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Call us toll-free at 866-397-2651
Search Engine Optimization and Marketing Tips from
EzRankings.com (www.EzRankings.com )
This is the first of a six-part series of lessons on search
engine optimization. Each lesson will contain tips and information on how to
improve your sites search engine placement, as we discuss:
Lesson 1: Unraveling the Mystery of How Search Engines Work
(todays lesson)
Lesson 2: The Importance Of Keyword (You do want to
be found online, dont you?)
Lesson 3: Links, Links, Links
Why They Count
Lesson 4: Choosing the Right Domain Name, and Why It Can
Make a Difference
Lesson 5: Common SEO Mistakes To Avoid
Lesson 6: PPC and Online Marketing Using SEO
Now, on to lesson one
Unraveling the Mystery of How
Search Engines Work
To many new to search engine optimization (and even some
folks who know a bit more) how search engines operate can seem mysterious:
sites rise and fall in rankings, sometimes in a matter of days, and words such
as keywords, bots, spidering and others seem like Greek.
Here and in the following series of SEO lessons, well
discuss what these words mean, and how the major search engines work (and find
YOUR site online).
Search engines and Directories are not the same
Many times, people use the word search engine when they
mean directory and vice versa. Its an easy mistake to make, because after
all, on both you type in a search phrase, push a button, and results come back.
But they work on very different methods of organizing web pages.
Search engines index web
pages (including the billions noted by Google, the most popular engine)
by using automated methods of crawling the web. They use the aid of programs
known as bots or spiders, which work differently on various search engines.
On some, they index only the home page, while on others, they crawl from link
to link, checking all of the pages on a site. The automated program may then
choose part of the data from each page to save, or save a complete snapshot
(cache) of the spidered page in the engines index.
When you type in a search engine phrase, the engine runs
through its (often enormous) database of indexed pages, and then using specific
criteria, chooses results that it believes are the most relevant for that term.
It will show them listed in the order of importance, based on its own unique
relevancy algorithm.
The site may be ranked because of its meta tags (less common
nowadays), its content, and its link popularity, or use several different
criteria together. The bots and spiders will also revisit pages at regular
intervals, which can vary between search engines from one month, to once every
several months.
Directories dont use
automated computer programs to index their pages. Instead, the two largest
directories (Yahoo and Open Directory) rely on the
personal approach: when you submit a site to them, a live human being reviews
your site, and decides whether to include it in their index of links. This
decision is often based on whether you follow their guidelines for inclusion,
so its important to read these first before submitting your site.
Content, design and site relevance are
extremely important in directories, making search engine results very relevant
in most cases (and trying to get listed in one very competitive). It can often
take quite awhile (as in months) to get listed in a major
directory, unless you choose to pay for a more rapid review of your site. But even paying doesnt guarantee being
listed, which is why making sure your site fulfills the directory guidelines is
important, to increase its chance of inclusion. You will also be asked to write
a description of your site, which should be short, clear, and highly relevant
to your sites content.
Nowadays, the distinction between search engines and
directories is becoming blurred. This is because the top search
engine, Google, has joined with Open Directory for listings, and Yahoo has
teamed up with Google in a much-publicized union of the two giants in each
category. The reason? To increase the number of relevant results that users
would receive when searching online, for almost any topic.
Okay, so how does the engine decide how to rank my site?
This is the question that everyone asks, and with good
reason: a web-based business wont succeed if customers cant find you online.
Getting high rankings is a coveted goal, and a highly competitive undertaking,
to say the least.
Normally, search engines use algorithms for giving web
sites an individual score. For instance, Google assigns web pages a page rank
number when indexing pages for keywords, that can be viewed if you download
their toolbar. Each engine has its own unique algorithms, that are often based
on different combinations of the following factors:
*Keyword frequency
*Title tags
*Meta tags (becoming less popular on most)
*Page theme
*Content relevancy (and its location on pages)
*Link popularity (both inward and outward)
*Site design (yes, sites do lose points on some
search engines if they take too long to load, or have poor navigation)
*Number of visitors (hits) in a specific period of
time
*Following the Rules: sites that break certain rules,
such as the no spamming rule, or the no link farming rule, will not get
indexed at all in many search engines
The different weight that different search engines give to
the above factors explains why a site may rank fairly high in one, and not on
another.
By taking a careful look at how your site ranks in each of
the above factors (well be looking at them in more detail in future lessons)
you can help increase your sites optimization online.
Want to learn more about search
engine optimization, and how it can help your site? Visit us at www.EzRankings.com or call us toll-free
at 866-397-2651
Be sure to look for our next tip
that will come within the next few days. In it, we will be discussing "The
Importance Of Keywords".
Thank You,
J. Lisi
[email protected]
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