Search engine optimization or SEO as it is popularly known is a vital process for any website. It enables a site to become more visible to online visitors. SEO aims at improving the quantity and quality of site traffic for a site or a particular web page in search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN and others. SEO targets mainly unpaid web traffic rather than paid or direct traffic. So what is SEO all about?
The main aim of search engine optimization is to get better rankings in search results pages. These results pages are generally shown in the first two pages of search results for various keywords. There are a number of factors which decide ranking for a web page in these results. The foremost being the amount of traffic a site receives. Other than this keyword optimization also plays a significant role. The next major factor which decides rankings back links.
Keyword optimization deals with getting keywords that have low competition and best phrase match to be placed in meta tags and title/header tags. This will help the search engines locate your site in search results pages quicker. Meta tags should also include keywords that describe your site and can be used to optimize search results.
Link building is an important factor for search engine optimization. It is done by adding links to web sites that have good page ranking. The most preferred link building method used by SEOs is article marketing. The links should be from popular authority sites like EzineArticles and other highly visited web sites. Keyword rich anchor text links can also be used which will be indexed by search engines very quickly.
Keyword research is an essential part of search engine optimization. The research should include information about the competition level, number of pages and search volume. Analysis tools like Google Free Keyword Tool are available online which can be used by SEOs. Other analysis tools like WordTracker or Overture can be used for collecting data on links. These tools can be used for link building on social media.
Social media optimization includes activities like building links on social media sites. Social bookmarking and social networking have become very popular these days. Many people prefer to share links and information through social media websites instead of search engines. The main goal of this activity is to make sure that the website is listed in search engines and appears in the first few pages of search results.
Paid search engine optimization involves different techniques used for paid advertisements on search engines. Some of them are link trading, search engine optimization with pay per click and pay per impression. Link building techniques like article marketing, blog commenting and forum posting are done by SEOs. Link trading is a technique that pays the owner of a link his/her time for advertising. This can be very lucrative.
A good SEO analyst should also analyze on-page and off-page SEO factors. Analyzing on-page SEO factors deals with meta tags, title, keywords and descriptions. Off-page SEO factors deal with link popularity, directory listing, domain name, URL length and keyword density. A good SEO analyst always keeps up with the changing search engine algorithms.
Keyword research is very important in search engine optimization. You should know the keywords that will attract customers to your site. Keywords should also be used in content articles, on blogs, forums, and directories. Use of specific keywords is a very important aspect in this process.
Pay per click (PPC) is another way to do search engine optimization. Here you need to bid for a top spot in search results. When your ad is clicked on, you will have to pay a predetermined amount.
One of the best aspects of search engine optimization is its ability to bring the best results for clients and customers. You need to follow the rules and guidelines of search engine optimization. You can hire an SEO firm to do this job for you. But you should remember to check his past records, feedback from existing clients and make sure that the company has no pending case of search engine optimization fraud.