- Search engine optimization (SEO) is a marketing strategy that websites use to improve the volume of traffic to a website. The end goal of SEO is to have your website appear earlier in a list of a search engine's results than similar or competing websites. There are several methods that can be used to improve SEO which are both ethical and unethical.
- There are several ways that websites can create search engine optimized content. Search engines are run by series of algorithms that will determine the relevance of web search terms to web content. In the industry, there are two terms that are used for SEO, "white-hat" and "black-hat" search engine optimization. White-hat optimization refers to web content that follows search engine guidelines and does not use deceit to trick the search engine. On the other hand, black-hat refers to techniques that deliberately attempt to trick the search engine. For example, one technique that some sites use is to include keywords in a text color that is the same as the background color of the page. That way, the user cannot read the text, but the site will be loaded with keywords that will make the search engine think that the page has relevant content when it may not. Most search engines, however, will ban sites from their search engine if they find out that deceptive tactics are being used.
- Though this idea is debated among Internet gurus, the most effective way to improve search engine optimization is to simply create good content. The reason for this is that well-written and structured content will attract more traffic simply because the content will actually be relevant. Over the long run, then, good content will always outlast sites using black-hat methods and will eventually become recognized as relevant by a search engine.
