bold text

I am not trying to make first page results. Just to have the basics in place and play it safe.

[Planet13]

"Can't say I've learned one useful thing from this thread or this board over the last couple of years that I didn't know 5 or even 10 years ago except that the "experts" here have no answers. On this point, feel free to prove me wrong!"

While I can't "prove you wrong," I can say that MY experience has been the complete opposite of yours.

Possibly, you just knew a LOT MORE about proper SEO than I did, so that is why you haven't found this forum as useful as I have.

We seem to agree that it is illogical for people to spend great amounts of time and resources on trying to make money off of a system that is purposely enigmatic and over which we have no control.

[RedBar]

Can't say I've learned one useful thing from this thread or this board over the last couple of years that I didn't know 5 or even 10 years ago

I'm almost in the same boat ... I had a little problem and no one here could work it out however between us, the late tedster and myself via stickies, did manage to resolve it, that's the only thing I can recollect at the moment.

[Tonearm]

tedster died? Awww man....

[webcentric]

BTW, I make the statement about "expertise" with all due respect to some very, intelligent and well-intentioned people who have left their mark in these pages.

Possibly, you just knew a LOT MORE about proper SEO than I did

Nope, not at all but we're still talking about title tags and meta-descriptions all these years later. I did witness what keyword stuffing did to the quality of Infoseek listings toward the end. Watched that engine turn into a pile of junk overnight almost. Beyond trying to write good HTML, create meaningful content and building legitimate links between relevant resources on the Internet, I've not followed most of the expert advice flowing over this landscape and have thus avoided most of the havoc it has caused along the way. Did I miss a few opportunities to make a quick buck? Almost certainly. Don't care. I do things for my clients and myself in a way that allows me to sleep well at night. What we needed to know about SEO 10 years ago is the same as it is for today. Stop trying to manipulate the SERPS and get on with the process of building something useful and engaging for your audience.