Introduction to Search Engine Optimization |
| Article by Ryan Moore |
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of configuring the pages on a web site to appear higher in results pages of popular search engines. It focuses on all aspects of page creation (including design, text and coding) with the final goal of improving rankings for popular search terms that the intended audience would query.
Tuning a web site for search engine traffic requires a thorough understanding of a target audience. Critical to that understanding is recognizing what key words and phrases a targeted audience will enter when visiting a search engine. A small business advice forum, for instance, might want to capture visitors who enter terms like "small business advice" and "business advice forum". To maximize long-term search engine visibility, a site wants to focus on 3 main components - text on the page, hyperlink structure, and the popularity of the page. Developing an effective search engine optimization strategy requires focusing design and marketing efforts on those 3 components to target the selected keyword combinations.
The Importance of Search Engine Optimization
According to a study by the NPD Group, consumers are 5 times more likely to purchase products and services from sites that they find using a search engine versus sites on a banner ad. Consumers trust the results and reliability of search engines more than commercial promotion.
Preparing a site for high search engine visibility increases the likelihood that web searches will visit a site. Traffic from search engines is also targeted traffic; it represents visitors who are interested enough in an industry to search for more information and follow up by visiting sites. As most people only browse through the first 20-30 results of their search engine query, it's vital that sites rank well to capture that traffic. Otherwise, targeted traffic is being lost to competitors.
The best part about sites optimized for search engine traffic is that the extra traffic doesn't cost a thing. Unlike most other types of internet marketing, once a site appears in search engines it doesn't require monthly payments or incur a charge with each click. Relative to other forms of advertising, search engine optimization has very low long-term costs.
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