SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the act of optimizing a website for organic placement in search engine's listings. To rank well organically, a website owner can reap the benefits of free traffic search engines have to offer.
Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN utilize automated programs called search engine spiders or robots to crawl a website's pages. The robots scan the pages and copy it to be later added to a search engine's index. Billions of pages are indexed in massive databases, and when a search request is made, a search engine processes (compares the search string in the search request) with the billions of indexed pages in it's database. A search engine's algorithm is then able to begin determining the relevancy of the near endless pages in the index to the search string requested.
Tasks performed by search engines:
1. Determine Relevancy 2. Information Processing 3. Information Retrieval 4. Robot Spidering 5. Site Indexing
An algorithm is a set of rules"used to factor the relevancy of requested search queries. Algorithms are kept private from the public to avoid manipulation of search engine results. There are over 200 factors that currently contribute to the search relevancy calculation. Even though there are slight differences in ranking rules for the major search engines, for the most part, all major search engines follow similar rules when it comes to calculating search relevancy.
On Page Optimization
These are factors that can be changed on a site by a site owner is considered on-page optimization. These factors include the density of key terms used on a page, key terms used in the Title, Meta, and Alt tags, the type of support pages and links being used throughout the website. Search engine's algorithm will also determine the strength of a keyword by it's prominence on a web page. Usually, the first 200 words on a page holds more weight than the keywords below it.
On-page optimization should also target similar words to the keyword, use of videos, blogs, and attention to the way top-level sections are structured on a web page. The type of server being used, the public status of a domain name, and website analytics (such as bounce rate) are also key factors that determine the success of on-page optimization. As important as it is, on-page optimization only contributes 30% of a full and robust SEO plan. The other 70% of the SEO process is accomplished by Off-Page Optimization.
Off-Page Optimization
Factors that can not be controlled by a site owner or webmaster is considered off-page optimization. These factors include the type of links pointing back to a site. To search engines, this is considered a vote and the site providing the link is basically vouching for the website they are linking to. The type of links coming into a site will have different weighing factors. It's not uncommon to have most of the inbound links providing absolutely no link value to a site. So, when acquiring links, it's important that a site receives quality links as opposed to quantity of links.
Social media is another off-page strategy that can influence search engine rankings. Social media is one of the most popular strategies being used today. However, there are so many social media sites online that an individual can become overwhelmed. Building a following through strong viral campaigns can lead to online success via a large source of traffic and a potentially high number of inbound links.
Search Engine Optimization is very important to any online business. It provides free traffic with great branding exposure and plays an important role in increasing a company's bottom line. With SEO being so rewarding, it's also the most difficult method to execute of all online search engine marketing strategies. One of the major reasons is that SEO can be very time consuming and you may not see results from SEO efforts for several months to year. But, once you have a well optimized website and ranking well in organic search engines, the wait is worth it. - 14915
Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN utilize automated programs called search engine spiders or robots to crawl a website's pages. The robots scan the pages and copy it to be later added to a search engine's index. Billions of pages are indexed in massive databases, and when a search request is made, a search engine processes (compares the search string in the search request) with the billions of indexed pages in it's database. A search engine's algorithm is then able to begin determining the relevancy of the near endless pages in the index to the search string requested.
Tasks performed by search engines:
1. Determine Relevancy 2. Information Processing 3. Information Retrieval 4. Robot Spidering 5. Site Indexing
An algorithm is a set of rules"used to factor the relevancy of requested search queries. Algorithms are kept private from the public to avoid manipulation of search engine results. There are over 200 factors that currently contribute to the search relevancy calculation. Even though there are slight differences in ranking rules for the major search engines, for the most part, all major search engines follow similar rules when it comes to calculating search relevancy.
On Page Optimization
These are factors that can be changed on a site by a site owner is considered on-page optimization. These factors include the density of key terms used on a page, key terms used in the Title, Meta, and Alt tags, the type of support pages and links being used throughout the website. Search engine's algorithm will also determine the strength of a keyword by it's prominence on a web page. Usually, the first 200 words on a page holds more weight than the keywords below it.
On-page optimization should also target similar words to the keyword, use of videos, blogs, and attention to the way top-level sections are structured on a web page. The type of server being used, the public status of a domain name, and website analytics (such as bounce rate) are also key factors that determine the success of on-page optimization. As important as it is, on-page optimization only contributes 30% of a full and robust SEO plan. The other 70% of the SEO process is accomplished by Off-Page Optimization.
Off-Page Optimization
Factors that can not be controlled by a site owner or webmaster is considered off-page optimization. These factors include the type of links pointing back to a site. To search engines, this is considered a vote and the site providing the link is basically vouching for the website they are linking to. The type of links coming into a site will have different weighing factors. It's not uncommon to have most of the inbound links providing absolutely no link value to a site. So, when acquiring links, it's important that a site receives quality links as opposed to quantity of links.
Social media is another off-page strategy that can influence search engine rankings. Social media is one of the most popular strategies being used today. However, there are so many social media sites online that an individual can become overwhelmed. Building a following through strong viral campaigns can lead to online success via a large source of traffic and a potentially high number of inbound links.
Search Engine Optimization is very important to any online business. It provides free traffic with great branding exposure and plays an important role in increasing a company's bottom line. With SEO being so rewarding, it's also the most difficult method to execute of all online search engine marketing strategies. One of the major reasons is that SEO can be very time consuming and you may not see results from SEO efforts for several months to year. But, once you have a well optimized website and ranking well in organic search engines, the wait is worth it. - 14915
About the Author:
Alex Plana is an experienced Search Marketing Professional in SEO and PPC. He currently runs and operates www.planasem.com, a PPC Management and Search Engine Optimization Service site.
No comments:
Post a Comment