Search engine optimization (SEO) is the method of advancing website ranking or the amount or quality of traffic to a website from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") searched results. Typically, the earlier a website appears in the search engine results list, the more traffic it will gain from the search engine. SEO or search engine optimization may focus on different kinds of searches, including image searches, video searches, local searches, and industry-specific vertical or "portal" search engines. This gives a website web exposure. Search engine optimization makes a given web site or web page more "search engine friendly" for better website ranking or search engine ranking.
As part of a comprehensive Inbound marketing or search engine ranking strategy, SEO or search engine optimization takes into consideration how search engines function. Search engine optimization all considers what searches are being executed by both businesses and consumers. Optimizing a website primarily includes as part of the overall process, editing its content (copy) and HTML coding. This increases the web page's relevance to individual keywords and key phrases and remove obstacles to the indexing activities of the major search engines.
Search engine optimization is only one critical component of any successful advertising and/or marketing campaign. Ask yourself this; How many of your clients, customers and prospects are turning to the search engine to find your products and services? Then ask yourself, how much this number is likely to increase in the next 12 months. The answer should lead you to the conclusion that if your business is going to grow, search engine marketing needs to be a part of your overall marketing plan.
It is also important to learn as much as possible about how search engine marketing and search engine optimization work. As a reputable SEO consultant firm and search engine marketing professional organization, we offer these bullet points to use when considering a search engine optimization vendor or search engine marketing program. These SEO and SEM basics are critical and will help you understand the power of search engine marketing and hire the most effective and proficient SEO and SEM provider.
- Search Engine Marketing is now #2 behind only television in overall marketing dollars spent. There is an obvious reason for this.
- Search Engine Marketing is now the #1 overall marketing medium in terms of ROI or return on investment.
- Webmasters, IT Professionals and Graphic Designers usually have not trained in this area and usually do not have the skill set.
- Natural listings should be priority as 84% of all search engine users ignore the "sponsored ad".
- Quality work takes some time. There are no quick fixes or short cuts that will ever achieve page one results.
- Pay attention to the foundation of this process, the keyword analysis.
- When considering an SEM company, ask for references and prior results. Hire a contender, not a pretender.
- Feel comfortable who you hire as it should unfold into a long term relationship.
- Educate yourself on the new power of Inbound Marketing.
- Natural listing optimization gets you placement on all major search engines, not just one.
- Understand that in most cases, outsourcing the work to a solid SEM firm makes the most sense because:
- You don’t want to do (or supervise) this work.
- It’s not your area of expertise
- Your time is better spent doing what you do best
- In most cases a larger team of SEO professionals achieve much better results.
- It is more cost effective.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website search engine friendly, so that crawlers can easily understand what your website offers to your target market. This process is accomplished in 2 important elements:
On Site Optimization
Examples include but are not limited to:
Off Site Optimization
Examples include but are not limited to:
- Local Search Optimization
- Linking Strategies
- Blog – Article – Press Release Submissions
- Social Bookmarking
- Video Optimization
- Blog Optimization
- Photo Submissions
- RSS Feeds
- Social Media Optimization