Search Engine Optimization

by: Robert McCulloch

The term SEO also refers to “search engine optimization”. We can break down methods used for SEO into two categories; “white hat” and “black hat”.

White hats say that black hat methods are an attempt to manipulate search rankings unfairly. Black hats counter that all SEO is an attempt to manipulate rankings, and that the particular methods one uses to rank well are irrelevant.

Search engines display different kinds of results on ’search engine results pages’ (SERPs), including: pay per click, paid inclusion, and organic search results. SEO is primarily concerned with advancing the goals of a website by improving the number and position of its organic search results for a wide variety of relevant keywords. SEO strategies strive to increase both the number and quality of visitors. Search engine optimization is sometimes offered as a stand-alone service, or as a part of a larger marketing effort and is often more effective when incorporated into the initial development and design of a website.

For competitive, high-volume search terms, the cost of pay per click advertising can be very high. Not only is the cost high, but the quality of traffic is not as good as the organic search engine traffic. The reason for this is that people that have been on the Internet for more than a short period of time know not to trust the pay per click websites as much as the organic websites. It does not take long for someone to realize the pay per click websites always have a sales pitch.

Ranking well in the organic search results can provide better targeted traffic with a significant savings. People just tend to trust the organic search engine results because they often have websites that are there to provide information and not always a sales pitch.

Not all sites have identical goals for search optimization. Some sites seek any and all traffic and may be optimized to rank highly for many common search engine keyword phrases. A broad search optimization strategy can work for a website that has broad general interest, such as a periodical or a directory of websites. Overly broad search optimization can hinder marketing strategy by generating a large volume of low-quality inquiries.

In contrast, many webmasters try to optimize their sites for highly specific keywords that would indicate readiness to buy or take some kind of desirable action. Focusing on desirable traffic generates better quality sales leads, resulting in more sales. This is called ‘highly targeted traffic’ and can be very effective when used as part of a smart niche marketing strategy.

About The Author

Robert McCulloch does SEO via Web 2.0, Social Bookmarking, Syndication and Automation. http://website-promotion-blog.info - email robertqaz@hotmail.com