What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?

"What's the point of having a website if nobody can find you?"
One thing that is overlooked by a great many companies is that if your website cannot be found, by the major search engines, then it is never going to be found by your potential customers online.
This is where SEO comes in. It is the practice used to improve a websites position or ranking within the Search Engines, such as Goggle, Yahoo, Bing etc.
SEO can be split into two categories - Onsite & Offsite. You cannot expect to achieve success unless you perform both of these techniques.

Onsite Search Engine Optimisation
For Google and the other search engines to consider your website relevant for specified search terms it is important that the content is optimised with specific keywords in mind. This is known as Onsite SEO.
It consists of making sure you have set up your website with the correct Meta page titles, Meta tags, page headings, image 'ALT' tags, filenames and content. All of these need to include your keywords or key-phrases which you want your site to be found in the search engines for.
It is also important that you website navigation and folder structures are correct in order for the search engine 'Spiders' or 'Crawlers' to find all of the pages on your website. To aid effective crawling, sitemaps need to be created that list the hierarchy of your website and all of its pages.
Finally, it is also important that the websites programming code is optimized and structured in the best possible way. Well structured website coding will ensure that the most important parts of your page are read first when being crawled.
Due to the nature of how search engines crawl your website it can take up to a month for any changes made to your website to be updated by the Search Engines .

Offsite Search Engine Optimisation
Once the content of your website has been optimized, the next stage - and arguably the most important - is Offsite SEO. This activity constitutes the largest proportion of any effective campaign.
Offsite SEO is the process of building strong, quality links to your website. The way Google ranks a website is by looking at other websites who have a link pointing back to your site. In effect, the quality of such links are interpreted as a vote in favour of your website.
Depending on the quality of the website, linking to you, and how relevant that site is deemed to be, in relation to your search term, the more weight that vote has in your favour. This can be further enhanced by using keywords in the 'anchor' text linking to your site.
Offsite techniques include using online directories, submitting article & press releases, blog writing and social networking: All designed to gain links back to your website.

So...
There are many factors which Google (and other search engines) take into account when deciding how to rank a website for a particular search term. The Google Algorithm is a closely guarded secret and is forever changing in order to stay one step ahead of everyone.
Here are just some of the factors which are taken into consideration by Google when ranking a website: Keywords in domain name, KW in title tag, KW in header tags, KW in website text, KW in internal links pointing to page, domain age & date of registration, links pointing to domain, quality of links pointing to domain, link age, anchor text of links, page content/keywords.
Unfortunately SEO cannot achieve immediate success. It takes a lot of time and effort to achieve long lasting results, and nobody can guarantee number one positions. But with the correct strategy, a well thought out campaign could lead to a significant increase in visitors and revenue to your website.

by Mark Meader on 2009-11-03
About the Author
Mark Meader is a web designer for Bromley Web Design, specialising in design and Search Engine Optimisation for new & small businesses in London & Kent (UK)

Article Source: Goarticles

The Basics of Seo Through Seo Expert - Some FAQ's

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a substance foreign to many people. Rarely a day passes when I do not get asked a few questions on the topic. So I decided to publish this article in the FAQ hopes it will help people to understand the basics, and make them a little more comfortable with the whole area.

Q: Why Search Engine important to me?
A: 85% of all website traffic is driven by the search engines. The only online activity more popular than research is a messaging service. 79.2% of American users do not go to page 2 of the results. 42% of users click on the no.1 result. For the under-40 years, the Internet will become the most used in the media the next 2-3 years.

Q: How do search engines decide their ranking?SEO Expert
A: IMPORTANT: You can not pay a search engine in exchange for a high ranking in the natural results. You can get a high if your content is deemed relevant by the search engines. The search engines to identify content for their search results by sending spiders robots exploration (analysis) and index your site his (record) details. Complex algorithms are then used to determine if your site is useful and should be included in the search engines search results.

Q: Can I simply not pay for a senior?
A: No. The biggest concern for companies search engine like Google and Yahoo is to find the content that will bring them more traffic (and thus more advertising revenue). In other words, their results must be relevant. The results relevant is a good search engine; irrelevant results allows for a short-lived search engines. Most search engines these days with two kinds of results, whenever you click Search:

"X Natural / Organic is the real search results. Results that most users are looking for and which form the largest part of the window. For most searches, the search engine displays a long list links to sites with content that is related to the word you searched. These results are ranked according to their relevance and importance.

"X Pure Paid advertising. This is how search engines make their money. Advertisers pay the search engines to display their ad whenever someone is looking for a word that is related to their product or service. These ads are similar to that of search results, but are usually labeled Sponsored and normally take a small portion of the window.

Q: How can I get a good ranking?
A: There are four stages:
Step 1 - Use the right words on your site.
Step 2 - Get lots of relevant sites to link to yours.
Step 3 - Use the right words in these links.
Step 4 - Have a lot of your content and add more regularly.

Q: What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
A: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of creating a Web site that is search engine. That means:
1. using the right words in your copy
2. using the right words in your HTML
3. structure your site correctly
4. design your site

For more information on these elements 4, download our "SEO eBook" Secrets of Seo Services .

