Search Engine Optimization: An Introduction
Awhile ago I started doing research for a post on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In my optimism, I thought this would be be a simple matter of compiling rules and opinions that most people agreed upon. And then I started coming across statements like this: "...the more I read [about SEO] the more I realize I'm not alone in my guess work — virtually every article I read is a 'best guess' of some kind."
The reason for the "best guess" articles is that SEO techniques depend on what algorithms the search engines are using. Since the search engines change how they rank pages over time, inevitably SEO tactics also have to change. If they don't, rankings slip.
In truth, though, this constant change is a pretty close analogy to marketing to customers. The expectation is that how customers react now will not be the same in the future. Most marketers live with that perfectly happily (or at least don't actually quit) by focusing on what is working now and building on that.
In this post I will cover some general tactics that most writers agree upon, with the focus being on Google's search engine. As this post is not comprehensive, and there are varying opinions about best methods, it's worth checking out other sources of information. I've also included links at the bottom of this post to other articles for additional insights.
For the more refined approaches, such as how to react to a change in the algorithms, general wisdom is to research as many sources as possible, and test and then test again. Alternatively, hire a reputable company (there are many not-so-reputable companies out there) that specializes in SEO, and who can do the heavy lifting for you.
Some Definitions
Confusion about the meaning of a word or term inevitably leads to confusion about the topic as a whole. I won't actually be using all of these terms in this post, but they are important if you're beginning to research SEO so it's worth including them here.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to optimizing a site with the goal of increasing page rankings in search engines.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) refers to marketing a site through search engines both by SEO and by paid advertisements.
Social Media Optimization (SMO) is a relatively new idea. From Influential Marketing Blog: "The concept behind SMO is simple: implement changes to optimize a site so that it is more easily linked to, more highly visible in social media searches on custom search engines (such as Technorati), and more frequently included in relevant posts on blogs, podcasts and vlogs."
Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are the listings that appear after a query is entered into a search engine.
Page Ranking refers to where a page shows up on a search engine after a query is entered. Often, to be in the top ten is considered the cut off for a good ranking.
Website Structure
When deciding on a website structure, the first thoughts should always be about users. If the site is unworkable or people can't find what they are looking for, they will just click away, no matter how highly the site is ranked.
The structure of the website affects not only users, though, but also how well spiders can catalog the site. Spiders, of course, are the search bots that search engines send out over the web to collect data to index. So it makes sense that the easier the site is for the spiders to deal with, the better the data will be that the spiders collect, and so the better the indexing will be of your site by the search engines.
So what makes a spider happy? The general recommendation is that the code should be as clean as possible (and validate) and that all links should work. Interlinking the site is also thought to be very helpful so spiders can navigate thorugh the site easily. For the sake of both users of the site and spiders, the site should also be well laid out and easy to navigate.
It's also been suggested that spiders don't like too much Flash or Java Script.
Keywords
By far and away the most important aspect of putting together website content is to use high quality content that users want to see and that is useful. Then, once you have the quality content all lined up, optimize it for keywords and keyword phrases.
Keywords are the words and phrases people use when they search for a webpage. The goal of optimizing for specific keywords is to drive as much targeted traffic to the website as possible.
Keywords, obviously, should be in line with the overall content of the page. The keywords need to deliver what they promise or visitors will just click away again.
I wrote more extensively about keywords in a previous post.
Inbound Links
Inbound links can be hugely beneficial to a website's ranking. Each inbound link (i.e. a link from another website) is viewed by Google as a vote. Google views some pages as being more important than others and so some votes are worth more than others. Get enough votes and page ranking improves.
One way to generate more inbound links is by link baiting. Put together content on the site that people want to read, view, interact with, etc, and let people link to it. The more people who link to it, the more it will help the site. The link bait, of course, needs to be added to regularly.
Another way to generate links is to link to other relevant sites. This can indirectly encourage others to link to you. If they follow the link back to your site, they may like what they see and add a link to their own site, setting up a reciprocal link. One article also suggested that there is a benefit to a site's page rankings if relevant outbound links are included on the site.
There are planned reciprocal links where two sites agree that each will link to the other. My impression is that this is viewed with hesitation by some SEOs as it may cause problems for the page's ranking down the road.
Other Suggestions
A site map is generally thought to be advantageous for rankings as well. One of the advantages is that it makes pages on your site just a click or two away from each other. This in turn makes it easier for the spiders to navigate the site. It's also a pretty good idea to provide a site map for your users sake as well.
A blog which is updated regularly is also thought to help with page rankings. A site which is updated regularly is crawled more often by spiders. This means new information starts appearing on the search engines sooner.
Another idea which appears to be gaining traction is that themed sites can improve rankings. The logic is that if the entire site is devoted to one topic, or theme, then Google will assume the site provides great expertise in the area.
Final Thoughts
A lot rides on a good page ranking; a top ranking can be an enormous boost for a company. However, if search engines think people are trying to cheat the system it can have extremely negative effects, e.g. being dropped down in the page rankings or being removed from the index altogether.
So be sensible about what tactics you employ to boost your page rankings and do your homework.
More Information
Search Engine Optimization for Blogs - SEO
SEO For Google In Five “Easy” Steps
SEO Book: A regularly updated blog on SEO