Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "organic" or un-paid ("natural" or "algorithmic") search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO targets many different kinds of searchs, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines.
Some of the most common search engines are Google, Yahoo and Bing.
1. On-site SEO
Search Engine Optimization includes a wide array of functions that are incorporated both on-site and off-site. On-site Optimization consists of the optimization functions that are built within (internal SEO) the actual infrastructure of the website itself. These include the following:
Keyword embedding – Generally, the SEO company will discuss which precise keyword, or words, the client is seeking to rank for. Popular keyword, or words, will include those that are relative to the organization, such as their name, most popular products and services that they offer, the names of their executives that wish to be featured, and even certain departments within the company that wish to have the utmost visibility.
Sitemap – Displaying the infrastructure of the website in a "table of contents" layout makes it easier for the unique "crawlers" to report back to the search engines the various pages that exist within the website. For example, imagine having a blueprint for a building construction, and wanting to know where a particular room will be located. The Sitemap functions exactly in that way. It provides a concise layout which in turn allows the various search engines to immediately scan the webpage and send people in the appropriate direction.
Links – Linking to other various areas of the webpage makes it highly user-friendly, and also allows people to easily navigate through the webpage. Additionally, linking to other areas of the website reinforces the main structure of the webpage which helps the search engine "crawlers" navigate the site more effectively.
New and relevant data – reinforces the authoritative content in which SEO relies on. Posting various press releases, writing blogs, and updating old information on the website helps give credibility to the particular site in that it shows there is original, quality content, that returns value to the end user. Failure to continuously enhance and update the website with new and relevant data may make individuals question whether or not the company is still actively doing business.
Meta Tags and Meta Keywords – It is certainly all about keywords here. Matching and applying the most relevant keywords into the HTML coding inside the webpage embeds the keywords so that they create relative value.
Title Tag – Considered one of the very most important elements, the title tag is the line of text that appears in the search engine results that links users directly to the webpage. This is extremely vital to directing appropriate traffic to the site, because it clearly explains exactly what the site is and what its function is.
H1 and H2 Text – The H1 is the Headline text. By improving this the text, it will generate much greater SEO value. The main purpose of the H1 is to highlight the significance of the webpage. For example, if the H1 (or Headline text) states a particular product on that page, then visitors know exactly where to look. The H2 text is simply another headline text that helps the search engine crawlers point to the most relevant keywords listed within the webpage. Imagine a flashlight on the keywords with which you would like the webpage to be recognized by.
Keyword Density – Keyword density refers to the specific amount of times on a webpage that the keyword (or a similar word) is used, as a percentage of the amount of words actually on the page. For example, if a webpage is ranking for the keyword "guitar", and the page has a total of 500 words, with 35 words including "guitar", the keyword density is 7%. SEO agencies argue with what is truly appropriate. Generally, staying between 4% and 7% is recommended. Greater than this amount may look like the webpage is trying to mislead the search algorithms.
Outbound Link Text – Linking to relevant and reputable sites shows that the site has credibility and relevance in that particular field. Linking to quality sites in a blog, press release, or text is highly beneficial because it shows not only that the original site is precise and trustworthy; it shows that the author understands that they must return quality to the visitor by linking to other relevant sites.
2. Off-site SEO
Off-site Optimization is the exact opposite of On-Site, in that it deals with all of the optimization functions that are external to the website itself.
Off-Site SEO optimizes the website from all exterior sources and generally include generating Backlinks. Backlinks can exist in many different forms. Basically, the quality and quantity of backlinks to the website help optimize the website and generate a higher page ranking. For example, suppose the website focuses on autombiles. Getting other high-end, quality websites that deal with automobiles to link back to it means other sites are giving the site their "seal of approval". One could relate this to getting votes in an election. If a major automobile website (such as BMW) links back to it versus a small-scale website from a used car dealership, the link value derived from BMW would hold a much greater value.
There are many various ways to achieve high quality backlinks. The following represent proven methods that can be used to for this very purpose:
Commenting in Blogs / Wikis / Forums – Real-time linking includes commenting within blogs, wiki's and/or forums and referencing back to the actual website. The more popular the entity, the stronger value the webpage will gain from these high quality incoming links.
Directory Listings – Having links in directories point traffic back to the website and gains significant value depending on the value of the directory itself. There are many reputable directories online that will deliver much more relevant value to the website with the quality of backlinks.
Distributing Press Releases – Including backlinks to the website in various press releases gains quite a bit of positive exposure. In doing so, media outlets (the most popular ones are the very best) that backlink to the webpage, providing higher SEO value.
Submitting Writing Samples – Writing articles and posting them on "guest blogging" websites will also return quite a high value, as long as the author is including backlinks within the text. Choosing topics that hold relevancy to the website is very important, as well as matching that with relevant blogs is equally just as important.
3. Follow up
This step follows the actual optimization process and implies that it is monitoring the various results of the on-site SEO and off-site SEO, through several different analytics tools to observe the overall status of the website itself, as well as make any necessary changes. It analyzes the amount of web traffic going to the site and its varied sources and types of visitors.
Analyzing the results and establishing the next required steps for the SEO final stage is a continual process to consistently refresh the site's content as well as its' inbound links. Content optimization is an ongoing process as the searches of various keywords may fluctuate.
