Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are two different entities that often get blurred into the same thing. At the time of writing this article, there is 31,400,000 results in google.com for the term "Search Engine Optimization". If i'm doing SEO correctly and you are reading this, then this page is ranked above most of those 34 plus million other pages.
Let me start off my explaining the difference between SEO and SEM.
Search engine optimization if done correctly is the process of increasing your website ranking naturally in the search engine ranking pages (SERPs) for targeted keywords.
Search engine marketing is the process of marketing your website to the world. SEM does include SEO, but that is only part of the puzzle. Search engine marketing also includes pay-per-click, paid inclusions and any other paid advertising to generate traffic to your site.
This is the list of acronyms for this section, as this can get confusing.
SE = Search Engines (Google, Yahoo and Msn)
SEO = Search Engine Optimization
SEM = Search Engine Marketing
SERP = Search Engine Result Page
IBL = In Bound Links
OBL = Out Bound Links
PR = Page Rank
The huge advantage of SEM is the immediate results, why wait to get your site on page one in the SE's when you can pay and be instantly listed. The downside to this is the same as the advantage, you are paying to be on page one. The traffic comes to your site only if you are paying for it. Once you stop paying, the traffic stops as well. The other disadvantage of only doing SEM is that your competitors are also doing the same thing, so that #1 ranking over time is going to cost you more and more for each visitor.
Okay, now we know the difference between search engine optimization and search engine marketing. You should also have a general knowledge of the pros and cons of SEM, now to move onto the inner workings of SEO.
When people initially ask me what SEO is, I usually explain it to them as the worlds largest popularity contest, "the site with the most votes wins". That answer by itself kinda explains what SEO is, but only at the most basic level. If someone presses for more of an answer, then I usually give them the 3 part speech.
- On page optimization
- On site optimization
- Off Site optimization
On page optimization I define as everything you do to optimize for your keyword at the page level. On page optimization includes page names, title tags, meta tags, h1 tags and anything else you do to your specific page to rank higher in the SERPs for your keyword.
On site optimization I define as everything you do at a site wide level to increase your SERPs for your keyword. This includes your site structure, folder names, anchor tags and in bound links (IBLs)
Off site optimization I define off site optimization as all external forces acting together either positively or negatively to impact your site, pages and keywords. This will include things like in bounds links, content or duplicate content, anchor tags, and page rank (PR).
Now you should have a working understanding of search engine optimization. However, without putting these practices into place it will not help your self. Your competitors are going to try and do the same thing to outrank your site and climb higher in the SERPs. This is where the attention to details really pay off.
Search engine analyst - You can also hire a search engine analyst or optimizer to go further in depth and really help you know your keywords, competitors, rankings and convserions. When hiring a search engine analyst to help you with your SERPs, make sure and ask them for references, what practices they use to increase rankings and do they implement any black hat techniques. Be wary of the search engine specialist who guarantees a first page ranking. When hiring a search engine consultant, if they are reputable then they will also be looking at your sites structure, internal linking, page names, page titles and targeted keywords. For them to edit or modify your site, they will need ftp access to your site or can also make a list of recommendations for you to implement on your site.
Commom mistakes - all to often I see the same common mistakes made on websites big and small. Usually common mistakes are easy to fix but can have some huge impacts to your site and usually include things like generic links, homepage confusion, duplicate content, generic meta tags and proper keywords.
For more specific information click on one of the individual articles to go further in depth.
Website Colors
Website Hosting
In Bound Links
Search Engines
Domain Name
Directory List
Flash on Websites
On Page optimization
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