internet marketing

Search Engine Optimization is a type of Web marketing strategy to rank a site high on the search engine list. It’s the wish of every site owner to have their site appear on top when people type in specific keywords or phrases since it increases traffic significantly. These free listings that show up on the search engine are called “organic” or “natural” results. Unfortunately, there is no simple formula for making a site rank on top since many factors are considered, and each search engine uses different methods.

A Guide to the Basics of SEO: How it Works

When performing a search, a Web spider captures a URL and checks the pages based on factors such as the title, meta description tag, body copy, alternate text for images and links and then stores it in an index. When the user types in a keyword or phrase, the search engine looks in the index to display the right sites.

SEO Strategies and Techniques

SEO-conscious content developers are strategic about choosing the right titles and words in their articles. Before writing, they think about what keywords users will type in to find the article. (Google’s keyword tool is a helpful resource.) The keywords must not be too vague and general. For instance, “music” is not as good a title as “funk jazz music” since the term music is too broad to be found by anyone. It helps to be specific, but not too specific that no one can find it.

Other basic tips to know:

• Avoid overstuffing the page with keywords since the search engine will most likely view it as spam. Repeating the key phrases every 100 words or so is a better technique.
• The article should be written seamlessly without it seeming artificial or forced.
• Add keywords in the subtitles to increase the chances for higher ranking.
• Cite well-known websites that relate to the content.
• Build external links through directories, social bookmarks, Facebook and Twitter.

SEO Techniques to Avoid

Search engines can blacklist sites that try to manipulate the pages to attract viewers. A website containing more than 50 unrelated links (link farms) for the sole purpose of getting traffic is unethical. Anything that seems over the top or deceptive, like keyword stuffing, should be avoided.

Ranking high on the search engine and building high traffic takes time. No one has a guide to perfecting SEO since search engines do not disclose everything. Google search uses as many as 300 factors for ranking sites. The best way to go is to follow the SEO advice of marketing experts.