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SEARCH ENGINE BASICSSearch engine optimization (SEO) is a foreign field to a lot of people. Rarely does a day go by when we don't get asked a few questions on the subject. Hopefully this SEO page will help people understand the basics, and make them a little more comfortable with the whole domain - no pun intended. Look at KeyPhrases Describing SEO Q: Why are Search Engines Important To Me?
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A: IMPORTANT: You cannot pay a search engine in return for a high ranking in the natural results. You can only get a high ranking if your content is seen as relevant by the search engines. Search engines identify relevant content for their search results by sending out 'spiders' or 'robots' which 'crawl' (analyze) your site and 'index' (record) its details. Complex algorithms are then employed to determine whether your site is useful and should be included in the search engine's search results.
A: No. The biggest concern for search engine companies like Google and Yahoo is finding content that will bring them more traffïc (and thus more advertising revenue). In other words, their results must be relevant. Relevant results makes for a good search engine; irrelevant results makes for a short-lived search engine.
Most search engines these days return two types of results whenever you clïck Search:
Natural Search /Organic Search - The 'real' search results. The results that most users are looking for and which take up most of the window. For most searches, the search engine displays a long list of links to sites with content which is related to the word you searched for. These results are ranked according to how relevant and important they are.
Paid - Pure advertising. This is how the search engines make their monëy. Advertisers pay the search engines to display their ad whenever someone searches for a word which is related to their product or service. These ads look similar to the natural search results, but are normally labeled "Sponsored Links", and normally take up a smaller portion of the window.
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A: There are four main steps:
- Step 1 - Use the right words on your website.
- Step 2 - Get lots of relevant sites to link to yours.
- Step 3 - Use the right words in those links.
- Step 4 - Have lots of content on your site & add more regularly.
A: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of creating a website which is search engine-friendly. This means:
- Using the right words in your copy.
- Using the right words in your HTML code.
- Structuring your site properly.
- designing your site properly.
Many people use SEO to also describe the other ingredient in a high ranking, 'Link Popularity'.
A: Think of the search engines as a big election. All the websites in the world are candidates. The links to your website are votes. The more votes (links) a candidate (website) has, the more important it is, and the higher its ranking. Link popularity is all about how many links you have, and how you can get more.
Links to your site tell the search engines how important your site is. They assume that if it's important enough for a lot of other sites to link to, it's important enough for them to display at the top of the rankings. Links are the single most important factor in ranking. Generally speaking, the more links you have to your site from other sites, the better your ranking.
A: Yes! The ideal kind of links are those that:
- come from relevant sites (sites which use the same keywords);
- come from important sites (have a high ranking);
- include your keyword as part of the visible link text;
- include varying link text (not the same link text each time); and
- come from a page that links to few other sites.
When a search engine sees a link which satisfies most or all of these conditions, it says, "Hey, this site must be credible and important, because others in the same industry are pointing to it."
A: There are many possible ways to generate links. Some are dubious (like auto-generation software, and sites set up by webmasters simply to host links to their other sites) and I won't be discussing them hëre. Others, like those discussed below, are legitimate.
- Add your site to DMOZ & Yahoo Directories (and other frëe directories)
- Chëck where your competitors' links are coming from
- Article PR - Write and submit articles for Internet publication
- Swap links
- Partnër websites
- Pay for links
For more information on these methods, download our frëe SEO Secrets eBook.
A: Article PR. Write helpful articles and let other webmasters publish them for frëe in exchange for a link in the byline. With article PR, you don't have to pay for the link, you determine the content of the page containing the link, you determine the link text, and the link is more or less permanent. A single article can be reprinted hundreds of times, and each time is another link back to your site!
For more information, read How to Top Google with Article PR or visit ArticlePR.com.
A: See - How to Top Google with Article PR.
A: A long time! It's impossible to say how much time you'll need to spend generating links, but you can be sure it'll be a while no matter which method of link generation you use. You just have to keep at it until you have achieved a high ranking. Even then, you'll still need to dedicate some ongoing time to the task, otherwise your ranking will drop.
A: The Google Sandbox theory suggests that whenever Google detects a new website, it withholds its rightful ranking for a period while it determines whether your site is a genuine, credible, long term site. It does this to discourage the creation of SP@M websites (sites which serve no useful purpose other than to boost the ranking of some other site).
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting the theory, but there is also a lot discounting it. No one has categorically proven its existence.
A: The Google Dampening Link Filter theory suggests that if Google detects a sudden increase (i.e. many hundreds or thousands) in the number of links back to your site, it may sandbox them for a period (or in fact penalize you by lowering your ranking or blacklisting your site altogether).
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting the theory, but there is also a lot discounting it. No one has categorically proven its existence.
A: Be wary of SEO companies that promise or guarantëe results in a given timeframe, especially if they won't expand on their methods for generating links back to your site.
A: There are many very useful tools to help with your SEO. The following are just selection. All tools are frëe unless otherwise indicated.
* Backlink checker
* Backlinks by IP address
* Link Popularity Tool
* Number of links required to rank
* Google Alert
* Google Sitemaps
* Google Sitemap Generator
* Google Toolbar
* Indexed Pages
* Keyword Analysis (Nichebot)
* Keyword Analysis (Overture)
* Keyword Analysis (WordTracker - Paid)
* Keyword Difficulty
* Keyword Identifier
* Keyword Density Measurement (Simple)
* Keyword Density Measurement (Complex)
* Plagiarized Copy Search
* Traffïc Rank
* Search Engine Rank
* SEO Report
* Top 10 sites for a keyword by no. of backlinks and age
* Top 10 sites for a keyword
* Spider Simulator
A: See our - SEO Glossary.
A: The first thing you need to do when you begin chasing a good search engine ranking is decide which words you want to rank well for. This is called performing a keyword analysis. Keyword analysis involves a bit of research and a good knowledge of your business and the benefits you offer your customers.
For more information, download our frëe SEO Secrets eBook.
A: Theoretically, no. But I wouldn't risk not doing it - especially as it's frëe. As soon as you register your domain name, submit it to Google! Even if you haven't built your site, or thought about your content, submit your domain name to Google. In fact, even if you haven't fully articulated your business plan and marketing plan, submit your domain name to Google.
For more information, download our frëe SEO Secrets eBook.
A: No need. Although some of the search engines allow you to do this, there's really no need.
A: Directories are websites (or web pages) which simply list lots of websites and give a quick description of the website. Some are frëe and some require you to pay for a listing. Frëe directories are useful because you get a frëe link. However, the links aren't worth that much. Paid directories can be good if they're relevant, but they can cost a lot in the long term, so choose wisely.
One essential directory for any website is the DMOZ Open Directory Project.
About The Author
Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and article submission specialist. He is a director of article PR company Article PR and also of copywriting studio Divine Write.
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