CODEBASE – this is the path that would take you to the applet class

CODE – this determines the app that is currently running

HEIGHT – the height of the applet

WIDTH – this determines the applet’s width

ALIGN – this would determine how the surrounding text would show up onscreen

<APPLET…>

HSPACE – this is the horizontal space between the surrounding text and the applet

VSPACE – this is the vertical space between the surrounding text and the applet

NAME – this is the name given to an applet and is also the name used by other

applets that are referencing it

BORDER – this is the empty space that surrounds the applet

ARCHIVE – this is a collection of the components of the applet that have been

compressed into one

HREF – this determines the URL that you are linking to

MAYSCRIPT – This shows whether Java can use JavaScript or not

ALT – this is the alternate text used for when the image has not been properly

displayed

SHAPE – this determines the shape of the area that’s shown onscreen. It could

either be one of the following: POLY | RECT | CIRCLE | DEFAULT

COORDS – these determine the coordinates for the shapes in the link area

<AREA…>

TARGET – this determines the frame that you have to go to

TITLE – this is a short description of the area being used

onCLICK – this script should run while the user is hovering on the anchor text

NOHREF – this means that there are no links contained in a certain area

BOLD

<BASE> Base Address

<Base Front>

TARGET - This shows the window where the document has to go into. Variations

include: “parent” | “black” | “top” | “shelf” | window name

SRC – this determines audio or sound URL

FACE – the typeface or font of the project

COLOR – this is the color of the typeface

SIZE – font size that is being used

LOOP - this determines the number of times audio or video is being played

<FORM>

ENCTYPE – this is the type of form being used on the page

onRESET – this is the script that should run if the form is being reset

SRC – this is the type of file that has to be added to the frame

onSUBMIT – this should run while the form is being submitted

SCROLLING – this determines whether the form should use a scrollbar or not

(answerable with YES or NO)

MARGINWIDTH – this determines the width of the form’s margins

MARGINHEIGHT – this determines the height of the form’s margins

ROWS – the number of rows in the frame

COLS – the number of columns in the frame

NOSHADE – this means that the shadow effect should not be used

COLOR – the color of the line

<iFrame> inline frame

ALT – this would show up onscreen in the event that the image doesn’t

LONGDESC – this is a long description of the image that is being used

SUPPRESS – this means that the image’s icons won’t show up until it’s

downloaded

MEDIA – this determines the type of media that is being linked to. It could be one

of the following: PRINT | PROJECTION | SCREEN | ALL | BRAILLE | AURAL

TYPE – this is the kind of link resource that’s being used

BEHAVIOR – the type of scrolling used

GUTTER – this determines the space between the columns

Ordered List

VALUE – this determines the value of the option that the user is choosing

START – this shows you where you have to start counting

ALIGN – this means that you want to align the paragraph whether to the left or the

right

LANGUAGE – this is the scripting language used (JAVA, CSS, etc)

BG – the background color used

BACKGROUND – the picture you want to use as the background of the page

BORDERCOLOR – the color of the border on the page

TYPE – the type of bullets used. This could be one of the following: SQUARE |

CIRCLE | DISC

Now that’s clear, it’s time to start putting into practice what you have learned! Don’t

worry because you’ll be guided through it!

Chapter 3: Using HTML Editors

Before coding HTML, you first have to open the right editors for them. While Sublime

Text and Microsoft WebMatrix are popularly used by professionals, as a beginner, you can

use Notepad.

For Windows 7 and earlier versions, just click Start, followed by All Programs >

Accessories > Notepad.

For Windows 8 and other newer versions, click Start Screen > Notepad.

Now, try typing this into the Notepad:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<body>

Welcome to the Web

My first page

</body>

</html>

Then, save the page by selecting File > Save As, and choose UTF-8. However, if you’re

going to use Western European and US Characters, just choose ANSI.

To view the page that you have made in your browser, just click and watch a page open on

your browser.

Chapter 4: Vital HTML Page

Now it’s time to start creating a full basic HTML page just to see how it looks like. Again,

remember that every HTML page or document should start with <!DOCTYPE html>. This

means that it has to look something like this:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<body>

Welcome to the Web

My first page

</body>

</html>

Take note that declarations would differ depending on the HTML type that you’re using.

This means that you have to do the following:

1. XHTML 1.0: <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0

Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd”>

2. HTML 4.01: <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01

Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd”>

3. HTML 5: <!DOCTYPE html>

The Headings

Of course, your pages need headings. These work like subheadings in books or articles so

you’d know exactly what goes on in a page—what it’s about, in other words.

Headings range from

to

. Here’s a good example:

Look at my heading

Look at my heading

Look at my heading

Look at my heading

Look at my heading

Look at my heading

Paragraphs

Paragraphs are also used in webpages as well as in articles and novels. You’ll know that a

paragraph is around when the

tag is in. This also makes it easier for you to read

what’s on the page.

Without the use of paragraphs, everything would be cramped in one space along—making

them extremely hard to read. For this, you could try the following:

Read this paragraph.

Read one more paragraph.

Images

Images could also be used to spruce up your website. It makes people want to read the

website more because images always make things easy on the eyes. This means you’d

have to use the <> ><>><>><>><>><>><>< ></><>><>> ><>><>><>Here’s a good example:

See this link

Elements

Various elements are also used in an HTML page. If you could remember, pairs of tags are

always used in a webpage that’s been coded with HTML.

It should look something like this:

tagname

For example:

Read this heading

Have you seen the light?

What is feminism?

So basically, the whole document is depicted through various <HTML> tags, and that’s

why start <> and end </> tags have to be used. Without them, words on the page would all

come together—making them hard to read. The <body> tag then defines what the page

contains. It also contains headings, paragraphs, and other attributes.

For example:

<html>

<body>

My Sunday

Last Sunday was the best Sunday because we went to the park and flew kites.

</body>

</html>

With the help of start and end tags, you get to understand what’s being shown onscreen.

They give a page a lot of meaning—instead of it being just mumbo-jumbo.

Other important elements are the headings

, and paragraphs

so that headings

could also be defined. A sample of headings are as follows:

See how awesome this is

Have you seen where she went?

Where will you go next?

what will you watch?

what are you listening to?

what are you going to eat?

In between those headings, you could write what you have in mind—which then would

give the webpage a better, more believable look! For example:

See how awesome this is

I see how awesome this is and I like it

Have you seen where she went?

No, I have no idea where she went

Where will you go next?

I’m planning to go to Chicago, then maybe do a side trip to New York to catch

a show on Broadway

what will you watch?

Lion King or Cats

what are you listening to?

I’m listening to the new Selena Gomez record. So far, so good

what are you going to eat?

I’m going to eat some omelet and buttered vegetables

See how much of a difference that makes?

You should also keep in mind that there are such things as empty HTML elements. This

basically pertains to the br tag
which also depicts a line break. It’s pretty much like a

space, if you’re going to think of articles or books.

For example:

See how awesome this is





I see how awesome this is and I like it

Have you seen where she went?





No, I have no idea where she went

Where will you go next?





I’m planning to go to Chicago, then maybe do a side trip to New York to catch

a show on Broadway

what will you watch?





Lion King or Cats

what are you listening to?





I’m listening to the new Selena Gomez record. So far, so good

what are you going to eat?





I’m going to eat some omelet and buttered vegetables

Also, you have to remember that while tags are not case-sensitive, it’s still better to use

lowercase tags especially in HTML 4 and 5—which are commonly used these days. This

way, you avoid problems from happening to your page.




Week 2

Chapter 5: HTML Attributes

Then, on the second week of the lesson, you can start learning how to code the more

complicated parts of HTML. For this, you could start with Attributes.

The most important things you have to remember about Attributes are as follows:

1. Elements of HTML could have attributes—and attributes help explain the elements

better.

2. The Start Tag <> specifies the attributes.

3. Attributes also come in name/value pairs. They’d look something like this: name=

“value” (i.e., img src = “1gdtjs.tumblr.com)

Now, you can take a look at various types of attributes below:

Title Attribute

Again, paragraphs are defined by the

tag. However, you could also insert the title of

your topic in the page inside the paragraph. You could try the example below:

After 6 years of scheming and failed plans, Gossip Girl finally introduced herself

—or himself, rather—to the Non-Judging Breakfast Club. People were surprised to

see that Gossip Girl is actually non other than Dan Humphrey, everyone’s favorite

guy from Brooklyn. The guy from the outside actually wanted to be in!

