The way to improve the standing and visibility of a website is through search engine optimization. Also known as SEO, this process helps a website to rise through the rankings toward the top when certain keywords are entered into a search engine. The reasons behind the process have to do with the fact that the first sites listed during a search will normally receive the most traffic from searchers. In addition to a high ranking receiving more traffic, the number of times a site is listed will also increase its chances of receiving traffic.
The act of search engine optimization may be used to target a variety of searches including, video and image searches as well as local or academic searches. Optimization may also target vertical searches having to do with particular industries or news searches.
There are many factors that go into the optimization of searches. The way that the particular search engine works is taken into account, along with the consideration of the search engine that is likely to be used by a target audience. In addition to targeting certain keywords and phrases, another tool of SEO is to raise the number of backlinks or inbound links that can be found on the site.
As the importance of standing in searches has increased, so as the need to optimize searches and this has given rise to a number of different companies and individuals who offer their services in helping clients to achieve SEO with their websites. The latest efforts can include tactics that are built into the development of the site itself. When these actions are taken, the site is considered search engine friendly.
Search engine (SE) use gained popularity in the 1990's and website owners and developers began to recognize the importance of high rankings for their sites when attempting to create traffic and new visitors. By the late 1990's, the term search engine optimization was already being used by industry insiders who sought to achieve these goals for themselves and their clients. Early search engines relied mainly on keywords to sort through sites, this led to the common practice of misuse, and abuse by site developers who packed their sites full of commonly searched for keywords without any regards to their relevance to the actual materials presented. As the search engines themselves began to compete for customers, the need to rise above the manipulations of web developers became apparent. This led to the development of more complex algorithms that were increasingly difficult to manipulate and abuse. While this made the process more difficult for unscrupulous web developers, it increased the validity of searches on the net as a whole for consumers.
The algorithms used by the different search engines are not revealed to the public, but Google claims to consider more than 200 different factors when ranking sites. This has led to more personalized searches that filter out many of the former abuses that were being placed in sites by website developers. The SEO industry and the owners of search engines have since began to work together in order to provide a more meaningful search experience for users and consumers.
Rhian Gabrielle is an e-commerce expert and a technology blogger. She has written articles and blogs on support services, online auctions, search engine optimization, social media and the like.
