A Brief History of SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of designing and creating content that will result in increased amounts of quality traffic to a website via "organic" or un-paid search engine results.
Webmasters and internet content providers started doing SEO in the mid-90s. However, what actually constitutes SEO work has changed as the field evolved over the years, sometimes rather drastically.
According to Danny Sullivan, a respected search engine industry analyst, the actual term "search engine optimization" started being used around 1997. But even before that, in the early days of Yahoo!, people were already starting to mess around with SEO concepts, testing out different keywords and different keyword densities and placement.
In the early days of search engines, webmasters needed only to submit their page addresses or URLs to the various search engines, who would then send spiders to crawl through and index the sites. As soon as people started to realize the value of having their websites show up on the first page of SERPS, they began looking for ways of manipulating the search engines indexing algorithms.
Back then, search algorithms relied on on-site information to determine page rankings. In other words, they relied on information that was provided by the webmaster, things like keyword density, meta tags and index files. All people needed to do was put in the right keywords in the sufficient density and they would start seeing front-page SE rankings in no-time. Web content providers also started manipulating HTML source attributes to get clients higher rankings. This started to result in the SERPS becoming unreliable, often filled with spam pages whose keyword tags did not accurately represent the pages' actual content.
The Early Years
According to Danny Sullivan, a respected search engine industry analyst, the actual term "search engine optimization" started being used around 1997. But even before that, in the early days of Yahoo!, people were already starting to mess around with SEO concepts, testing out different keywords and different keyword densities and placement.
In the early days of search engines, webmasters needed only to submit their page addresses or URLs to the various search engines, who would then send spiders to crawl through and index the sites. As soon as people started to realize the value of having their websites show up on the first page of SERPS, they began looking for ways of manipulating the search engines indexing algorithms.
Back then, search algorithms relied on on-site information to determine page rankings. In other words, they relied on information that was provided by the webmaster, things like keyword density, meta tags and index files. All people needed to do was put in the right keywords in the sufficient density and they would start seeing front-page SE rankings in no-time. Web content providers also started manipulating HTML source attributes to get clients higher rankings. This started to result in the SERPS becoming unreliable, often filled with spam pages whose keyword tags did not accurately represent the pages' actual content.
The first algorithm crackers appeared around '97. By decoding a search engine's ranking algorithm, which at the time was nowhere near impossible, unscrupulous webmasters could get sites into the top 10 results at will. 1997 was the year that several SEO providers decoded all 35 parameters of Excite's algorithm.
Relying so much on on-site factors like keyword density, which could be directly manipulated by webmasters, to determine their rankings had gotten search engines in trouble. To make search results useful to internet users, search engines had to find another method of ranking pages that actually reflected a page's value and search relevance.
More complex algorithms started being developed that took into account off-site factors. Things like link pop and directory age become important ranking determinants, and cracking SE algorithms becomes a more difficult and sophisticated task.
At this point, Alta Vista was ahead of the pack and the rest of internet users were evenly split between Lycos, Yahoo!, MSN and InfoSeek. Despite the improved algorithms, black hat SEOs were still finding ways to manipulate them, and page jacking and site theft was rampant.
Google, a company founded in September 4, 1998 by Stanford grad students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Google's algorithm, PageRank, determines site rankings by measuring the quantity and quality of their inbound links. Google's superior, relevant search results immediately attracted a loyal following, and competing search engines started to realize the importance of keeping up with Google's new page ranking methodology.
A Shift, And the Arrival of Google
Relying so much on on-site factors like keyword density, which could be directly manipulated by webmasters, to determine their rankings had gotten search engines in trouble. To make search results useful to internet users, search engines had to find another method of ranking pages that actually reflected a page's value and search relevance.
More complex algorithms started being developed that took into account off-site factors. Things like link pop and directory age become important ranking determinants, and cracking SE algorithms becomes a more difficult and sophisticated task.
At this point, Alta Vista was ahead of the pack and the rest of internet users were evenly split between Lycos, Yahoo!, MSN and InfoSeek. Despite the improved algorithms, black hat SEOs were still finding ways to manipulate them, and page jacking and site theft was rampant.
