Search Engine Optimization, more popularly known by its acronym SEO, is a term widely used in World Wide Web. You will probably find a million articles on internet detailing how to do SEO, the most effective tips for doing it, what to look for when you hire an SEO expert etc.
The numerous articles written on the topic of search engine optimization might give you a feeling that it is a herculean task. But the good news is that IT IS NOT. If you spend some time understanding the basic principles of SEO, it becomes a cakewalk for you. In order to understand the process of SEO in a better way, let us get to the basics and start from there.
So, What Is SEO
Search Engine Optimization is a process which helps you increase the visibility of your website in the search engines through unpaid or natural search results. It helps your website rank high on the search result list provided by a search engine for a specified keyword. SEO, when done properly, helps you in two ways:
- It improves your website and its online rankings
- It increases the traffic your website receives from search engines
Why Does A Website Need SEO?
Ask yourselves two basic questions.
- Where does your website get traffic from?
- How do people get to notice your website?
There are different sources from which your website gets its traffic.
- Social media such as Facebook and Twitter is one way of generating traffic
- Dedicated blogs is another way through which you can pull traffic to your website
But the primary and the most essential method to generate traffic is A COMMERCIAL SEARCH ENGINE such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. For a specific keyword there are millions of results available on internet. When we enter a keyword in a keyword box, search engines rank these results according to their relevance. Researches show that, generally an Internet user browses through the first 3-4 pages of search results. Your web site needs to be listed on these first 3-4 pages to get noticed.
This is where Search Engine Optimization steps in.
How Does SEO Help?
The most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo and Bing. They use complex algorithms to deliver useful and targeted results to the web user who is surfing for a particular result. If your website has to appear on the top of the search results, it should meet certain standards. SEO is about understanding these algorithms and ensuring that your website contains content that is relevant and is trusted by the search engines.
Three Types Optimization
There are three types of SEO methods:
Design SEO: It deal with various designing aspects such as page size, frames, flash movies, navigation etc.
Content SEO: It deals with keywords density and relevant/fresh content. There are a number of techniques used for content SEO including
- Text optimization,
- Correct choice of title
- Headings, use of bold
- Appropriate Meta Data associated with the specific web page.
Page Rank SEO: it deals with the popularity of a webpage which is determined by the inbound and outbound links on a page.
Do It Yourself or Hire An Expert?
SEO is generally regarded as a hard nut to crack. Whether you want you hire an expert or do it yourself depends on the complexity and the specific requirements of your website. But the truth is this: if you invest some time systematically, you can understand the basics of SEO which can come handy while taking many decisions related to Search Engine Optimization.
We are posting a series of articles on various aspects related to Search Engine Optimization. In these articles we will deal with the concept and practice of this technique step by step. We assure you that these articles can help you understand the complex, yet wonderful world of SEO in a comprehensive and fruitful manner.
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