What is Search engine optimization (SEO)?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of methodologies aimed at improving the ranking of a web site in search engine listings. The term also refers to an industry of consultants that carry out optimization projects on behalf of client sites.
To obtain maximum search engine visibility, a website must tailor itself to be found by its target audience through internet searches. If a site is to be found, it must contain keyword phrases that match the phrases the target audience is typing into search queries. These keywords are determined by search engine spiders that analyze web page content and keyword relevancy based on an algorithm. Search engine optimization is the process of configuring a website to be more visible to its target audience.
What are Organic/Natural Search Engine Listings?
Search engine placement (or rankings) is realized through a number of influences. Listings can be positioned in an organic manner or by way of payment. Organic listings are considered because a search engine deems them editorially important and consequently relevant for inclusion, regardless of payment. Meaning, the keyword phrases on the site match the keywords searchers are typing into query fields. Paid Inclusion simply means payment has been made for a site to be included in a search engine directory. This may also be considered “organic” even though the ads are paid for, because the pages usually appear intermixed with unpaid organic results.
The key to improving your web site’s search engine ranking is having highly relevant content on your site that searchers are looking for and will benefit searchers in some way. As an example your web pages could talk about or sell the latest hot digital music product like Apple’s iPod. You could offer insightful information about any given subject (Wikipedia.com), “how to” tutorials (Lynda.com), timely news (CNN.com) or expert advice on any given subject (About.com) – all different areas that people are searching for.
The art and science of Search Engine Optimization is taking this relevant content and placing it on your web pages in such a way that it is “spider friendly,” meaning, there are “keywords” strategically located on the pages (so search engine crawlers/spiders can index your site properly), “and” most importantly people friendly, meaning, that the pages are readable, make sense and are of value to them in some way.
As a marketing strategy
Eye tracking studies have shown that searchers scan a search results page from top to bottom and left to right (for left to right languages), looking for a relevant result. Placement at or near the top of the rankings therefore increases the number of searchers who will visit a site. However, more search engine referrals does not guarantee more sales. SEO is not necessarily an appropriate strategy for every website, and other Internet marketing strategies can be much more effective, depending on the site operator's goals. A successful Internet marketing campaign may drive organic traffic to web pages, but it also may involve the use of paid advertising on search engines and other pages. Building high quality web pages to engage and persuade, addressing technical issues that may keep search engines from crawling and indexing those sites. Setting up analytics programs to enable site owners to measure their successes, and improving a site's conversion rate.
SEO may generate a return on investment. However, search engines are not paid for organic search traffic, their algorithms change, and there are no guarantees of continued referrals. Due to this lack of guarantees and certainty, a business that relies heavily on search engine traffic can suffer major losses if the search engines stop sending visitors. It is considered wise business practice for website operators to liberate themselves from dependence on search engine traffic. A top-ranked SEO blog Seomoz.org has suggested, "Search marketers, in a twist of irony, receive a very small share of their traffic from search engines." Instead, their main sources of traffic are links from other websites.
International markets
Optimization techniques are highly tuned to the dominant search engines in the target market. The search engines' market shares vary from market to market, as does competition. In 2003, Danny Sullivan stated that Google represented about 75% of all searches. In markets outside the United States, Google's share is often larger, and Google remains the dominant search engine worldwide as of 2007. As of 2006, Google had an 85-90% market share in Germany. While there were hundreds of SEO firms in the US at that time, there were only about five in Germany. As of June 2008, the marketshare of Google in the UK was close to 90% according to Hitwise. That market share is achieved in a number of countries.
As of 2009, there are only a few large markets where Google is not the leading search engine. In most cases, when Google is not leading in a given market, it is lagging behind a local player. The most notable markets where this is the case are China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and Czech Republic where respectively Baidu, Yahoo! Japan, Naver, Yandex and Seznam are market leaders.
Successful search optimization for international markets may require professional translation of web pages, registration of a domain name with a top level domain in the target market, and web hosting that provides a local IP address. Otherwise, the fundamental elements of search optimization are essentially the same, regardless of language.