Sunday 7 December 2008

What is SEO( Search Engine Optimization) ?

SEO, search engine optimization, high traffic, high rankings, you might have heard it all but failed to establish the connection. Does SEO seem like a mystery to you? Here’s the answer then.

SEO or search engine optimization is a set of tools and techniques that are used to optimize websites for search engines. Well, that was the technical definition.

Now, here’s the same answer in layman’s terms. How do you find something that you need on the internet? You use search engines unless you know the direct link to the URL of the company. So, for companies to reach out to their prospective customers, they need to be on the top of the search engine results pages. This is what SEO enables them to do.

Most people only look in the first couple of search result pages for the services they need. A properly optimized website will be on the first or second results page maximizing its chances of getting quality visitors and increasing its profit. So SEO will bring in more traffic and help you reach out to your target audience.

How it works

What SEO has done is that it has made search engine results cleaner and more efficient. Unlike the earlier years, today there are hardly any websites in the search results that use spamming techniques to reach up there. It has also given rise to a new breed of professionals called SEO experts. These are the guys who will optimize your website.

An SEO expert will use tools like quality original content, link building, keyword research, blogging and website promotion to get your website up there. Search engine spiders scan each and every website for keyword phrases, contents and links.

So you need to have everything in place making it easier for those spiders to reach out and understand you. At the same time, you have to keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to create a website for humans and not for spiders.

Choosing an SEO expert

One of the most important things to do is choose a professional SEO expert who has the necessary skills and expertise.

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