Many people use SEO also describe the other ingredients in a high-ranking, "Link Popularity".

Q: What is the link popularity?
A: Think of the search engines as a big election. All sites in the world are candidates. The backlinks are votes. The more votes (links) a candidate (website) has, the more important it is, the higher its ranking. Link popularity is all about the number of links you have, and how you can get more.

Links to your site on search engines to tell how your site is important. They assume that if it ¡ s important enough to many other sites to link to it ¡ s important enough for them to appear at the top of the ranking.

Links are the most important factor in the ranking. In general, the more you link to your site from other sites, the higher your ranking.

Q: Are there any links better than others?
A: Yes! Ideally, such as those related to:
1. from relevant sites (sites that use the same keywords);
2. comes from important sites (have a good ranking);
3. include your keyword within the text link;
4. includes various link text (not the same link text each time), and
5. comes from a page that contains links to several other sites.

When a search engine sees a link that meets most or all of these conditions, she said, Hey, this site must be credible and important, because others in the same sector are pointing towards it.

Q: How do I get lots of links to my site?
A: There are several possible ways to generate links. Some are dubious (like auto-generation software and sites set up by webmasters simply to host links to other sites) and I won’ t discussed here. Others, such as those discussed below, are legitimate.

1. Add your site to DMOZ and Yahoo directories (and other free directories).
2. Check where your competitors links are from.
3. Write and submit articles for publication on the Internet.
4. Swap links.
5. Partner websites.
6. pay for the bonds

Q: What do you think is the best way to get a good number of links?
A: Article PR. Writing articles useful and leave other webmasters to publish free of charge in exchange for a link in the byline. PR of the article, you do not have to pay for the link, you determine the content of the page containing the link, you determine the link text and the link is more or less permanent. A single article can be replicated hundreds of times, and each time is another link to your site!
For more information, read divinewrite.com / seoarticles.htm or visit ArticlePR.com.

Q: How can I write a good article PR piece?
A: See divinewrite.com / seoarticles.htm.

Q: How can I get a good classification using free reprint content?
A: See our signature.

Q: How long does it take to get a high rank in search engines?
A: A long! It is impossible to say how long you will need to spend generating links, but you can be sure it will be a while, whatever the method of generation link you are using. You just have to keep at it until you have achieved a high ranking. Even then, you will still have to devote some time during the task, otherwise your ranking declines.

Q: What is the Google Sandbox, and is it true?
A: The Google Sandbox theory suggests that whenever Google detects a new website, it withholds its rightful ranking for a period while it determines whether your site is a genuine, credible, long term site. It does this to discourage the creation of SPAM websites (sites which serve no purpose other than to boost the ranking of some other sites).
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting the theory, but there are also many discount. Nobody categorically proved its existence.

Q: What is the link Google depreciation filter, and is it true?
A: The depreciation Google Link Filter theory suggests that if Google detects a sudden increase (ie several hundreds or thousands) in the number of links to your site, they can sandpit for a period (or in fact penalize you by lowering your ranking Or of a blacklist of your site).

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting the theory, but there are also many discount. Nobody categorically proved its existence.

Q: What do I SEO firms beware of?
A: Beware of SEO companies that promise or guarantee results within a given time frame, especially if they will not expand their ways to link to your site.

Q: I am confused by all the terms used in SEO, can you help?
A: See our signature for be SEO Expert.

Q: What is keyword analysis?
A: The first thing you need to do when you begin to run after a good search engine ranking is deciding which words you want to rank well. This is called conduct a keyword analysis. The keyword analysis involves a bit of research and a good understanding of your business and the benefits you offer your customers.
For more information, download our free 'SEO eBook "Secrets of SEO Expert.

Q: Should I submit my site to search engines?
A: Theoretically, no. But I do not want to risk not to do so - especially since it's free. As soon as you register your domain name, submit it to Google! Even if you haven ¡ t built your site, or thought about your content, submit your domain name to Google. In fact, even if you have not fully articulated your business plan and marketing plan, submit your domain name to Google.
For more information, download our free 'SEO eBook "Secrets of divinewrite.com / seosecrets.htm.

Q: Should I submit my site to search engines more than once?
A: No need. Although some search engines let you do this, there is really no need.

Q: What are the directories and do I submit my site to them?
A: Directories are sites (or Web pages), which lists simply great site and give a brief description of the site. Some are free and some require you to pay for an ad. Free directories are useful because you get a free link. However, the links are not worth much. Paid directories can be good if they are relevant, but can be expensive in the long run, so choose carefully.

An essential for any directories website is the DMOZ Open Directory Project.

Posted: Mar 21st, 2008
Author:Sonu SEO
SEO Expert presents Seo Services that means the webmaster does not attempt to deceive search engines. SEO Services means playing by the rules. The web pages that are created by SEO Expert with white-hat SEO methods are beneficial to the Internet, search engines and clints

Article source: Articlebase