Search Engine Rankings Tutorial

A Brief Introduction to SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO 101

Search Engine Optimization is the process of boosting a website's popularity in search engine rankings by optimizing certain specific features within the website. We frequently get asked by our clients how to Search Engine Optimization is done, and what would be involved to rank highly for a certain search term. The purpose of this small tutorial is to outline the basic steps that go into optimizing a website so that our clients understand what we do in this area, and to provide them with a basic introduction to the area if they want to undertake this task themselves.

  1. First off, it is important to understand the goal of a search engine company: They want to deliver to their viewers the best possible results for what the viewer has searched for. So in order to rank for a search phrase that a view types in (for example "Palo Alto Piano Store"), the website actually has to conceptually be about subject that is being searched for. Given the current level of technology, search engines cannot search within pictures - so the only way they will "know" what your site is about is if you have actual text on the website that is about that topic. Now to actually optimize the website text, this should be taken one step further: The site actually should contain the exact phrases that you are targeting. For example, if you are a Palo Alto Piano Store, your site should have text in there that uses the words "Palo Alto Piano Store". One should not go out of their way to insert these phrases - if the site is naturally about that topic, and has that phrase mentioned once or twice, it will be enough to rank for the site. (Note: To learn more detail on this subject, visit http://www.highrankings.com, or purchase this comprehensive e-book on how to write for the search engines.)
  2. There is a certain amount of research, that goes into picking your targeted phrases. If one picks a highly searched for term like "Brittney Spears" that has over 200,000 competing websites, it is not likely that this site will rank highly without an enormous effort. On the other hand, if one picks a more specific phrase that is unique to their specific industry that does not have too much competition, they have a much better chance of ranking highly and being discovered for this term. In summary, the search phrases need to to be a term that many people search for, but which is not overly popular. Internet Simplicity.net utilizes special tools such as Word Tracker to find such search phrases. Generally speaking, the website should focus on two search phrases on the home page, and one on the other pages of the site (so pick your serach phrases wisely!).
  3. Build a content-rich website with clean, correctly written, hand-coded HTML that enables search engines to easily navigate the site. Make sure the site contains enough substance that if somebody searching for one of the key-phrases in number 1 above finds this page on the website, they will feel like they found exactly what they were looking for. (This is, after all what the searh engines are trying to do as well).
  4. Engage in a campaign to increase the popularity of the site across the Internet. Add the website to online directories, seek promotional partners in related fields that can exchange links with the website.
  5. Add helpful, new content to the site regularly based on what people are looking for on the Internet, and what they are looking for on the specific website that is being optimized. Website specific search tools such as AtomZ.com can provide a search box in your site and will record what people are seraching for when they come to your site.

This is a very brief view of what it takes to optimize a site so that it can be located and can rank highly in the serach engines. As one can see, it does take time to build a website that the search engines feel worthy of ranking on their first pages. "Tricks" that try to fool the search engines are a thing of the past which now result in penalties in rankings. There is really only one way to build a website that will receive long term serach engine traffic and that is this: Build a website that is worthy of being found.