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A basic introduction and guide to search engine optimization which explains the key features and importance of SEO and its relationship to search engine marketing (SEM).
A harsh reality is that your website is virtually useless if it does not attract visitors, whether you solely provide information or you are seeking potential buyers, customers or clients.
Only companies or organisations with very well known brand names or extensive marketing campaigns can rely on people accessing the site by directly keying in the correct URL (eg. yourcompanyname.com). You are very reliant on your marketing efforts attracting traffic to your site, for example, by including your web address on all stationery, leaflets and advertising.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is part of search engine marketing (SEM). Some people use these terms interchangeably. The minor difference between SEO and SEM is that SEM also involves PPC (pay per click) or advertised listings on the search engines. SEO and SEM are part of website optimisation, the activity concerned with the overall development of the website for business or community information purposes.
Many people find product or service information by entering "key word" phrases into search engines such as Google, Yahoo! or MSN. Some key words are very competitive and/or common, with hundreds or thousands of potential "matches" being found by the search engine. To be "selected", you have to provide brief information which encourages the searcher to "click through" to your site.
There are three important steps for search engine success. Firstly, the search engine must know of your site. You have to be "listed" by the search engine - the search engine must have found and "spidered" your site, which means it has been indexed and categorised.
Secondly, most people using the search engines only look at the first or second SERP (Search Engine Results Page). Unless they change the default setting (I use 50 results per page on Google) that means a maximum of 20 links. To be selected by the enquirer, potential customer, client, etc., your listing has to be in the top 10 or top 20 of each of the major search engines' listing for the relevant "key word" phrase.
Google, the current market leader, uses a technology named "PageRank". SERP ranking is improved if high ranking sites link to your page/s. A high PageRank is normally based on the quality of the content which has attracted other websites to link to them. A method of improving PageRank involves link exchanges, where you agree to list a site in exchange for them listing yours. Both sites then potentially benefit.
The third success step relates to the quality of the actual search engine listing. The "snippet" of information displayed should be easy to read, "complete" and relevant to the searcher's need.
You increase your chance of being indexed, and therefore coming up with a high ranking in searches, if you follow some important rules.
SEO is about maximising your searchengine positioning. You can Do It Yourself (DIY) or engage a search engine consultant to do the work for you. In between, you can be trained to do itself.
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