Lang Attribute

The HTML tag declares the kind of language that’s used in the document. This is essential

so that applications will be accessible—even in different kinds of gadgets. Remember that

the first two letters after html lang will determine the type of language used. If you’re

using a dialect, you have to add two more letters.

For example: en-US (English-US), en-UK (English-UK), etc.

To make it clearer, just look at the sample below:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html lang=“en-US”>

<body>

Who is Gossip Girl?

Does anyone know who Gossip Girl is and where she could be found?

</body>

</html>

Size Attributes

The <> ><>><>><>><>< ></><>><>> ><>there are HTML links around. You have to specify the address in the attribute itself.

For example:

The World’s Best Website

Alt Attribute

To use alternative texts, it’s best to use the Alt Attribute. This is perfect for screen readers,

which makes it easy for people viewing the website to appreciate the website even better.

For example:

</><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>> ><>> ><>> ><>> ><>> ><>> ><>> ><>> ><>> ><>> ><>><>><>><>><><>></><><><>>.</></><>><>><>><>><><>></><><><>>.</></><>><>><>><>><><>></><><><>>.</></><>><>><>><>><>><><>></><><><>look at this italicized text.

Marked Formatting

Marked Formatting means that text has been highlighted. This is usually done to spruce up

the page, make it eye-catching and friendly.

Here’s a good example:

HTML Marked Formatting

Small Formatting

Small Formatting is basically about putting text with smaller fonts onscreen. An example

of this would be as follows:

HTML Small Formatting

Inserted Formatting

This formatting means that text has been inserted or added. It’s a good way of editing the

page, or the website itself. Here’s a good example:

My favorite color is red.

Deleted Formatting

This shows that something has been deleted on the page.

My favorite color is blue red.

Superscript Formatting

This means that a text is in

superscript

form. For example:

This is ^{superscripted} text.

Subscript Formatting

This means that text is in subscript

form. For example:

This is _subscripted text.

Chapter 7: HTML Styles

Of course, it’s also important to think about the style of your page. Just like formatting,

this helps make your page unique—instead of the same as everything else online.

Styles are known to come in this syntax:

Style= “property:value;”

Both are forms of CSS, where property is the property value, and value is the CSS value.

For Styles, you have to keep the following in mind:

1. Text-align. This should be used for keeping text aligned.

2. Font-size. This helps you determine font sizes.

3. Font-family. This helps you determine text fonts.

4. Color. This helps you define text colors.

5. Background Color. This will help you define what the color of the background is.

6. Style. Basically, you have to use this to help the program understand that you’re

creating styles for the page.

Text Alignment

To align text, you have to think of the horizontal alignment system. For this, you could try

the example below:

Centered Heading

Read this paragraph

Text Size

This will help you choose the right font size for the text you have onscreen. After all, it’s

just imperative that not everything should be the same font. For this, you could try the

example below:

This is a heading

This is a paragraph.

Fonts

This is all about choosing the kind of font that you’d like the readers of your website to

see onscreen. This also defines font families, just like what’s shown below:

This is a heading

This is a paragraph.

Text Color

If you want to change the color of the text onscreen, of course, it’s best that you know the

right attribute to use, and this is text color. For this, you could try this example:

This is a heading

This is a paragraph.

Background Color

Whether you’d want the background in white, black, pink, or any other color, you have to

use this style type. Here’s a good example to change background color to salmon pink:

<body style=“background-color:salmonpink;”>

This is a heading

This is a paragraph.

</body>

Chapter 8: HTML Quotations

There are times when you do have to quote certain things on your page. For example, if

you have something to attribute to another website, it’s best to not twist their words so that

your readers would get a really valuable read, and know that you know how to link to the

right sources.

For this, you have to remember the following:

1. . This means that there’s a short, inline quotation.

2. . This is attributed to the title of a topic on the page.

3.

. This means that you have quoted something from outside sources.

4. . This states for text dictation.

5.

. This is the contact information quote.

6. . acronym or abbreviation

Long Quote

For example, you have created a new website for fostering and taking care of animals, and

you are affiliated to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund). This means you may have to quote

from their website. How would you do this?

Well, you can use the Long Quote Style. This is depicted by

, which would

then indent the passage. So, if you have quoted this way:

Here is a quote from WWF’s website:

For 50 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature.

The world’s leading conservation organization,

WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by

1.2 million members in the United States and

close to 5 million globally.

What you’ll see onscreen is something like this:

Here is a quote from WWF’s website:

For 50 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The world’s

leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries and is

supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million

globally.

Short Quote

For short quotes, you could try using . For example:

ABC123’s Goal is to: Build a future where people know how to code

without problems, and create the websites they want.

Contact Information Quote

If you’re observant, you’d know that a lot of websites make use of the Contact tab where

you get to see contact information of the owner of the website. For this, you could use the

HTML

code. This is usually seen in italic with line breaks.

For example:

Written by Blair Waldorf


Visit us at:


blaircornelia.com


New York, New York


USA

Abbreviations

Abbreviations also fall under quotations. For this, you have to use the tag. This

way, it would be easy to get information from search engines, translation systems, and

other browsers. For this, you could try the example below:

The WWW was founded in 1989.

Chapter 9: HTML CSS

And finally, it’s also good to learn a thing or two about CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).

These could spruce up your page, making it aesthetically good, and helping make sure that

navigation is also easy. It also allows you to add more features to the website. There are 3

important CSS elements and they are:

1. Internal. This means that you’re using an element of <style> and you could find this in

the HTML <head> section.

2. Inline. This depicts HTML style attributes.

3. External. This means that you’re using external CSS Files.

Important Elements

1. Style. Internal Styling

2. CSS Margin. Space outside the border

3. CSS Padding. Space inside the border

4. CSS Font-Size. This determines text sizes

5. CSS Font-Family. This determines where the font came from

6. CSS Color. This determines the color of font being used

7. <head>. This refers to elements of <link> and <style>

8. <link>. A link to external CSS files

9. <style>. The style of internal CSS

Internal Styling (Internal CSS)

This means that you’re trying to define the style of a single page in your website. You can

see this in the <head> of your page. It encapsulates the element of <style>.

For example:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<style>

body {background-color:white;}

h1 {color:pink;}

p {color:violet;}

</style>

</head>

<body>

Read this heading

Read this paragraph

</body>

</html>

Inline Styling (or Inline CSS)

Inline CSS means that you have to apply unique styles to single elements in your page.

This also falls under the HTML Style Attribute. For example, if you want to change the

color of

heading to pink, you could try:

This is a Pink Heading

External Styling (External CSS)

External CSS is mostly about defining style for a couple of pages in your website—not

just one page alone. With the help of just one file, you could already change the entire

look of your website—which really makes things easy for you.

Then, you could just add a link to the External CSS sheet in the <head> part of your page.

For this, you could try the example below:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<link rel=“stylesheet” href=“styles.css”>

</head>

<body>

Read this heading

Read this paragraph.

</body>

</html>

CSS Fonts

Finally, in order to easily change fonts, make sure that you know how to differentiate

elements. Color determines the HTML text color in the page, font-size is all about the size

of font used, and font-family defines which family the font came from (i.e., serif, sans

serif, etc.)

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<style>

h1 {

color: blue;

font-family: serif;

font-size: 100%;

}

p {

color: red;

font-family: courier;

font-size: 120%;

}

</style>

</head>

<body>

Read this heading

Read this paragraph.

</body>

</html>

Now that you know the basics, you can finally create your own website!

Conclusion

Thank you again for downloading this book!

I hope this book was able to help you to understand HTML Programming, and that in just

2 weeks, you have already practiced enough to create your own website!

The next step is to not be afraid to put into practice what you have learned! Create

webpages and see how they look. If they don’t look excellent at first, don’t worry because

there is always room for improvement—and since you know HTML programming, that

would be easy for you!

Finally, if you enjoyed this book, then I’d like to ask you for a favor, would you be kind

enough to leave a review for this book on Amazon? It’d be greatly appreciated!

Thank you and good luck!




