Search Engine Optimization – Getting Noticed

Search Engine Optimization (known as SEO) is and is not easy to obtain. A simple way to describe SEO is where will your web site listing appear if someone was looking for your products/services utilizing a search engine query usually through Google or Yahoo. Your position in these queries is also referred to as ranking.

Why is this important? Most purchase selections are made from the top 3-5 sites listed. You can "buy" your way to a higher ranking utilizing pay-per-click/sponsor links or you can optimize your site by building and incorporating certain rules. This is often referred to as organic SEO. Each search engine has developed a set of algorithms they have developed that decides where a site is positioned (ranked). Certain aspects of your web can include approaches that are acceptable and recommended by the search engines - known as white hat organic SEO. There are also tricks that one can use to try and outsmart the search engine algorithms - black hat SEO. Note: if caught and eventually one is, you can be temporarily or permanently black listed by the search engine.

No one actually knows the exact algorithms used. These are closely held secrets but the search engines and companies offering web site SEO as a service do have a set of guidelines. Note: Often what achieves higher ranking may be in conflict with a highly designed rich media site.

When attempting to achieve high ranking, many different parts of your site must be considered:

• Web site code
• Web site theme
• Web site structure
• Internal links
• Alt Tags
• Header Tags
• Inward links
• Content
• Meta data
• Keywords

The whole goal is to establish relevance in all aspects of your site.

I will make the statement that there no longer is such a thing as SEO. What is required is an integrated marking program built around a well-designed site. SEO is one of the first steps.

Some say there are more than 118 factors utilized by the Google algorithms. Here are some basics to consider. The percentage shows the relative importance.

• Incoming Text of Links (2.3% & up) - phrasing, terms, order, and length of incoming link -anchor text
• Title Tag (2.3%)
• Keyword Use in Document Text (2.2%)
• Links to Document from Site Internal Pages (2.1%)
• Primary Subject Matter of Site (2.1%)
• External Links to Linking Pages (2.0%)
• Links Popularity of Site in Topical community (2.0%)
• Global Link Popularity of Site (1.9%)
• Keyword Spamming (1.9%)

The above accounts for 21% of ranking. Some other techniques are:

• Keyword Placement in the
• Using header tags to emphasize keywords
• Naming website and pages with keywords
• Incorporating keywords into body text

There is no way one can cover the topic of SEO in a single blog. These are just some considerations one can take immediately. Remember: the web world is constantly changing. It is no longer about having your site as a destination but more importantly, distributing your site outward.