What is SEO ?
Simply put: SEO represents Search Engine Optimization and is the process or 'following the rules' of the search engine providers, such as Google, and setting up the website or text on the web in a proper manner that will attract the most number of viewers through the process of searching (SERP) on the 'net. Google is the default search engine; the bench mark. Other search engines link Bing, Yahoo have different criteria for their rules but as Google is the most popular and we use their guidelines.
The SEO rules change all the time. Below is an extract from a Google blog post.
"We’re always reassessing our ranking and user interface, making hundreds of changes each year"
People will use the Internet to find things that they want or need and you should be ready for them to fall into your SEO 'trap'. When thinking about your website ideology think like someone else, searching your own name or business is likely to be found : there is probably only one or two businesses in the world with the same owners name and business category. Internet users will search "car mechanic" before they use "John Joe car mechanic" although John may have a good following in the business world it is new business that he is looking for. Your name on the site is very important because, as an example in john's case, John will be recommended if he does a good job. So both are equally as important. Once you have formed a relationship with the public they may use your name or business name in a search query.
For example; if someone was searching for an iPhone review, they may search "iPhone review" but if they were basing their search on a person's or businesses point of view they may search, "the gadget man + iPhone review" because the 'gadget man' has built up a reputation on the 'net. So your website needs to have the correct words in the correct places in the SEO structure to be effective so that they can be easily found.
There are ways and means to find out the best words used on Google and other search engines to make sure they are in your website meta data. Even the order of the words are important.
In fact Google DONT use keywords for ranking! (As of 2010 They have changed their alogrithms. Note by this we mean keyword meta data). Google uses keywords or keyphrases for advertising such as Google Adwords and what people search to show ads that are relevant to their seaches but websites are indexed by content, backlinks and numerous other methods. The Google algorithmic looks for repeated keywords and keyphrases that are placed in the correct parts of html and in the content to rank the quality score of the website. Quality score is a very complicated system of ranking a website. In simple terminology : good content will always equal quality score.
METADATA is data that this is inserted in the HEAD of the html or php file so that they can be indexed by websites, other search engines use METADATA keywords so they must be used, but they are not a priority of Google anymore. The reason Google changed using keywords (META), is because web makers started to "keyword stuff" meta data to attract users to sites that had no relevance to what they were looking for.
TIP: The SEO technique that works the best is traffic: sites that contain great content will be recommended by its users and therefore will increase traffic which will in turn create a higher page ranking!
Here is an example of what we refer to: (Please note we have no association with any of these companies, and wish them to succeed as much as each other)
(Random search phrase chosen for its popularity and competition)
"Laptop Computers"
Google is organic: it changes, it grows and it regenerates.
The company are number because they have 'followed the rules' in relation to their website SEO structure and they also get a lot of traffic which helps maintain that position.
There were websites with a better domain name that should have ranked higher but did not because their SEO has been neglected. Once a website gets to number one it has a real opportunity to stay there because it always at the top and therefore human nature will make it the first one visited above all else.
If your website is setup correctly and content is current and interesting it will attract hits. Futhermore, if the content is what potential users and customers are looking for then you will be found on the 'net as this is the preferred research tool today. The Trading Post recently moved from 100% offline to 100% online.
FREE TIP: Get your website content up on the site as quickly as possible: Unofficially Google will favour a website this is new to give them a chance against higher ranking websites. When you get the top of the list use this window of opportunity: Make sure that content is good, useful and fresh.
Questions to ponder: Why did a prefered domain name with "laptop computers" in it NOT come in at number one? We have researched some of those websites and discovered that their websites have not been set up correctly and are therefore losing a lot of income for a couple of words NOT placed in the correct places. (We would prefer not to mention them by name).
Other things to consider;
Would it be better to use "Laptop Computers" or "Laptop Computer" in your set up?
Would this make a difference?
Here is a definition from Wikipedia :
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Other forms of search engine marketing (SEM) target paid listings. In general, the earlier (or higher on the page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a web site web presence.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of back links, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.
The acronym "SEO" can refer to "search engine optimizers," a term adopted by an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design. The term "search engine friendly" may be used to describe web site designs, menus, content management systems, images, videos, shopping carts, and other elements that have been optimized for the purpose of search engine exposure.
Our clients websites are on page 1 of google with generic searches.
Let us help you get the most out of your website. If we can help you : we will.
Contact us today about a website SEO audit. (This includes non-CMS websites too)