SEO Bootcamp

Learn the Basics of SEO in 2 Weeks

More Free and Bargain Books at KindleBookSpot.com

Copyright 2014 by ______________________ - All rights reserved.

This document is geared towards providing exact and reliable information in regards to the

topic and issue covered. The publication is sold with the idea that the publisher is not

required to render accounting, officially permitted, or otherwise, qualified services. If

advice is necessary, legal or professional, a practiced individual in the profession should

be ordered.

- From a Declaration of Principles which was accepted and approved equally by a

Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and

Associations.

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either

electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited

and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the

publisher. All rights reserved.

The information provided herein is stated to be truthful and consistent, in that any liability,

in terms of inattention or otherwise, by any usage or abuse of any policies, processes, or

directions contained within is the solitary and utter responsibility of the recipient reader.

Under no circumstances will any legal responsibility or blame be held against the

publisher for any reparation, damages, or monetary loss due to the information herein,

either directly or indirectly.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

The information herein is offered for informational purposes solely, and is universal as so.

The presentation of the information is without contract or any type of guarantee assurance.

The trademarks that are used are without any consent, and the publication of the trademark

is without permission or backing by the trademark owner. All trademarks and brands

within this book are for clarifying purposes only and are the owned by the owners

themselves, not affiliated with this document.

Introduction

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book, “Learn the basics of

SEO in 2 weeks”.

This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to reach the top spot in search

engine results page the right way.

Most amateur search marketers look for the quickest ways to rank in their selected

keywords. Because of the unnecessary sense of urgency, some of them use methods that

are frowned upon by search engines. Because of this, many people were affected by search

algorithm updates in the past. This book offers you the right way to rank in Google and

other search engines. These are the basics of search engine optimization that were tried

and tested by white hat SEO professionals. Using these techniques, you will not

experience major hits in your traffic even when big algorithm updates roll out.

(Provide any additional information about the book. Make sure the introduction SELLS

the book, as people can see this when they preview it on Amazon or Kindle. You can

either write this, or request that your book writer does).

Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!







Chapter 1: What is SEO and Why is it Important to your

Website?

The internet is an ocean of information. It is a network of interconnected computers from

all around the world. It allows us to access information from computers halfway around

the world.

By itself however, the internet is a big mess. It is full of webpages that cater to the needs

to billions of individuals. Early on, engineers have been looking for a tool that can

organize all the information in the web and help people find what they are looking for in

the least amount of time.

The search engine is that tool.

This is the function of the search engine. They “crawl” through as many webpages as they

can by making artificial intelligence visit webpages and collect information. They add

information about the crawled pages in an index. When a person types a search query, the

search engine runs through all the crawled pages and brings back a list of pages that fits

the query. It then organizes these pages according to their relevance to the query of the

user.

Billions of people use search engines monthly. Some of them may be interested in your

website. In order to drive traffic into your website, you want your webpages to rank high

in the search results of your target visitor.

What are search queries?

Search queries are questions from search engine users. They are using the search engine to

look for answers. Here are the three types of questions that people as search engines:

Where/ how can I find [name of thing?

Some people use queries to look for specific real world things or locations. A person may

be looking for a second-hand car around New York. He asks the search engine to look for

all the posted classified ads about second-hand cars by typing:

“Second-hand cars in New York City classified ads”

He finds that there are too many results so he narrows down his search to:

“Second-hand Lexus in Manhattan craigslist”

What, When and Where Questions

Most of the time however, people use search engines to look for information. Some people

for example, use search engines to look for answers for their schoolwork. Many people

also go to search engines to look for news about current events relevant to them. Instead of

looking for a phonebook, people also find it faster to find the address and contact number

of a business through the internet.

What is the website of [company name]?

Lastly, people use search engines to go to specific areas on the web. Some people for

example, want to go to the website of their local newspaper. They do not know the exact

website address so they ask google to lead them there.

The search engine has become the primary source of answers for most people in

developed countries. The majority of users of search engines like Google trust the search

results compiled by the algorithm. Most people expect to find the answer to their query in

top result. If the first five results do not seem to have the answer to their question, people

tend to think that there must be something wrong with the phrase they used in the query.

Most people refine their search just like the guy looking for a second-hand Lexus in New

York.

How does this affect your website?

If you want to get more traffic into your website, you need to know how search engines

work and you need to be able to optimize your webpages so that they will be crawled,

indexed and shown in the top of the search results page.

Showing up in search is not good enough when it comes to SEO. The top result is clicked

on more than 18% of the time. The number of clicks your pages get lowers as your pages

shows up lower on the search engine results page.

In the advent of smartphones, people thought at first that the popularity of websites would

begin to decrease. The average person thought that apps would replace search. If this will

indeed happen, it has not showed up so far. Though the number of hours spent in front of

desktop computers has decreased, people are still using search to find the information that

they need and the items that they want. People with websites optimized for mobile phone

screens will get the bulk of the traffic from mobile search.

Activity for Days 1 and 2: Decide on your website’s topic or niche

It is easier for your website to rank if your website is focused on one subject. If you

already have a general information website or blog, you can decide on the best topic to

pursue based on the popular posts or content you already have.

When thinking of a topic or niche for your website, you should also consider your

personal goal for building it. The type of content that you create henceforth should take

you a step closer to reaching your goal.







Chapter 2: Limitations of the search technology

The search engine is the most popular tool for looking for information on the web.

However, even with all the improvements in search algorithm and page crawling

technology, this tool still has plenty of limitations. For instance, a search engine cannot

directly tell on its own if a webpage is relevant to users after crawling and indexing it. It

needs to look for more clues in order to know if a certain page should be on the top of the

search results for certain keywords.

Your job as a webmaster and search marketer is to provide search engines with the clues

they will need to put you on the top result. Search engine experts refer to these clues as

ranking factors. Ranking factors are the information that search engine spiders look for

when they arrive at your website. They compile these ranking factors during indexing. A

webpage’s position in the search results for keywords will depend on how well their

ranking scores are, based on these factors.

Even when considering hundreds of ranking factors, search engines still have many

limitations.

What are the limitations of search engines?

• Crawler bots rely on links to get around

The search engine crawlers’ purpose is to make a virtual map of the entire searchable

internet, and by that, we mean the parts of the internet that regular people can access. To

jump from one page to another, they use hyperlinks in the pages that they crawl. These

digital bridges are an important ranking factor.

If there are some pages in your website that does not have a link leading to it, you should

expect that it will not be indexed and not show up in search result pages.

• They cannot crawl to pages protected by online forms

It is common for websites to ask their visitors to become members. To become one, you

need to fill up a membership form. Search engines are not equipped with the programing

to fill up all types of forms. Because of this, they cannot crawl any information that

webmasters exclusively show to members.

• They are specialized for text-content

Search engine crawlers specialize in gathering information from text-based websites.

Their ability to collect and organize information from non-text content is severely limited.

A crawler bot for example will not be able to tell on its own, how a picture looks. They

also face similar challenges with video, audio, image, flash and plug-in contents.

To work around this, search companies ask webmasters to include text information with

these contents. Without this additional information, certain types of content in a webpage

will not be given much weight when ranking it.

• They require keywords to match

When a user uses the search engine, they generally type in a phrase that describes what

they are looking for. The search engine algorithm has evolved and they are more capable

than ever to provide you with relevant webpages 90% of the time. Users may run into

some issues however if they are not using the right terms. Millions of users use

uncommon terms when searching for something unfamiliar.

This limitation is common among people who are new to the English language. When they

do not know the word for something, they may use adjectives to describe it. A native

English speaker will know what he may be trying to say but search engines do not have

the programming to understand what a non-native speaker may be asking for.

This issue also becomes difficult to work with when we are using language subtleties that

are unfamiliar for the search AI. The difference in spelling of the same words among

different English speaking countries for example will affect your search result ranking. If

you use “behaviour” in place of “behavior” consistently for example, the search engine

may think that your webpage is designed for British users. This will affect your ranking

among American users.

Success in search marketing will greatly depend on your knowledge of the language that

you are working with. If you are targeting a specific minority group as prospect visitors

for your website for example, you should know the subtle differences in their use of

language. It also helps of you have knowledge of their searching behavior.

