Search Engine Optimization 101 - Tips

"SEO" versus "SEM"

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art/science of improving a website's "organic" visibility (or rank) among the search engine results pages for a keyword or group of keywords. In fact, "ranking a site" actually entails improving the visibility of individual pages on a given site to the end goal of improving the site's overall relative attractiveness to the search engines. The art/science of SEO is a subset of Search Engine Marketing (SEM). SEM is far more comprehensive, including paid search strategies, internet yellow pages, and SEO as well.

Why Do Some Websites (or Web Pages) Rank Higher than Others?

For one thing, websites and web pages are ranked independently by each search engine. This is why one web page might rank in the top 10 search results (the first page) of Google, while not appearing until the third page of search results on Yahoo!.

Why Do Some Websites (or Web Pages) Rank Higher than Others for the Same Keyword(s)?

A "Keyword" can be considered anything you can type into the "search box" of a given Search Engine. All of the following qualify as "keywords":

• Pizza
• Pizza Milwaukee
• Pizza Milwaukee, WI
• Large pizza Milwaukee, WI, downtown
• Large, thin-crust, pizza, Milwaukee, downtown, Saturday alcoholic beverages, sports
• thin-crust, pizza, Milwaukee, downtown, Saturday alcoholic beverages, sports
• thin-crust pizza Milwaukee downtown Saturday alcoholic beverages sports Egg/Biscuit

Each search engine has a different approach to weighing the relative merits of one site versus another site. A variety of factors are considered, no matter the search engine… what it comes down to is what aspects of a site are seen as worthwhile, which aspects of a site are considered less-worthwhile, and which aspects are not important at all. To put it in easy to understand terms, think of it like this: some people prefer tall people, while others like short people. Some people prefer blue eyes, while others prefer brown. Like people, each search engine has a set of preferences. Some preferences are stronger than other preferences. Some preferences are in fact requirements, while other preferences are not nearly as important.

So, depending on the search engine, all manner of factors (elements) of a given site or page is rated according to the search engine's list of preferences and relevance to keywords being searched for.

Websites/pages are considered optimized (gussied up) when a SEO Specialist applies best practices relating to what the various search engines consider important. Sites/pages that have not been optimized or have been poorly optimized are much more likely to rank lower in the search results than properly optimized pages/sites.

Why do some sites/pages rank differently on different search engines?

As previously mentioned, search engines have distinct preferences and each attributes different weights to page elements in order to discern a page's relevance in relation to the keyword being searched for. That is to say, each search engine assesses relevance in a different manner. This list of preferences and the weight given them is referred to as an "search engine algorithm".

What is a Search Engine Algorithm? Do each of the search engines have their own, distinct algorithm?

An algorithm is a formula comprised of weighted preferences used by a search engine to determine the relative rank of a given web page.

Each search engine has its own homespun algorithm. However, we can assume that algorithms are set to look for a finite array of elements that are more-or-less universally included in the architecture of a page (ie. the Taj Mahal has walls, floors, ceilings, just like your run-of-the-mill mobile home).

Algorithms serve as the "eyes of the search engines", defining how it sees the world around it. It is the Algorithm we are trying to please, as it tries to best satisfy searcher queries. So, a very important piece of any SEO strategy has to do with the actual architecture of a given site.

At a minimum, what portions of a website should be considered for optimization when considering an SEO Strategy?

This is a very short-list of some of the more obvious elements that should be examined/included in order to increase the attractiveness of a site/page in the "eyes" of the search engines:

• The ROBOT.TXT file
• Meta-Page Descriptions
• Meta-Keyword Descriptions
• Page Title Tags
• ALT-Tags on Images (Keywords)
• Keyword/Key-phrase Targeted Paid Search Campaigns
• Anchor Text
• Links (internal/external)

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