Basic Elements of Search Engine Optimization
Author: Charlotte Clark-Frieson
Author: Charlotte Clark-Frieson
In this article I will attempt to explain in the very simplest terms, what Search Engine Optimization is, and why it is important. First of all, it is never a good idea to just go out and put up a website, without giving any thought to Search Engine Optimization. A website conceived and created this way is destined to fail! The reason why I can tell you this, is because I've done it before. And this was a very hard lesson learned from firsthand experience! Search Engine Optimization - or SEO - is a scientific way of saying that your site is optimized. The word optimization implies a process or a procedure you might follow to optimize your site. Simply put, this means setting your site up in a way that will make the search engines love it. Think about this: Statistics say that probably 90% of those who are seeking information, products or services online use some search engine to find what they are looking for. Examples include: Google, Yahoo, MSN and Alexa. So that leads me to the next logical conclusion: when the search results are displayed, there are sometimes hundreds of thousands of results listed. But, the average person is not going to go through all of those listings. I personally don't look past the 3rd page of a result. Instead, I do another search using a different keyword. And that is in all likelihood what every consumer does. I'm looking at the very first few listings to show me what I'm looking for. The implication is that if your site is not in those top listings that show up on the first page of the search engine results, it is highly probable that you site will never be visible to those who are looking for your information - no matter how great your site is, nobody will be able to find you. So, the key to optimizing your website is to think about what your customers will be searching for, and to fine-tune your website and align it with those search words. If the search engines love your website, it will be more visible, and rank higher in the search results listings naturally - meaning that you don't have to pay to advertise your website in order for it to rank high in search. Your website's pages will be so well put together until they will naturally be listed at or near the top of the search results just because they are so well-put together and relevant - optimized. This is the way your website becomes visible to the viewing public. SEO is a big word today in website development. People who use their websites to sell products and services, really work hard to optimize every single page of their website so that it will be search engine optimized and rank high in the search results. Of all the major search engines, Google, pretty much sets the standard for Search Engine Optimization. What is Google Looking For in an Optimized Website? First of all, when you decide to build a website, you do so with a particular purpose in mind. Are you selling a product? Are you promoting a service? Okay, then what you want to do is to think about what keywords the average person would use if they were looking for information you are promoting on your website. You have to be very very specific. Jot those keywords down somewhere handy. Choose some keywords and phrases with pin-point accuracy that clearly and precisely describe what your website is about. As you are writing and building content for your website, make sure you use those keywords and phrases throughout the pages. Concentrate on your keywords and phrases. BUT, by the same token - you can't get carried away and overdo it. Because Google will not like you for that either! Now, you also want to make sure that your site name is related to your keywords - better if your site name contains the keyword itself. Next you want to focus on your page titles. Always try to include your main keyword in the title of each page of your site. Many experts also insist that your sub-headings contain either your main keywords or keyword phrases arranged differently. At the present time, there is still a lot of disagreement among web-masters as to the importance of including keywords in your meta-data. Okay, what's meta-data you ask? Meta-data is the information that you usually enter somewhere in your site's internal structure that summarizes what the site is about: You are asked to supply the site's title, a very short description of what the site is about, and finally a list of your main keywords related to your site. Some web-masters say that Google does not really pay any attention to this information any more, under their new ranking system, while others say yes. So, to be on the safe side, I would include meta data on my website. The important thing to know is that Google - the biggest search engine of all - has something called an algorithm -- some mathematical formula - it's supposedly a well-kept secret. But, it uses this algorithm to decide on which sites to rank higher than others in the search results. This is why search engine optimization is key factor in determining page rank. If you have a website, go back now, and review your site, and see where you can optimize it. Look at your domain name, your site title, your page titles, subtitles, and meta tags, and make sure that each of these is relevant for the product or service that you are selling, and you'll be fine.About the Author:
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