• Proper names vs general names

Because of the dependence on keywords, search engines also have the challenge of

reading words in the right context. This challenge becomes more difficult as users use

keywords that have multiple meanings. For example, popular culture has been using the

word “black” quite extensively. There are songs, movies, and brands that contain that

word. People who type them in search may also be referring to the color of an item they

are looking for. Because of this, search engine users tend to make longer phrases when

they search to make the results more specific to their needs. Because of this search

behavior, webmasters started targeting long-tail keywords. These are phrases that people

usually use when searching. They are more than three words long and they refer to very

specific needs of the searcher.

The search technology is constantly changing. Engineers are continuing to develop new

forms of technology so the A.I. can work around these limitations. It is because of these

limitations that we need to optimize our webpages for both users and the search engines.

Activity for Days 3 and 4:

You should take the time to review the limitations of search engines discussed in this

chapter and think of the difficulties of your prospective visitors in reaching your website

through the search engines.

You should also take the time to check your website’s visibility in search engine results

page. Use generic keywords and phrases for your industry or niche. If you cannot find

your website in the first three pages, you need to do a lot of work. If you are in the top

three pages but you are not in the first page, your goal is to climb up the ladder.

Regardless of your position, you should use the strategies and information in this book to

improve your website’s ranking.







Chapter 3: Your Target Users: The Beginning of your Search

Marketing Strategy

When developing a search marketing strategy for a website, you need to start thinking

about the group of people who may find value in the information found in your website.

They are the types of people who are most likely to click on your webpage when they see

it in the search result page. Search engines bridge the gap between your website content

and people who need them.

Profiling your target search engine users

Internet users make billions of searches every month. Not all of these searches however,

are valuable to your website. The number of people looking for the types of information in

your website depends on the popularity of the industry or niche of you website. The more

popular the niche, the more searchers it will have. Popular niches however, also have a lot

of competition.

To get ahead of your competition, you need to get to know your ideal visitors. You can do

this by creating a profile of the ideal visitor for your website. If you already have website

that has been running for a while, you may be able to gather some information about the

types of people who are visiting your website through the analytics software that you use.

Here are some types of the information about your visitors that you will need:

• Age

• Gender

• Language

• Location

• Common interest

By obtaining these types of information, you will be able to guess the words that people

are most likely to use when using search engines. You may also need some additional

information depending on the type of website that you have.

Your goals for your visitors

After creating a profile of your ideal visitors, you need to decide on what you want these

people to do when they arrive at your website. If you are selling something on your

website, you may need to tweak the design to make sure that the users can start making a

purchase from your indexed pages.

Other websites want their visitors to fill up forms, answer surveys, or sign up for

membership.

Having a goal also allows you to refine the types of keywords that you are targeting. If

you are selling something for example, you may need to target purchase-related phrases.

Some marketers only target phrases used by people who are in the late stages of the

purchasing process.

Activity for Days 5 and 6: Identify your Target Users

The next activity is to identify the characteristics of the ideal visitors for your website.

Ideal visitors refer to the people who are most likely to do what you want accomplished.

You should state what these people have in common. Aside from the information stated in

chapter 3, you should also research on other websites that also cater to the needs of the

same target market. You should check out their designs and the types of content that they

offer.







Chapter 4: Choosing Keywords to Rank

Now that you know who your target visitors are, you need to choose the right keywords

that they will use when they search for information that you are offering.

To know the keywords that your target users are using, you need to put yourself in your

target users’ shoes. You need to use the information that you have in the profile that you

have created to guess the right types of language that you should use.

You also need to remind yourself of the limitations that the search engine technology have.

You need to make sure that your keywords represent the types of content that you are

showing in your page as well as the intent of your prospect visitors. Your ultimate goals it

to provide what the prospect visitors need and then convert them into buyers, subscribers,

members or, at the very least, return visitors.

Most beginner webmasters think that they should choose just one strong keyword and use

that in all the pages of their website. To search engines, this strategy will look a lot like

keyword stuffing.

If you want to make your website as the primary source of information for your topic, you

need to aim to rank well on multiple keywords that are related to your website’s topic. If

your website is about a TV show for example, you may want to target its title in your

website’s home page. You should then create posts or pages related to the show like a page

about the character. In this page, you may use this example “[TV show title] characters” as

your main keyword.

There are free and paid tools that will help you find the most used keywords for certain

topics. One of the most popular among them is Google Adwords Keyword Planner.

When planning your keywords, you should also consider the following factors:

• The name of the products or services that you are offering

This includes the generic name of the service and the brand. Some people who are

thinking of purchasing something usually know the brand that they want to purchase so

you should have website content that directly addresses the questions about these brands.

These types of content will help your website be found through search.

• Related topics regarding your products or services

You should also provide content for topics related to your product or service. Many

company websites for instance, include company updates. This shows activity in your

website. One of the most important ranking factor is frequency of updates.

• Seasonal popular keywords

You should also prepare search-marketing campaigns for seasons when high volume of

sales and traffic is to be expected. For retail websites for example, Christmas, Valentines

and Thanksgiving seasons are big events. In this season, people tend to look for ideas

online for offline purchases. You should take advantage of people’s habit to splurge during

these seasons.

Using Keywords when constructing your webpages

Every time you create a blog post or a new webpage, you need to consider the target

keywords that you will use. You should target one main keyword for each page or post

you create. Your keywords should be in line with the activity that you want your visitors

to perform. If you want your visitors to purchase something, your goal is to build a

webpage targeting keywords used by searchers with an intent to buy. You could also make

webpages with keywords used my searchers who are researching about specific products.

When you know the keywords to rank for, your next goal is to put them strategically in

your webpage. When placing your keywords in these locations, you must make sure that

they appear naturally. Your primary goal is for your content to be understood by human

visitors. User experience is always more important than any SEO strategy. With that in

mind, you should place your keyword in the following parts of your website:

• URL extension

It helps if your domain name already contains the keyword that you want to rank for. Most

of the time however, you will need to insert the keywords at the later parts of the URL to

make sure that it is included in the URL bar.

• Title Tag

The title tag gives the crawlers an idea of what your page is about. Generally, you need to

add your keywords as early as possible in the title tag. The challenge with this strategy is

when you have a creative title planned. Sometimes, putting the keywords in the early part

of the title tag makes it sound awkward. You should prioritize user experience if this is the

case.

• Near the top of the page

You should also include the keywords in the first paragraph of your content. Lengthy

types of contents are not entirely scanned by crawlers. Aside from the title tag, crawlers

also try to figure out what your content is about from the first paragraphs. This is why you

need to include your keywords in these areas.

• Text content of the page

Aside from the first paragraph, you should also add the keywords 3-4 times in various

parts of the content. In this case, you may need to make variations of the main keywords

to make it sound natural and to avoid redundancy for the readers.

• Alt-attribute of images

You should also add sentences or descriptions of your pictures in the image’s alt-attribute.

This will help your images rank well in the image search feature of search engines. You

should make sure that you only include images related to your content. You should also try

to make unique images and photos. This will make your images stand out in the image

search result pages and may lead to higher click through rates.

Meta description

All the other attributes above will make webpages rank better in the search engine result

pages. To keep your webpages ranking high, you need to make sure that people who see it

click on it to go to your page. A webpage’s past click-through rates is also an important

ranking factor.

Two important factors will improve your click-through rate in the search engine. The first

one is the title of your content, which was discussed earlier in this section. The second one

is the description under the title. Most content management software (CMS) will use the

first part of the text content as the description by default. You should check with your

CMS on how to add a meta description so that you can control the text that appears below

your title in the search engine result pages. You need to experiment on different copies of

your description to be able to arrive at the ones the yield the highest click-through rates.

Activity for Days 7 and 8: Do Keyword Research

When you already have a website and a specific topic to pursue, your next move is to find

keywords and phrases that will help you reach your goals for your website. Refer to the

tips in this chapter to understand how keywords work in SEO and how to use them. Aside

from the ever-popular Google AdWords Keyword Planner, there are other free online tools

that you can use when researching for the best keywords for your website:

Microsoft Bing Ads

This is Bing’s version of the keyword planner. If a large part of your website traffic comes

from Bing, you should also use this tool.

Google Trends

Google trends provide you with the popular keywords used by people around the world.

