Knowing The Basics Of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Can Help You Do A Lot More Than You May Realize
Key Elements Of Search Engine Optimization
SEO - Understanding What's Involved:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is defined by wikipedia as, "the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines via "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion."
While the ultimate goal behind Search Engine Optimization is all about getting better results on the Search Engine Results Page (SERPs), there are a lot of other benefits that can be had from SEO. Things like the ability to convert visitors into clients, subscribers, or buyers can also be achieved using SEO practices and principles.
The reason that Search Engine Optimization can do more than just get search results is because of what the search engines themselves are actually looking for. Search Engines want usable and relevant information to give to their own users. The more relevant and usable the information they receive, the better use it is to their clients.
This means that in order to get good placement on the Search Engine Results Page, all you really need to do is give the search engines the things they are looking for - right?. Sadly, doing that is not as simple as just A + B = C. The problem is that other people have figured out how to manipulate the search engines into giving them higher rankings than they deserve. Some people don't see this as being a problem; however, stop for a moment and look at your own experiences with search engines. What happens when you get a search result that has nothing to do with what you were actually looking for? It's frustrating and disappointing isn't it?
That's the same for everyone else - including the people you want to convert from "visitor" into something more. By employing those unacceptable SEO techniques (also called Black Hat SEO), you will potentially alienate your would-be clients. There are two main problems with using Black Hat SEO techniques, even though they can increase the amount of traffic to a website: 1) The people that come to the site are not necessarily looking for what you have to offer and thus will turn around and leave disappointed. This uses up your bandwidth, doesn't allow you to convert them from being just a visitor, and generally makes your website look "less than". 2) When the search engines catch you using those techniques they will drop your rankings (or remove you from their lists altogether). That means you will get even less traffic, if you get any at all - something that can destroy your ability to use your website for anything.
What this all tells us is that the best way to get good placement on the Search Engine Results Page is to make sure your website is completely usable and relevant to your visitors (in other words - make the website easy to use and give your visitors whatever they are actually looking for). That alone will go a long way towards converting them from being a visitor into something more, all because you addressed their specific needs. As an added bonus, the search engines will also rank your website higher in the SERPs because you meet the needs of their own users and can provide the search engines with usable and relevant information.
All of this tells us that true SEO isn't as much about search engines as it is about the people who actually use or visit your website. When you optimize your website around them you will get better search results. Something that all the major search engines tell people to do all the time already - though many people continue to ignore their advice.
To help clarify this if anyone is confused - search engines are in the business of providing useful and relevant information to their clients (the search engine user). If the information the search engine receives is geared towards them, it will be of far less value to the search engine user (if it has any value for them at all). Having useless information to work with, means they can not provide their client what they are looking for and they may go somewhere else. Only by gearing the information to the client (the actual user) ensures that the information is of real value to them. When done right it truly is a win/win situation for the search engines and you, the website owner.
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