Google, a company founded in September 4, 1998 by Stanford grad students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Google's algorithm, PageRank, determines site rankings by measuring the quantity and quality of their inbound links. Google's superior, relevant search results immediately attracted a loyal following, and competing search engines started to realize the importance of keeping up with Google's new page ranking methodology.
The Google Age
By 2004, the three major search engines that are left, Google, MSN and Yahoo!, start incorporating undisclosed page ranking factors into their algorithms. The era of keyword-spamming SEO is long over. Webmasters and content providers have to rely on more creative ways to promote content and generate inbound links in order to achieve long term increases in SE rankings.
In 2005, Google starts personalizing search results, taking into account a user's search history to come up with customized results pages when that user is logged in. In 2007, Google starts a campaign against paid links affecting PageRank. In 2009, the company announces it is attempting to stop the effects of PageRank sculpting that come as a result of nofollow links.
Today, SEO is, for the most part, a conversation with Google Search. Google has over 70% of today's search engine users and is thus the place you have to be in in order to start driving organic traffic your way. SEO campaigns are much more laborious and complex now than they were a decade ago, but this is largely a good thing. Users get better relevant results and webmasters and content providers have to provide actual value in order to rank high on search results.
About the Author: Ryan Frank - Entireweb Newsletter
Search Engine Marketing and Blogging Techniques
Search engines are the web's most used means of driving traffic to websites, and knowledge of search engine marketing is essential to anybody wanting to succeed online. However, knowledge of blogging techniques is also instrumental in gaining you a high position in the search engine listings for your chosen keyword.
Sure, you can promote your site in many ways and there are more ways than a top listing on a search engine to drive traffic to your website, but there is nothing to beat a top ten listing on Google or one of the other major search engines such as Ask, Yahoo or MSN to provide you with consistent sustained traffic day after day after day.
Sure, you can promote your site in many ways and there are more ways than a top listing on a search engine to drive traffic to your website, but there is nothing to beat a top ten listing on Google or one of the other major search engines such as Ask, Yahoo or MSN to provide you with consistent sustained traffic day after day after day.
It is not difficult to get listed in a search engine, but it's not so easy to be listed in that all-important top 20 position. The top 10 is the ideal, but if you are listed on one of the first two pages of a major search engine, then the traffic will come to you. That is guaranteed. Naturally, the higher you are listed the better, and you will do an awful lot better on the first page than on the second, but if the best you can do is page three then you are going to need a lot more than search engines to help you attract business.
So what are the main essentials of search engine marketing? You have two objectives, the first being to get listed and the second to reach the top 20. It is easy, as I stated earlier, to get listed on a search engine. Many design their site, submit it to Google and then wait for the Google Dance, when Google carries out its World Wide Web search for websites.
Forget that: do not submit your site to Google or any of the other search engines because that can delay your listing. Instead do one of two things. The best is to write a few articles on the topic of your website and submit them to the top article directories. If you can't write, or if English is not your main language, then use an article ghostwriter. There are plenty people online offering article services at good rates.
Google and the rest frequently visit the higher ranked article directories and will pick up on the link to your website in your 'author's resource', or bio. When they find your site, you get listed, and that can happen in less than 24 hours. That is the main way, but the other is blogs. Add a blog to your site, and it will soon be listed. Google, especially, likes blogs, particularly if it is a Blogger blog, since Blogger is owned by Google. You are virtually guaranteed a listing. If you are not too keen on Blogger, you can switch once your site has been listed. Wordpress is arguably the most versatile blogging software available at the moment, especially if you are running it from your own web space.
So what are the main essentials of search engine marketing? You have two objectives, the first being to get listed and the second to reach the top 20. It is easy, as I stated earlier, to get listed on a search engine. Many design their site, submit it to Google and then wait for the Google Dance, when Google carries out its World Wide Web search for websites.
Forget that: do not submit your site to Google or any of the other search engines because that can delay your listing. Instead do one of two things. The best is to write a few articles on the topic of your website and submit them to the top article directories. If you can't write, or if English is not your main language, then use an article ghostwriter. There are plenty people online offering article services at good rates.
Google and the rest frequently visit the higher ranked article directories and will pick up on the link to your website in your 'author's resource', or bio. When they find your site, you get listed, and that can happen in less than 24 hours. That is the main way, but the other is blogs. Add a blog to your site, and it will soon be listed. Google, especially, likes blogs, particularly if it is a Blogger blog, since Blogger is owned by Google. You are virtually guaranteed a listing. If you are not too keen on Blogger, you can switch once your site has been listed. Wordpress is arguably the most versatile blogging software available at the moment, especially if you are running it from your own web space.