They also allow you to check what is popular in your country right now and in the past.

You can also get insights on the fluctuation of popularity of certain keywords and phrases

over the years.







Chapter 5: User Experience Affects your Ranking

In the last chapter, we discussed the importance of keeping your targeted keywords in line

with what your webpages are about and what your visitors need.

If your website for example focuses on muscle-building workout equipment, you should

target keywords that people use to look for that type of item online.

When people click on the link to your webpage on the search engine results page, they

have expectations that you need to meet. In this particular example, if you rank in the right

keywords, the visitor may expect to find different types of weighted exercise tools. You

may also add food supplements that increase the rate of muscle growth.

Let us say that your visitor arrives to your website using the key phrase “muscle-building

workout equipment” but when they got to your website, they found that you focus on yoga

tips and you only review yoga-related products. In this case, your visitor will be slightly

disappointed with the results and may click the “back” button in their mobile device or

their browser.

This is an example of a bad user experience. Search engines try to avoid sending people to

the wrong websites. They also try to prevent poorly structured websites from ranking well.

To make sure that only the best websites for a particular topic gets the top spot in the

search result pages, the search engine algorithm considers multiple ranking factors. Check

your website for the following ranking factors for a generally great user experience:

• Keyword-topic alignment

The first factor to consider is the keywords that you use. When your topic and your

dominant keywords are not in line, your webpage may rank on keywords not related to the

content you offer. This will lead to unsatisfied users. You may even get penalties in future

algorithm updates.

• Inbound link quality

Links are a signal to the search engines that the webpage’s content is popular. This gives

them the idea that people who may be interested in it in the future will have a good user

experience when engaging with the content.

Popular websites have a considerable advantage when it comes to building links. More

people are already following their content and they are more likely to get links from other

great quality websites right after they publish.

• Navigational structure

Your website’s navigation is also important. Generally, you should make sure that visitors

could reach all the pages from your home page in three clicks or less. If you have not

planned on your website’s navigation on your building stage, you should take the time to

list down all your webpages and make sure that they are easily accessible from your home

page.

• User Engagement

When people click on the back button right after clicking on your link in the search engine

results page, the search engine thinks that the user was disappointed with what they

experienced. This could happen for a variety of reasons. For instance, it could be because

a particular webpage is too slow in loading content. It could also be because they saw that

the content in the webpage was not what they need. However, people can click back for

less important reasons. Regardless of people’s reasons for clicking the back button, it will

affect your page’s ranking in the search engines.

To prevent this from happening, you should design your content to keep people engaged.

If you are using dominantly text content, writer your first paragraph well to get people

hooked and not want to click back. You should also provide photos and images so that

they will not just see a wall of text. If you have a video on the page, you need to make sure

that it is functioning well and it loads fast. Lastly, you should have links to other

interesting content to make sure that your visitor does not “bounce” or leave your website

after the first page.

• Machine insights

One of the most significant updates in the world of SEO is the Panda updates of 2011.

Google introduced a new part in its ranking algorithm, referred to in the SEO industry as

machine learning. In a nutshell, the algorithm mimics how humans judge website quality.

Many seasoned websites were overtaken by upstart websites when the updates rolled out

because the design and overall user experience of the newer websites were better than the

older ones. The black hat SEO practitioners were the target of the updates however; good

quality websites with a few black hat practices were also affected.

Google’s goal was to clean up its search results from badly built websites that provide less

than satisfactory user experience. As long as you keep your content quality high and you

make sure that your users are satisfied with what you offer, you will be safe. By following

the tips in this book, you will be able to avoid some of the negative effects of past updates

and possibly, some future updates.

Activity for Days 9 – 10: Design your website according to the preference of your ideal

visitors

You should make sure that your website looks great to your ideal visitors. All the content

that you have should also fit their needs and wants. Lastly, you should test your website’s

navigation. You need to make sure that you connect pages with related content through

links. If you have someone to help you out, you should have him or her look for a specific

information in your website. You should then ask them for feedback on your website’s

navigation.







Chapter 6: Building your Webpages ’ Link Profile

Search engines consider links as popularity metrics. After the Panda updates, Google still

considers links as valuable, but it has become stricter in using them as ranking factors.

How search engines use links:

Make sure your links relate to your main topic

The types of links leading to your website should depend on the type of content that you

offer. If you offer celebrity news for example, the websites publishing your links should

also be related to celebrities. This includes celebrity blogs, forums and other celebrity

news sites.

You should also consider the locality of your website. If your website caters to the

population of a specific city, links from websites also related to that city will have more

weight than links from websites that offer general information.

Popular websites hold more weight

You should also consider a website’s popularity when looking for sources of links. A link

from the New York Times website will hold more weight than a link from your friend’s

blog. Search engines consider these types of website as trustworthy. Links from spam

websites will also do your webpages more harm than good.

Be careful in using anchor texts

In the link structure, the most important factor to consider is the anchor text. This is the

part of the code of the link that users can read and click. The anchor texts of links leading

to your website should also be related to your topic. However, you should make sure that

the anchor texts leading to your webpages look natural. If all of them use the same anchor

texts, Google may think that you are gaming the system or using black hat methods to

build links.

Build links slowly over time

Search engines may also think that you are using such methods if your website is new but

you already have hundreds of links. To avoid this from happening, you should make sure

that the SEO companies or professionals you hire will not build links that point to your

website indiscriminately.

A link’s value decreases over time

Amateur marketers also think that the quality of the links they have remain the same as

long as it is live. Google however, has taken freshness of content as an important factor

when ranking. As the websites that link to you become less popular, your ranking also

goes down. To prevent this from happening, you should produce content regularly that

will contribute to your link profile.

Activity for days 11 -13:

You will need a lot of time in building your website’s link profile but taking these steps

will help you in starting the process. Your first task is to find people who also have

websites similar to yours. They should not offer spam content and they should be managed

by reputable companies or online marketers.

Your next step is to collect contact information about the owners of these websites and

start communicating with them. One of the best ways to do this is to offer to do a guest

post on their website. Most webmasters will welcome an opportunity to get free content on

their website. They will review your content before they give it the go signal so you need

to make sure that it is of high quality. You will need 2 days to create a well-researched and

excellent content and a day to start sending out emails.

On the 14

th day, you should review on the improvement of your ranking and what other

tasks you can do to improve it further.

Conclusion

Thank you again for downloading this book!

I hope this book was able to help you to learn about SEO and improve your ranking in the

search engine results page.

The next step is to continue on learning and implementing the best practices for SEO. This

industry is still developing. You need to keep yourself informed of the latest updates to

keep your website competitive in the ranking.

Finally, if you enjoyed this book, then I’d like to ask you for a favor, would you be kind

enough to leave a review for this book on Amazon? It ’ d be greatly appreciated!

Click here to leave a review for this book on Amazon!

Also be sure to signup for my technology and programming newsletter to get your FREE

books and learn more about how to program. Click Here.

Thank you and good luck!

Click Here to get step by step instructions for setting up your Wordpress site with

Bluehost.

Python Bootcamp: Programming For

Beginners

The Crash Course for Understanding the

Basics of Python Computer Language

More Free and Bargain Books at KindleBookSpot.com

Copyright 2014 by ______________________ - All rights reserved.

This document is geared towards providing exact and reliable information in regards to the

topic and issue covered. The publication is sold with the idea that the publisher is not

required to render accounting, officially permitted, or otherwise, qualified services. If

advice is necessary, legal or professional, a practiced individual in the profession should

be ordered.

- From a Declaration of Principles which was accepted and approved equally by a

Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and

Associations.

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either

electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited

and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the

publisher. All rights reserved.

The information provided herein is stated to be truthful and consistent, in that any liability,

in terms of inattention or otherwise, by any usage or abuse of any policies, processes, or

directions contained within is the solitary and utter responsibility of the recipient reader.

Under no circumstances will any legal responsibility or blame be held against the

publisher for any reparation, damages, or monetary loss due to the information herein,

either directly or indirectly.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

The information herein is offered for informational purposes solely, and is universal as so.

The presentation of the information is without contract or any type of guarantee assurance.

The trademarks that are used are without any consent, and the publication of the trademark

is without permission or backing by the trademark owner. All trademarks and brands

within this book are for clarifying purposes only and are the owned by the owners

themselves, not affiliated with this document.

