A brief overview on search engine optimization
By Jessica Stewart
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a term small business owners may hear when they begin marketing their products and services via a Web site. While specialized services are available, it is also possible to have a search engine friendly Web site by following a few design guidelines.
Search engine optimization is the process of adding certain content to a Web site to improve its search engine rankings. Search engines, such as Google, list search results based on various factors, including key words, visitor frequency, location of search words in the document, link popularity and site design.
Key words are the leading item when a search engine “spider” is searching through pages. Various key word generation tools exist on the internet, including Google’s Keyword Tool.
In addition to key words, Google ranks search engine results based on visitor frequency and link popularity. That is, pages that are clicked on and visited most frequently are the results shown on the first results page.
Google’s Webmaster Help Center (http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/) provides the following tips on creating a Google-friendly site:
- Provide quality content – ensure your site contains useful information
- Ensure other sites link to yours – have a mutually beneficial relationship with other Web sites
- Ensure the site is easily accessed
The Webmaster Help Center advises that you should not feel obligated to use a search engine optimization service.
The following Web sites provide information on “natural” methods to achieve search engine optimization, as well as tips on choosing a professional search engine optimization service if you decide to choose that route:
Searchengines.com
DirectoryOne Search Engine Marketing: A Technical Guide
Other resources:
Google Webmaster Help Center
Google Keyword Tool
