The Basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Whenever you want certain information from the Internet, you use search engines to look for it. You probably go as far as the third or fifth page of the search engine result page (SERP) and if you think none of the results are relevant, you search using a new keyword. The top 10 search results, which are usually on the first page, link to websites or web pages that are optimized for that particular keyword. They are the ones that get most of the traffic from users that depend on search engines like Google or Yahoo to find information on the Internet.

Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the process implemented on websites and web pages to make them rank higher on search results. The higher the website is on the rank, the higher the traffic is more likely to go. This does not only include the text content but also the images and videos. An SEO company can optimize websites by making some changes to the content and the HTML code. Relevant keywords are used in the article content, descriptive text for images and videos, and meta tags are added to the HTML code. Search engines use spiders to crawl the site, index pages and rank them using a unique algorithm.

Background of SEO

During the mid to late 1990s, web owners had to manually submit the link or URL of their site to search engines for crawling and indexing. The algorithm of the first search engines considered the meta tags, keyword density and popularity of the site in terms of how many other sites link to it. However, this was not very helpful because of some inaccuracies and inadequacies of the meta tags which affected the page ranking. Some webmasters went as far as to abuse the algorithm by stuffing the page with keywords and placing text that is invisible to common users but is indexed by search engine crawlers.

Over time, search engines have adapted to the techniques used by the webmasters and to improve the user experience. The algorithms kept changing, making it stricter against the unfriendly techniques and ranking manipulations. Nowadays, the relevance and natural build up of popularity is implemented when indexing websites. Google now holds the most control over the search engine market with 60% while Yahoo holds 20% and Microsoft 10%. Companies now start to offer SEO services to websites.

Black hat and White hat Techniques

Even with the stricter rules by search engines, many webmasters still use illegal SEO techniques called black hat techniques, also called spamdexing. These may in fact increase the page ranking of a certain site but its owners can expect it to be penalized by decreasing the page ranking or eventually banning the site from the search database. Some of these techniques include:

• Keyword Stuffing

This technique refers to stuffing the web page with keywords that are often unrelated to the actual contents of the site. The site may not even have any useful information but because of the high density of certain keywords, some search engines initially interpret it as relevant and the page may even rank high on the search result but modern algorithms can also detect if the web page is using this illegal technique.

• Invisible Text

With this technique, the webmaster places a usually unrelated text within the webpage and makes it the same color as the background to make it invisible, place it off the screen or hide it within HTML tags. Although unseen by the common user, search engines can still read these texts.

• Scraper sites

Using different programs, these sites “steal” content from search engine results and post it as their own. The sites are usually filled with pay-per-click ads or may forcedly redirect the user to other sites. Some scraper sites may even rank higher than the original author sites of their content.

• Link Spam

This refers to several techniques some of which include link farming, where community websites link to each other through automated means; comment spamming, where anchor texts that redirect to other sites are placed within blogs as comments, usually unrelated to the post; and Wiki spam, where Wiki pages are edited and some words added or replaced and linked to other websites.

While black hat techniques of SEO assure penalties, there are effective, acceptable and long-lasting techniques, called white hat techniques that an SEO company can use to optimize websites. These techniques include the following:

• Relevant content

White hat SEO takes into consideration not just the search engine spiders but the common users as well. Effective SEO services can make high quality site content for users pass the guidelines of search engines. Through relevant articles, descriptive titles and properly named images, a website’s page rank can increase.

• Link building

One of the considerations for a higher place in SERP is based on how many sites or pages link back to the website being optimized. If the content is informative, many bloggers or other web owners refer to a website as a reference. Article directories can also be used to increase the back link to a website. The anchor text through which the website is linked from is also important. If your content is about computer monitors and another article from another site has an anchor text of computer monitors linking to your site, it helps increase your site popularity.

• Meta tags

Meta tags are included in the HTML code of a website that is only visible to search robots. Although not as necessary as they used to be, meta tags still contribute to the overall ranking of a website. Robots that crawl the site may or may not read the meta tags but it is important to keep them relevant to the main contents of the site. Some meta tags include site description, keywords and search robot actions.

Implementing SEO on your own site may have its advantages such as reducing your expenses but hiring an affordable SEO company also has its plus. Search engine algorithms are dynamic and constantly changing to adapt to current search and optimization trends. Experts can worry about keeping your website up to date while you focus on the more important aspects of your site or your business.