Search Engine Algorithms explained

So how does a search engine determine your rank and position in the SERPs (search engine results pages) from all of the BILLIONS of pages that are out there?

All search engines employ a ranking algorithm. One of the main rules in a ranking algorithm is to check the location and frequency of keywords on a web page.

But since many people tried to trick the search engines by cramming the pages full of keywords, as well as cramming the metatags, other criteria have come into play for many of the top search engines.

Algorithms also give weight to link popularity, the number of web pages linking to your site.  Again, there are people who will go out of their way to try to get links by using less than legitimate means. And it is important to note that trading links, also known as reciprocal linking, does not count for as much of a vote as a completely independent link.

Also note that the anchor text of the link influences where you are in the standings; the ideal would be anchor text with appropriate keywords linking back to you.

When performed by a qualified, experienced search engine optimization consultant, your quest for high search engine rankings really can work, but most of us don’t have a great deal of money to spend on experts like this when we are first starting out, and really good ones who understand SEO an can deliver in a 3 to 6 month period are in short supply.

Therefore, with the knowledge of search engines and how they work that you can gain from this site, our goal is for you to do it on your own effectively as your build your site.

Remember that when a person is engaged in an internet search on Google or Yahoo, your prospective customer will probably only look at the first 2-3 listings in the search results.

Therefore, it does matter where your website appears in the search engine ranking. The higher the better, to get into the top spots, or at the very least, onto the first page.

Ranking is determined by a number of factors we will discuss later. For the moment, it is simply important to remember that you are aiming for the top 5 if you can get them, on keywords that aptly describe your product, service, or site.

It is the keywords that play an important role in SEO, and also in SEM (Search Engine Marketing, of which PPC is a component).  These keywords are essential if you want your site to be found.

Another aspect of search engine results page ranking which helps determine your position on the list of results is linking. Linking from other sites to yours is considered a vote for your site. The more inbound links, the better.

Internal links to help visitors navigate the site are also viewed favorably by the spiders. One of the reasons for this has to do with keywords. The words used in the link also contribute to your overall ranking, so try to avoid the phrase “Click here now,” when constructing your links, or getting friends and faily to link to you.

The name of your site should reflect who you are, and the nature of the business. So should the url. It should be brief, catchy, and something you can easily pass along to friends and family. Make sure that every piece of business related correspondence, from business cards to invoices, has the url on it.

SEO Guide Part 2- What is SEO?

Search engine marketing and promotion companies, will look at the plan for your site and make recommendations to increase your search engine ranking and website traffic.

If you wish, they will also provide ongoing consultation and reporting to monitor your website. They will make recommendations for editing and improvements to keep your site traffic flow and your search engine ranking high.

Normally, in a large company, the search engine optimization experts would work with the web designer to build an integrated plan right away so that all aspects of design and SEO are considered at the same time.

If you have to do it yourself, it may seem like a lot of work to start with, but it will pay off if you are prepared to be patient. An SEO firm can certainly help you, but no one knows your products better than you do.

Therefore, no one can market your products and perform SEO in quite the same way. It is just a case of learning a few simple rules and tricks, and taking action.

So why is SEO so important? Because it can bring your website huge quantities of FREE traffic.

It is the search engines that finally bring your website to the notice of the prospective customers.

When a topic is typed for search, nearly instantly, the search engine will sift through the billions of pages it has indexed, and present the ones that match the topic most closely. The searched matches are also ranked, so that the most relevant ones come first, according to the criteria of the search engine (their algorithms, which we will be talking about later).

 SEO Guide Part 1- What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.  Simply put, you want to make your site as attractive to the search engines as possible, so that when people type in words that are related to your site, your domain name and a link to click through to your website will appear on the first page of top search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

In this SEO Guide, we are going to try to methodically go over all of the main tips and tricks you need to know in order to try to get high rankings in the search engines.

Search Engine Optimization is often discussed by internet people as if it is rocket science. What it really is, is an exercise in patience, hope, and some good research.

So, let’s start with the basics.

Engine Optimization or SEO is simply the act of manipulating the pages of your website to be easily accessible by search engine spiders so they can be easily located and indexed in order to be made available to people searching for particular information or products.

A spider is a robot that search engines use to check millions of web pages very quickly and sort them by relevance.

A page is indexed when it is spidered and deemed appropriate content which deserves to be placed in the search engines results for people to click on.

Research using the top links.

In addition to all the great inside information you will get on each site, you can also do keyword research, check out the Adwords sandbox, look at the traffic estimator, and trends. This is particularly useful when you are researching niches in order to determine if it is an online market you want to get into.

Just run a Google search, again, Rock Climbing as an example, and then look at the search box and the top of the page. Click on any and all of the links there, and start your research.

Customizing the SEO for Firefox Tool

SEO for Firefox also offers a bit of customization.

You can choose:

*  Auto - which automatically pulls in all the data points whenever you search with Google or Yahoo

*  On-Demand - which shows you the available data categories but not the results unless you click on them.

and

*  Hidden - which enables you to hide data you do not fine useful. For example, if the Whois information is irrelevant to you, then you can hide that date when you search.

To change your settings, they’re automatically set for On-Demand, simply visit the Tools menu on your Firefox toolbar.

Click on it and in the drop down menu choose SEO for Firefox Options. You’ll then see another drop down menu where you can choose your settings.

SEO Firefox is a great advantage for internet marketers looking to stay ahead of their competition. Start using it today. Analyze your own site, and that of the competition, and see if you can boost your page rank.