About Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is an Internet marketing technique used to increase a website's ranking on search engines like Yahoo! and Google. The earliest known use of the term occurred on July 26, 1997 in a message posted on Usenet.com, a popular message board at the time. The message stressed the importance of Internet advertising, using the term "search engine optimization" to identify the process of improving website content to gain higher rankings in the search engines. To do this, however, website owners needed to learn how the search engines work and find out what people were looking for when they used the Internet. This is how search engine optimization was born.

Features

The majority of search engines use spiders--also called crawlers or robots--to search for data. What does this mean? Well, let's say you go to a search engine and type "dog" into the search box. The second you hit "Enter," those spiders scour the Web, searching for the most relevant and updated material on the topic. In less than a second, your results will be displayed and ranked according to relevance.

Types

Once website owners discovered that their search engine rankings were determined by the content of their website, it didn't take long for them to start trying to rank higher. Unfortunately, some of these owners began to use tactics such as "keyword stuffing"--using one word repeatedly--or hiding keywords--placing them in the site's background so that they can't be seen--in efforts to manipulate the spiders and achieve higher rankings. Such techniques became known as "black hat" strategies. Proper SEO tools such as keyword research, informative content and the use of links became known as "white hat" strategies.

Benefits

When used properly, search engine optimization has many benefits. First and foremost, unless you pay a professional to do it, it's free advertising. Secondly, you have more control over SEO than other advertising methods--all you have to do is learn the best practices for search engine optimization. Third, if you are successful, you may receive more visitors to your site. And the more visitors you have, the more potential customers you have.

Misconceptions

Unfortunately, SEO is not as simple as it may seem. Although many site owners attempt to do it themselves, successful search engine optimization requires proper education and training on the topic. The content of the website must be search-friendly in order for the search engine spiders to find it. In simple terms, this means that the information on your site should be informative for the user. Secondly, you need to research what types of keywords people are searching on. And then, you must gracefully repeat those selected keywords throughout your copy. This is probably the trickiest step for most people--if underused, your site won't receive a good ranking. However, if it's overused, the spiders may determine that your site is using black hat strategies and not show your site at all.

Considerations

Due to the amount of time required to create successful SEO campaigns, most people hire a professional to manage their search engine optimization strategies. As a result, there are a plethora of companies who focus entirely on search engine advertising. While most are reputable, others resort to black hat techniques that could blacklist your site from the search engines. Be skeptical of any company that guarantees top placement. Due to the fluctuating nature of the industry, such promises are not possible. Rather than focusing on getting to the top, simply strive for improvement. Successful SEO strategies take time, so remain patient.

Resources

• SEO no-no's