Introduction

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book, “Python

Programming for Beginners.”

This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to master the basic

elements of the Python programming language.

This eBook will teach you important information regarding Python. It will

explain concepts and ideas that are being used by Python programmers.

Additionally, it will give you actual codes and statements. That means you’ll

know the theoretical and practical aspects of the Python language.

In this book you will learn:

• What Python is

• How to use Python

• Common Python data

• And much more!

Thanks again for downloading this book. I hope you enjoy it!




Chapter 1: What is Python?

Python is an advanced and structured programming language. You can use it

to accomplish various programming tasks. Additionally, Python is an opensource language: thousands of computer experts across the globe are using and

improving it on a daily basis. A Dutch programmer named Guido Van Rossum

created Python in the early part of the 90s. He named it after a comedy show

titled Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Computer experts consider Python as a powerful programming language.

System administrators are using it to develop different types of computer

software. Actually, Python has greatly helped in improving Linux systems.

Most of Linux’s main components are written using Python. IT professors also

use this language to teach basic programming. That means Python is versatile,

powerful, and easy to learn.

Before execution, this programming language gets compiled into bytecode

automatically. The system saves the bytecode onto the hard disk. That means

the user doesn’t have to perform compilation unless changes are made on the

source. Additionally, Python is a dynamically typed programming language

that allows (but doesn’t require) object-oriented constructs and features.

Unlike other programming languages, Python considers whitespace as an

important part of its codes. In fact, the whitespace’s significance is the most

distinctive attribute of Python. Rather than block delimiters (which is being

used by C programming languages), Python uses indentation to indicate the

starting point and endpoint of code blocks.

Another cool aspect of Python is that it is available for ALL platforms. You

can easily install and use Python on Linux, Macintosh, and Windows

computers. That means computer programs written using this language are

extremely portable: you can use them with any available platform.

Chapter 2: Python’s Interactive Mode

The Python programming language has 2 different modes:

1. Normal – In this mode, you’ll run the scripted and completed Python

files using the built-in interpreter.

2. Interactive – This is a command line program that can give instant

feedback for each of your statements. This mode gives feedback while

performing previous statements stored in the machine’s memory.

Technically, the interactive mode evaluates statements individually and

holistically while new ones are being entered into the Python

interpreter.

This chapter will focus on the interactive mode. To activate it, just enter

“python” without adding any argument. This is an excellent way of learning

the programming language: you’ll play around statements and syntax

variations. After typing “python,” the screen will show you a message similar

to the one below:

Important Note: If Python doesn’t work, make sure that you have set your path

properly.

Notice that the message has “>>>” at the end. These symbols indicate that you

are using Python’s interactive mode. Here, the system will immediately run

whatever you type. Actually, if you’ll type 1 + 1, Python will give you 2. You

can use this mode to become familiar with Python and test its capabilities. If

you have learned new statements, activate the interactive mode and check

them one by one.

The image below shows an interactive session:

As you can see, Python’s interactive environment is an excellent learning and

programming tool. However, you have to be extremely careful when using it

since it can be confusing sometimes. For instance, the image below shows a

Python script that is considered valid in the interactive mode:

If you’ll use this script as shown in the interactive mode, you’ll get a

surprising result:

The Python interpreter says that the second print’s indentation is unexpected.

Before writing the next statement, you need to end the first one (i.e. the “if”

statement) using a blank line. For instance, you must enter the statements

using this format:

This will give the following result:

The Interactive Mode

You may use “-i” to activate the interactive mode. This flag will stop Python

from closing when the program is done. Computer programmers use this flag a

lot, especially during the prototyping and debugging stages. Here’s an

example:

Chapter 3: The Basics

In this section, you’ll learn about the basics of the Python programming

language. The following pages will teach you how to create programs using

Python. Additionally, you’ll know about the different parts of Python

statements such as strings and variables. Study this chapter carefully because it

can help you become a great Python user.

How to Create Python Programs

In general, programs created using Python are just ordinary text files. That

means you can edit them with typical text editors. Use your favorite editor:

you can create or improve Python programs using any text editing software.

However, it would be great if you can use one that has syntax highlighting for

Python statements.

Your First Program

Inexperienced programmers start their Python journey by writing the “Hello,

World!” program. Here, the program simply states “Hello, World!” and then

closes itself. Try this simple exercise:

1. Access your favorite text editor.

2. Create a file and save it as “hello.py.” Inside that file, enter the

following line:

The “Hello, World!” program utilizes PRINT, a function that sends the

parameters of a statement to the machine’s terminal. The PRINT function adds

a newline character to the statement’s output. Thus, it automatically transfers

the cursor to the subsequent line.

Important Note: For Python version 2, PRINT is considered as a statement

instead of a function. That means you may use it without any parenthesis. In

this situation, PRINT does two things:

• It sends the whole line to the terminal

• It allows users to indicate multiline statements by placing a comma

after the last character.

You’ve just completed your own program. Now, you are ready to run it using

Python. Notice that this procedure differs based on the OS (i.e. operating

system) you are using.

For Windows computers:

1. Create a new folder. You should only use this folder for Python

computer programs. Save the hello.py file in this folder. For this

exercise, let’s assume that you named the folder: “C:\pythonfiles”

2. Access the Start menu and choose “Run…”

3. Open the OS’ terminal by typing “cmd” in the dialogue box.

4. Type cd \pythonfiles and hit Enter. This action will set the

pythonfiles folder as the directory.

5. Run the program by typing hello.py (i.e. the program’s filename).

For Mac computers:

• Create a folder that will be used for Python programs only. For this

exercise, name this folder “pythonfiles” and save it in your computer’s

Home folder (i.e. the one that holds folders for Music, Movies, Pictures,

Documents, etc.).

• Save the hello.py program into the pythonfiles folder.

• Access the Applications section of your computer, go to Utilities,

and activate the Terminal software.

• Enter cd pythonfiles into the dialogue box and press Enter.

• Run the Hello, World! program by typing “python ./hello.py.”

For Linux computers:

• Create a folder and name it “pythonfiles.” Then, save the hello.py

file in it.

• Activate the computer’s terminal program. Follow these instructions:

o For KDE users – go to the main menu and choose “Run

Command…”

o For GNOME users – go to the main menu, access the

Applications section, open Accessories, and choose Terminal.

• Enter “cd ~/pythonpractice.”

• Run the program by typing “python. .hello.py.”

The Outcome

The screen must show:

Hello, World!

That’s it. If your computer screen shows this message, you did an excellent

job. You’re one step closer to being a great Python programmer.

The Variables and Strings in the Python Language

This section will focus on strings and variables. As a beginner, you should

know that these two types of data play a huge role in the Python programming

language.

The Variables

Basically, variables are things that hold changeable values. That means you

can consider variables as boxes that can hold different kinds of stuff. Keep in

mind that you can use variables to keep different things. For now, however,

let’s use them for storing numbers. Check the screenshot below:

The code above generates a variable named “lucky.” Afterward, it assigns the

variable to a number (i.e. 7). If you’ll “ask” Python about the data stored in

lucky, you’ll get 7 as the response.

You may also edit the value inside variables. For instance:

With the codes above, you saved a variable named “changing,” assigned the

number 3 to it, and confirmed that the first statement is correct. Afterward,

you assigned the number 9 to the variable, and asked the system about the new

content. The Python language replaced 3 with 9.

Then, you created a new variable named “different.” You assigned the number

12 for this variable. That means you currently have two different variables,

namely: changing and different. These variables hold different data – setting

another value for one of them won’t affect the other.

Python allows you to assign the value of an existing variable to a different one.

For instance:

To prevent confusion, remember that the variable’s name is always shown on

the left side of the assignment operator (i.e. the “=” sign). The variable’s

value, on the other hand, is displayed on the operator’s right side. That means

for each variable, you’ll see the name first followed by the value.

At first, the code created two variables: red and blue. Then it assigned

different values for each: 5 and 10, respectively. Notice that you can place

different arguments on the PRINT function to make it show several items in a

single line. As the result shows, red holds 5 while blue stores 10.

Then, the code created another variable and named it “yellow.” Afterward, the

code instructed Python that yellow’s value should be identical to that of red.

