What is SEO?
What does SEO Mean?
Learning and understanding the SEO process
SEO is an acronym that stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO, or SEP (Search Engine Positioning) is a process in which you build your website to gain targeted traffic (in the form of website visitors). Basically, the more visitors (or website traffic) that comes to your web site, the higher your sales.
Finding a way to increase the popularity of a website and get enough traffic to be successful is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a site. If no one knows that your site is there, it might as well not exist. This setback (and total letdown) also be quite costly, depending on who has built and designed your web site for you, let alone time consumed.
This is what SEO is for, to increase the popularity of your website with the search engines. The success of a website is highly related to its' popularity with the top major search engines.
Search Engine Popularity Equals Success
Currently, the top five online search engines are:
- Yahoo
- MSN/Live
- Ask.com
- AOL
A website's popularity within the search engines is what is known as its "search engine ranking."
The closer to the number one spot (on a search engine results list) your website gets, the higher its search engine ranking is or will be. In order for your website to be recognized (or even found) by the search engines, two of several top necessary aspects has to happen. The two top strengths of any successful website involve: achieving targeted keyword research, proper implementation, and accurate placement (of said keywords); and gaining relevant backlinks (also called inbound links).
Keywords are the Backbone of Search Engine Positioning
Simply put, the search engines (Google, etc) find your web site via its keywords. Keyword optimization is one of the most important elements of search engine positioning and marketing online.
Keywords are words or phrases that people use online (at the search engines) in order to find a particular website, information, services, and/or products. This is why, first and foremost, the implementing of top-searched and highly targeted keywords are imperative for your internet website's success.
Without the properly researched keywords (related to your website), chances of online success are ultra-slim. Keywords are the backbone of your thriving website. If the necessary time isn't utilized to implement accurate keywords for your business' website, other costlier methods would most likely need to be ensued (such as PPC, direct marketing, radio and television spots, etc).
For instance, a person who is searching for used computers may type in "used laptop computers or pre-owned desktop computer". A website that specializes in refurbished computers may incorporate this keyword phrase into their website's content in order to draw in visitors who are looking for used laptops.
Keywords can be incorporated into:
- the content on your web page(s)
- the meta tags of your web page(s)
- web site descriptions used for your submissions
- your hypertext links (within internal links)
The above is merely a brief list. There are several other areas of keyword implementation that the search engines pay attention to especially. Websites that optimize the most effectively using accurate keywords typically see the most success with their SEO effort. With the appropriate combination of top-targeted keywords and high-quality backlinks, your website now has a razor-sharp advantage over millions of other similar-themed websites.
What are Backlinks? What is the importance of inbound links?
The most common way that search engines come to recognize your website is by the number of backlinks leading to your website. Backlinks - an element of SEO - are vitally important for your website's top recognition. Backlinks are pretty much what they sound like they'd mean - website links that lead back to your website from another site.
Google especially, loves to see your website URL (address) mentioned on another web site. If this particular website (linking to your site) has the same theme, or similar concept as your own web site - this makes Google even happier. And, if this same website linking back to you is also a highly popular, highly ranked site - this makes Google ecstatic!
You see, Google sees this linking behavior as the other site 'vouching' for your website. The more Google already likes and trusts sites that 'vouch' for your website - means the more they are going to pay attention to your website.
There are hundreds of ways to obtain backlinks. Qualified backlinks can lead the search engines to see your site as an authority, resulting and excelling in top and superior ranking. This in turn leads to more traffic (visitors) to your business web site and also gives you a significant edge over your competitors; thus a rising amount of sales for your company.
A web site can also gain inbound links while making it to the search engines through specific types of web site submissions. Your business will want to take steps to qualify your web site(s) for search engine index inclusion; then you can submit your web site(s) to the top search engines online. While many web sites are submitted to the search engines in this way - the sites that the search engines recognize and trust (via the number of relevant inbound links) - tend to do better in the long run.
Search Engine Optimization - Top Exposure Worth the Wait
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a vital element of search engine marketing. Lately there are few people that create websites simply for the joy of doing so (for instance, the exception of "Family Blogs"). Currently these days, websites are a great way to get business, maintain customer relationships, and establish yourself as an authority in your field; however only if you can get the pertinent and top exposure.
It is extremely important to realize and remember that even the best put-to-action SEO techniques do not boost a website's success overnight. Search engine optimization is a slow and gradual process, but one that has the potential to be of immense benefit for your website's continuously growing profits. Search engine optimization is all about making use of the top search engines to help your site get the exposure that it needs to be successful online
