Search engine optimization is the art and science of making web pages more appealing to search engines. The better optimized a website is, the higher it can rank when search engine web crawlers review it. Higher rankings can bring more traffic, and more traffic can lead to more profit. The key is effective internet search engine optimization.
Why is receiving a high ranking so important to the future success of your online business? Studies have shown that consumers rarely look at websites that do not appear on the first two pages of search engine results. Websites ranked on the third page, or any page after that, usually receive far less traffic than those listed on the second page. There is even a noticeable difference between the first and second pages. In the world of e-commerce, ranking and strong search engine optimization matter.
At first, search engine optimization may feel like trying to rappel down the Grand Canyon: a huge, intimidating world filled with unfamiliar terms like web crawlers, PageRank, Meta tags, and algorithms. You may never have heard of any of them. A quick internet search for the word algorithm may not help much either; all you get is a page full of strange symbols and numbers arranged in complex algebraic equations.
Sit back, take a deep breath, and try to relax. Search engine optimization is a lot simpler than you might think. First things first.
Algorithms really are every bit as complex as they look. Simply defined, they are a finite set of carefully defined instructions. Most, if not all, computer programs are designed with strict algorithms.
PageRank is the program Google designed to search, index, and rank its registered web pages. PageRank operates on a link analysis algorithm and is credited with helping drive Google’s incredible success.
Web crawlers are tools search engines use to browse the World Wide Web in a methodical, automated way. When web crawlers browse websites, they are looking for algorithms.
Meta tags are special HTML tags that provide information about a web page. Meta tags are written directly into the title tag and are only visible to the search engine.
The reality of search engine optimization is that you can begin optimizing your website without knowing all of the technical details involved. Simply stated, the first step in designing a website that is likely to be ranked well by search engines is to create a content-rich site. This means you should include as much useful information about your product as possible.
The third step to search engine optimization is to fill your site with keywords that will attract the web crawlers’ attention. The final step in creating a well-optimized website is to submit it to the search engine that will complement it.
