| You probably see the term "SEO" just about | | | | their bots. This is where optimization comes in: by |
| everywhere you look if you have spent much time on | | | | optimizing your site for certain search terms or |
| the Internet or reading about all-things-Internet. Many | | | | keywords, you are basically slanting the odds in your |
| people have come to use the term rather loosely | | | | favor that your site will come up higher than do |
| without really having a solid understanding of what it | | | | websites competing for traffic from the same search |
| means. If you have ever asked yourself, "What does | | | | terms. |
| SEO stand for?", the following information can help | | | | Important footnote: Search Engine Optimization refers |
| illuminate the meaning of the term for you. | | | | only to efforts to improve the natural or organic |
| What SEO Stands For | | | | ranking of your site; it does not refer to the practice of |
| "SEO" stands for Search Engine Optimization - quite a | | | | paying to drive traffic to your site, which is known |
| mouthful of a phrase (and hence the popularity of the | | | | instead as Search Engine Marketing, or SEM. |
| acronym). Let's explore the term "Search Engine | | | | What SEO Means to You |
| Optimization" in order to get a handle on what it means | | | | SEO is both an art and a science. It is a science |
| to you and your website. | | | | because so many of the elements that make up a |
| How Search Engines Work | | | | search engine optimization campaign can be quantified |
| Most people know what search engines are but are | | | | and analyzed numerically. That's the wonderful thing |
| not exactly sure how they work. A search engine is a | | | | about the Internet: online activity is eminently |
| technology whose functional goal is to make available | | | | measurable. On the other hand, it is an art because |
| to searchers of information that information which is | | | | there is no one, single formula for achieving strong |
| most relevant to the search terms they use. The | | | | rankings. Rather, someone engaging in this practice |
| phrase "most relevant" here is key, and this is what | | | | must take a savvy approach, combining |
| separates one search engine from another: how each | | | | common-sense tactics with their own creativity in |
| one determines the relevance and importance of the | | | | order to compete with other sites for the best possible |
| content they serve up to information searchers can | | | | rankings. |
| vary widely. | | | | In general, SEO involves a combination of two things. |
| Commonly-known search engine sites are Google and | | | | First, you must optimize your website itself by paying |
| Yahoo!, who together dominate about 90% of all | | | | attention to the visible content, invisible content (meta |
| Internet searches today. Search engines are basically | | | | tags), site structure, formatting and other items. |
| made up of three main components. The first is a set | | | | Second, you must work to build as many backlinks |
| of autonomous agents called bots that basically act as | | | | from other relevant, high-profile websites as possible. |
| virtual librarians, constantly scouring the Internet's billions | | | | Search engine indexing agents take all of this into |
| of pages and recording what they find. The second | | | | account when determining how to rank your site for a |
| component is an indexing engine that stores key | | | | give search. |
| information about each page found by the bots during | | | | How important is ranking well for relevant search |
| their regular searches. The bots then apply special | | | | terms? Well, it can literally translate to money in your |
| algorithms to determine how to prioritize or rank these | | | | pocket if your website represents a business or is an |
| pages when someone performs a search for a given | | | | e-commerce site offering online transactions. A smart |
| term. The third component is the search site itself | | | | SEO strategy starts with an SEO Audit: a thorough |
| where people go to perform a search and then view | | | | analysis of your website to analyze key elements |
| the results. | | | | such as: for which keywords is your site currently |
| Defining "Optimization" | | | | optimized? Are there issues with the programming |
| The algorithms mentioned above are really the "special | | | | code or structure of your site that could impede |
| sauce" for any given search engine. There is no | | | | search bots from reviewing your site?, and What is |
| pre-ordained way to rank content based upon | | | | the quantity and quality of backlinks to your site? |
| relevance, so search engine companies are always | | | | Start any SEO campaign an audit to make sure you |
| competing to come up with better algorithms that allow | | | | are embarking on your journey well-equipped and that |
| them to better classify and rank the content found by | | | | you are headed off in the right direction. |