SEO What!

Sooner or later, if you have a website, you’re going to hear the term “search engine optimization” or SEO. This describes a process of enhancing or modifying a website for the purpose of attracting favourable search engine attention. By search engines most people these days mean Google, Yahoo or MSN - the big three.

There are two basic concepts in SEO world - the methods are conveniently named “Black Hat” and “White Hat”. Black Hat SEO usually violates a search engine’s guidelines (yes, there are rules - read Google’s here) by keyword stuffing, artificial linking, cloaking, irrelevent keywords etc. I should mention that although this may not be ethical, there is nothing illegal about this. The biggest problem with Black Hat is it provides a short term solution. Search engines are successful when they can supply a list of websites that provide you with what you are looking for. It is in the interests of the search engine companies (and their investors) to ferret out and remove websites that are poor quality.

Which brings us to “White Hat” or organic SEO. The focus of this method is to provide rich and original content, organized systematically for both human visitors and search engines, and driven by studies of users. Search Engines spend a lot of time and money determining what users want from their queries. Websites that deliver, based on the users desires, will be ranked high in the search returns. ”White Hat” looks to improve a site not only for search engines but for users as well.

There are guidelines to follow when creating a search engine friendly site - it isn’t magic. Whether you are selling a product or service, an effective website needs to be a resource to be successful. There has to be a reason for others to link in to your site, a reason for visitors to stay longer and return. Original content, carefully thought out and organized in a logical manner takes skill, time and effort. Specific search engine information should be included in each page and within the website as a whole.

All this is Search Engine Optimization.