Starting with Search Engines

Starting with Search Engines

Search engines are what makes the web useable.

When you want to find information about something you go to your favourite search engine and type in a few words (keywords) and you get a list of Web sites to choose from.

You read the short description of the Web sites on the list, and click, off you go to look at that Website. If the search engine has done its job correctly you find what you are looking for.

If not you go back try a few other sites on the list or do another search using different keywords.

Notice something very important - People don't search for a particular website
- They search for a product or information to solve their current problem

When making you own Website you need to bear this process in mind. You make your website to solve a particular problem,and you make it so the search engines recognise that it solves that problem.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

A whole industry has grown up around search engines. A quick search on Google for SEO gives over 15 million results. These companies all offer to get your Website to rank high in the search engines (see website and search engine ranking) .
They will optimise your site for this engine and then for that engine, these keywords etc etc etc…

Its not surprising that anyone making their first Website feels a little overwhelmed when it comes to submitting their website to the scrutiny of the search engines.

After reading some of the Search engine articles which talk about offsite and onsite optimisation, keyword stuffing, doorway pages, white hat and black hat. You either give up completely or just hand over the money to the experts.

SEO Basics

The basics of optimising your site for search engines (SEO) is relatively straightforward as search engines use only three criteria to rank you website/ web page:

• Your page/ site content -
  
• The links to and from your site
  
• Your Competitors
  

Because you have no control over your competitors sites you have only two ways of influencing your rankings, and they are:

• Your Content
  
• Website Links
  

Your Website Content

You have complete control over you website content and so it is the first step in website optimisation process. So lets find out how your website content affects your search engine rankings and how to choose content for a good search engine ranking.

Website Links

The links to and from your website have a great influence on the ranking of your site/pages. The general rule of thumb is that the more competitive your chosen niche then the more links (quality links) you will need to achieve a good ranking.

Google, in particular places a great emphasis on links, and it is almost impossible to rank in Google without inbound links. Links and link types are covered in Website Links .

 

Related Articles and resources:

• Improve your Search Engine Ranking with Web Page Optimization