Because of that, Python assigned the number 5 to yellow.

Next, the code instructed Python that red’s value must be changed so that it is

equal to that of blue. The value of blue is 10 so Python assigns that number to

red (the number 5 is “thrown away”). At the last part of the screenshot, Python

indicates the value of red, blue and yellow: 10, 10, 5, respectively.

Wait! The code told Python that the value of yellow must be equal to that of

red, didn’t it? Why does the screenshot show that yellow’s value is 5 even

though red’s is 10? It’s simple. The code instructed the Python language that

yellow should have red’s value at the moment it was coded. The connection

between red and yellow stopped as soon as Python assigned a value to the

latter. Yellow received 5 - and 5 will stay regardless of what happens to its

original source (unless a new statement is given).

The Strings

Basically, strings are lists of characters that follow a certain arrangement.

What is a “character?” Let’s relate this concept with a physical object: the

keyboard. Anything you can enter using a keyboard is considered as a

character (e.g. numbers, letters, punctuation marks, etc.).

For instance, “Birthday” and “Halloween” are strings. These strings are

formed by letters (i.e. characters). You can also add spaces in your strings:

“good morning” contains 12 characters: good = 4, space = 1, morning = 7.

Currently, you can include any number of characters in your Python strings.

That means there are no limits when it comes to the quantity of characters that

you can use. Actually, you can even create a string that has no character in it

(programmers call it an “empty string.”).

With Python, you can declare strings in three different ways:

1. (‘) – Using single quotation marks

2. (“) – Using double quotation marks

3. (“””) – Using triple quotation marks

You can use any of these methods. However, make sure that you will be

consistent regarding your string declarations. Begin and end your strings using

the same declaration. Check the screenshot below:

As you can see, quotation marks start and end strings. By default, Python will

consider the quotation marks in your statements as markers for the beginning

or end of strings.

In some situations, however, you have to include quotation marks in your

statements. That means you must stop Python from ending your statements

prematurely (i.e. when it sees the quotation marks in your codes). You can

accomplish this using a backslash. By adding a backslash right before the

quotation marks, you’re telling Python that those marks are included in the

string. The act of putting a backslash before a different symbol is known as

“escaping” that particular symbol.

Important Note: When adding a backslash to your Python strings, you still

need to “escape” it (i.e. place a backslash before the needed backslash). This

action will inform Python that the backslash must be used as an ordinary

symbol. Analyze the screenshot below:

After analyzing the examples above, you’ll realize that only the characters

used to quote strings must be escaped. This simple rule makes Python

statements easy to read.

To help you understand strings further, let’s visit your first Python program:

Well, it seems you have used strings even before you learned about them. You

may also concatenate strings in the Python programming language.

Concatenation is the process of combining two different strings by adding a

“+” sign between them. Let’s use the same program again:

In the example above, “Hello,” and “world!” are entered as separate strings.

This is done by enclosing both strings in quotation marks. Then, the “+” sign

is added between the strings to combine (i.e. concatenate) them. Did you see

the space between the comma and the quotation mark? That space is

mandatory: without it, you’ll get the following string:

Python also allows you to repeat strings. That means you won’t have to type

the same thing several times. To repeat strings, just use the asterisk:

Lastly, you can utilize “len()” to count the characters that form any string. You

just have to place the string you want to check inside the parentheses. Here’s

an example:

Variables and Strings – How to Use Them Together

Now that you know how strings and variables work, you’re ready to use them

together.

As discussed earlier, variables can hold different types of information – even

strings. Here’s an example:

The program above creates a variable named “question.” Then, it stores the

string “What did you have for lunch?” inside that variable. Lastly, it instructs

Python to give out the string.

It is important to note that you should not enclose the variable with quotation

marks. By omitting quotation marks, you are telling Python that you are using

“question” as a variable, not as a string. If you’ll enclose the variable using

quotation marks, Python will consider it as an ordinary string. It will give out

“question” rather than “What did you have for lunch?”

How to Combine Strings and Numbers

Analyze the screenshot below:

This code is designed to accept a number from the programmer, add ten to that

number, and give out the sum. If you’ll run it, however, you’ll get the

following error message:

What’s happening here? Instead of giving out a number, Python shows

“TypeError.” This message means there is an issue with the information

entered. To be specific, Python cannot determine how to combine the two

kinds of data being used: strings and integers.

For instance, Python assumes that “number” (i.e. a variable) contains a string,

rather than a number. If the programmer types in “15,” Python will think that

the variable holds a 2-character string: 1 and 5. What can you do to inform

Python that 15 is a number?

Additionally, when asking for the answer, you are instructing Python to

combine a number (i.e. plusTen) and a string. The programming language

doesn’t know how to accomplish that. Python can only combine two strings.

How can you make Python treat numbers as strings, so you can use it with a

different string?

Fortunately, you have two powerful functions at your disposal:

1. str() – This function can convert numbers into strings.

2. int() – This function can convert strings into numbers.

When using these functions, you just have to place the string/number you want

to convert inside the parentheses. If you will apply this method to the code

given earlier, you will get the following result:

The Fundamental Concepts

Python has 5 basic concepts, namely:

1. Scope – For large systems, you have to limit the relationship between

codes. This is important if you want to prevent errors or unpredictable

system behaviors. If you won’t restrict the effect of your codes on other

codes, the entire system might get confused.

You can control the “scope” of your codes by assigning specific name

groups to each programmer. For instance, one programmer will use the

names of countries while another one uses names of animals. This

technique can help in limiting the connections between your Python

codes.

2. Objects – Similar to other object-oriented languages, Python uses

code and data groups.

In Python, you’ll create (i.e. instantiate) objects using “Classes” (a set

of templates used in this programming language). Objects possess

“attributes,” which store the different pieces of data and code that form

the object.

Accessing an object’s attribute is easy:

i. Enter the object’s name and place a dot after it.

ii. Specify the name of the attribute/s you want to access.

3. Namespaces – Python has dir(), a preinstalled function that can help

you understand namespaces. After starting Python’s interpreter, you can

use dir() to show the objects in the default or current namespace. Check

the screenshot below:

You can also use dir() to list the available names inside module

namespaces. For this example, let’s use type() on _builtins_ (an object

from the screenshot above). This function, i.e. type(), allows us to

know the file type of an object. See the screenshot below:

The image shows that _builtins_ is a module. That means you can use

dir() to list the names inside _builtins_. You’ll get this result:

This concept is easy to understand. Basically, namespaces are places in

which names can reside. Every name inside a namespace is completely

different from those outside a namespace. Computer programmers refer

to this “namespace layering” as “scope.” In general, you should place

names inside a namespace if those names have values. For instance:

The image above shows that you can add names to any namespace just

by using a simple statement (i.e. “import”). That code used the import

statement to add “math” to the active namespace. If you want to know

what that object is, you can run this command:

It says that “math” is a module. Thus, it has its own namespace. You

can show the names inside math’s namespace using the dir() function:

4. Case Sensitivity – Variables are always case-sensitive. That means

“SMITH,” “Smith,” and “smith” are three different variables.

5. Tabs and Spaces Don’t Mix – Since whitespaces are important in

Python, keep in mind that tabs and spaces cannot be mixed. Be

consistent while indenting your python statements. If you’ll use spaces

for indention, stick to that character. This is an important concept that

many beginners forget about.

Although tabs and spaces have the same appearance, they give different

meanings when read by the Python interpreter. That means you’ll

experience errors or weird results if you’ll mix them in your statements.

Important Note: If you prefer to use spaces, make sure that you will hit

the spacebar four times for each indention.

Chapter 4: Sequences

Sequences, one of the basic structures in programming, allow you to save

values easily and efficiently. Python supports three types of sequences,

namely: lists, tuples, and strings. Let’s discuss each sequence in detail:

Lists

As their name suggests, lists are collections of values that follow a certain

arrangement. You can use square brackets to create a list. For instance, you

can use the statement below to initialize an empty list:

You should use commas to separate values. Here’s a sample list:

You can place different kinds of values inside the same list. For instance, the

list above holds numbers and letters.

Similar to characters within a string, you can access listed items using indices

that start at zero. Accessing a listed item is easy. You just have to specify the

name of the list where that item belongs. Then, indicate the number of the item

inside the list. Enclose the number using square brackets. Here’s an example:

Python also allows you to enter negative integers. These numbers are counted

backwards, starting from the last item in the list.

You may use len() to determine the quantity of items inside a list. Check the

image below:

Lists are similar to typical variables in one aspect: they allow you to change

the items inside them. Analyze the following example:

You can also slice strings:

Python offers different methods of adding items to any list. However, the

easiest method is this:

To remove items, you can apply the “del” statement onto the list.

Here’s an example:

Lists automatically “fix” themselves after each item deletion. That means you

won’t see any gap in the numbering of items.

Tuples

Tuples and lists are similar except for one thing: tuples cannot be edited. After

creating a tuple, you won’t be able to change it in any way. You can’t expand,

edit, or delete the elements within a tuple. If you’ll ignore this immutability,

you can say that lists and tuples are identical.

You should use commas when declaring tuples:

Sometimes, you have to differentiate tuples using parentheses. This process is

similar to performing several assignments using the same line. Here’s a simple

example:

Strings

You’ve already learned about strings. However, it is important to discuss it

again as a Python sequence. For other programming languages, you can access

the characters elements inside strings using square brackets (known as the

subscript operator). This method is also effective in Python:

Python assigns numbers to indices using this formula: 0 – n1 (n represents the

number of characters in the string). Check the screenshot below:

Indices work with the characters that come right after them. For negative

indices, you should count backwards:

Unlike other programming languages, Python allows you to place up to 2

numbers inside square brackets. You can do this using a colon (i.e. “:”). For

sequences that concentrate on numeric indices, the combination of brackets

and colons returns the portion between the indices. This technique is called

“slicing.” If you’ll slice a string, you will get “substrings.” Analyze the

screenshot below:

The statements given above show an important rule:

“If you’ll omit a number, Python assumes the missing number as the start or

end of that particular sequence (depending on the position of the missing

number).”

Dictionaries

Dictionaries are similar to lists. Unlike tuples, dictionaries allow users to

modify their content. That means you may add, edit, and delete the elements

of any dictionary. The main difference between lists and dictionaries is this:

dictionaries don’t bind their elements to any number.

A dictionary’s element has two aspects: (1) the key and (2) the value. If you’ll

call the key of a dictionary, you’ll get the values related to that particular key.

Computer programmers consider lists as special dictionaries, where numbers

represent the key of each element.

How to Use a Dictionary

You should use curly braces when declaring a dictionary. Also, you should use

the following format when declaring elements for a dictionary: (1) enter the

key of the element, (2) add a colon, and (3) assign the value. Here’s an

example:

Additionally, adding elements to dictionaries is simple and easy. It’s like

adding an ordinary variable:

Chapter 5: The Different Types of Data

Basically, data types define an object’s capabilities. In other languages, the

effectiveness of an operation is tested by ensuring that the object cannot be

stored where the operation is going to be performed. This system is known as

static typing.

However, Python uses a different approach. This programming language

allows you to store the object’s data type inside that object. Python also checks

the validity of each operation as soon as you run them. Programmers refer to

this system as dynamic typing.

This chapter focuses on the different kinds of data that you can use with

Python.

The Standard Types

Python has a set of standard data types. These types are pre-installed into this

programming language. Let’s divide these types into small groups. This

section will use the hierarchy system used in Python’s official documentation:

The Numeric Types

• int – This stands for integers. For Python 2.x, “int” is identical to C

longs.

• long – It stands for long integers whose length is non-limited. You’ll

find this type in systems that use Python 2.x.

• float – This stands for floating-point numbers. Float is the equivalent

of doubles in C.

• complex – This type is composed of complex numbers.

The Sequences

• list

• tuple

• byte – This is a sequence of numbers within the 0-255 range. You’ll

find bytes in systems that use Python 3.x.

• byte array – This is the mutable version of bytes.

• str – This stands for “String.” Python 2.x systems represent strings as

sequences of 8-bit items. Python 3.x systems, however, represent them

as sequences of Unicode items.

The Sets

• set – This is an unorganized group of distinct objects.

• frozen set – This type is the immutable version of sets.

The Mappings

• dict – This stands for Python dictionaries. Computer programmers

refer to this type as a “hashmap” or “associative array.” In general, each

element of a dictionary has a corresponding definition.

Mutable and Immutable Objects

In the Python language, data types are categorized based on the mutability of

their contents. Keep in mind that immutable data types prevent you from

changing the objects inside them. That means you’ll succeed in slicing or

reassigning the objects of mutable data. Immutable ones, however, will give

you an error message.

Here’s an important principle that you should remember: variables are simple

references to the objects inside a machine’s memory. Let’s assume that you

paired an object and a variable using the following statement:

With the statement given above, you are making variables (i.e. 1, a, and s)

point to certain objects. Python stores this relationship between variables and

objects in the machine’s memory. Thus, you can conveniently access objects

whenever you want.

For the next example, let’s say you performed a reassignment using the code

below:

In this new statement, you linked the variables to other objects. As you’ve

learned earlier, you can only change mutable objects (1 [0] = 1 is good, but s

[0] = “a” will give you an error message).

How to Create Objects of a Defined Type

• Literal Integers – You can enter literal integers in three different

ways:

o For decimal numbers – You can enter these numbers directly.

o For hexadecimal numbers – You have to prepend 0X or 0x to

enter this kind of number.

o For octal literals – The method of entering these integers

depends on the Python version you are using:

▪ For Python 2.x – You must prepend a zero to enter

octals.

▪ For Python 3.x – You should prepend 0O or 00 to enter

octals.

• Floating Point Integers – You can enter these numbers directly.

• Long Integers – You can enter a long integer in two ways:

o Directly (112233445566778899 is considered as a long

integer)

o By appending the letter “L” (1L is considered as a long

integer).

If a computation that involves short integers overflows, it is

automatically converted into a long integer.

• Complex Numbers – You can enter this object by adding two

numbers (i.e. a real number and an imaginary number). Then, enter

these numbers by appending the letter “j.” That means 11+2j and 11j are

complex numbers.

• Strings – You can enter strings as single- or triple-quoted objects.

The difference between these two types lies in their delimiters and their

potential length. Single-quoted strings are restricted to one line only.

You can enter single-quoted strings using pairs of single quotation or

double quotation marks. Check the following example:

Triple-quoted strings are similar to their single-quoted counterparts, but

they can cover multiple lines. Obviously, their delimiters (i.e. the

quotation marks) should be matched. You must enter these strings using

3 single or double quotation marks. Here’s an instructive screenshot for

you:

• Tuples - You can enter tuples using parentheses. Place commas

between objects to separate them.

You can enter a single-element tuple by enclosing it in parentheses and

adding a comma. Here’s an example:

• Lists - Lists work like tuples, though they require square brackets:

• Dictionaries – You can create “Python dicts” by listing some pairs

of values and separating each pair using a colon. Use commas to

separate dictionary entries. Then, enclose the statements using curly

braces. Check the image below:

Null Objects

Python uses “None” as a null pointer analogue. In this aspect, Python is

similar to many programming languages. Actually, “None” isn’t a null

reference or a null pointer in itself – it is an object that only has one instance.

You can use “None” as a default argument value for functions. In Python, you

must compare objects against “None” using “is” instead of “==.”

Chapter 6: The Errors That You Will Encounter

Python users encounter three kinds of errors: exceptions, logic errors, and

syntax errors.

Exceptions

These errors occur when the Python interpreter cannot perform an action,

though it knows what should be done. A good example would be running a

Google search while you are offline: the machine knows what to do but it

cannot accomplish it.

Logic Errors

Logic errors are extremely hard to find. Also, they are the most common

errors that you’ll get. Python programs that are affected by logic errors can

still run. However, they may crash or produce unexpected results.

You can use a debugger to find and solve logic errors in your programs.

Syntax Errors

This is perhaps the most basic kind of error. A syntax error occurs when the

Python interpreter cannot understand a code. According to programmers,

syntax errors are fatal most of the time – you cannot execute codes that

contain this error.

Syntax errors are often caused by typos, wrong arguments, or wrong

indentation. That means you should inspect your codes for these mistakes

whenever you encounter a syntax error.