Once you are listed, you can improve your position by optimizing each website page for the topic of that page. Don't forget that search engines list each page separately, and so each page should be optimized separately. However, you should initially focus on your index page, since it is that page which almost invariably gets listed highest. Once your site does have a reasonably high listing, it is possible that another page could get listed higher than your index page, although this is not generally the case.
You can then post a blog on the topic of the page and add new postings on a regular basis. You should also include a link to your blog from your web pages and a link on your blog sidebar to your website. This will enhance the probability of your home web page being listed, as it also will your blog, since your blog can also be listed on Google and other search engines.
There are some simple things that you can do to make your index page more attractive to the search engines. Bear in mind that your listing is for one search term only, as used by someone seeking information related to the topic of your page. You can receive another listing for another search term (or keyword) on a different index. So, what you must do is to determine the best keyword for which to optimize your index page.
Once you have decided that, include it in the title of your page and place the title in 'title' tags. Try to make the title a bit longer than your keyword, so if your keyword is, say, 'lock design', make the title 'The History of Lock Design', for example. The main heading for the page need not be the same, but should also contain your keyword. A good heading, for example, would be 'Lock Design from the 18th Century'. Place that in H1 tags to tell the search engine algorithm that the heading contains important text relating to your web page.
You can then post a blog on the topic of the page and add new postings on a regular basis. You should also include a link to your blog from your web pages and a link on your blog sidebar to your website. This will enhance the probability of your home web page being listed, as it also will your blog, since your blog can also be listed on Google and other search engines.
There are some simple things that you can do to make your index page more attractive to the search engines. Bear in mind that your listing is for one search term only, as used by someone seeking information related to the topic of your page. You can receive another listing for another search term (or keyword) on a different index. So, what you must do is to determine the best keyword for which to optimize your index page.
Once you have decided that, include it in the title of your page and place the title in 'title' tags. Try to make the title a bit longer than your keyword, so if your keyword is, say, 'lock design', make the title 'The History of Lock Design', for example. The main heading for the page need not be the same, but should also contain your keyword. A good heading, for example, would be 'Lock Design from the 18th Century'. Place that in H1 tags to tell the search engine algorithm that the heading contains important text relating to your web page.
In order to accentuate the fact the 'lock design' is an important term in your web page, use it in the first 100 characters and again in the last paragraph of the page. You can also use it once for every 300 words if you want, but don't overuse it. Use plenty of words that relate to the term, in order that the algorithm used to determine the relevance of your page can decide what the actual subject is. Hence, in the example used, it is still not clear if the locks referred to are canal locks or security locks. You should make that clear in the syntax of the page.
For example, your title could be changed to 'Canal Lock Design from the 18th Century', and you could make lots of reference to canals, barges, longboats, plan, construction, locks and design. These words will make it clear to the statistical mathematical formula that makes up the LSI (latent semantic indexing) algorithm that determines the meaning of the words used on your page, and determines that the page is about canal locks and not locks and keys.
There are many other ways in which you can optimize your web page to make it more relevant to the search term, and the more relevant the search engine deems it, then the higher the listing in the index for that specific keyword. Blogging can enhance the effect of your SEO, and not only improve your listing position, but also be listed itself, thus providing even more traffic to your website.
Search engine marketing involves a good knowledge of search engines and how they work, but if you get it right then the rewards can be very high in terms of traffic highly targeted to your product. The problem is, unless you know how, or have the right advice from people who know what they are talking about rather than trying to sell you a service, then it takes a long time to learn.
For example, your title could be changed to 'Canal Lock Design from the 18th Century', and you could make lots of reference to canals, barges, longboats, plan, construction, locks and design. These words will make it clear to the statistical mathematical formula that makes up the LSI (latent semantic indexing) algorithm that determines the meaning of the words used on your page, and determines that the page is about canal locks and not locks and keys.
There are many other ways in which you can optimize your web page to make it more relevant to the search term, and the more relevant the search engine deems it, then the higher the listing in the index for that specific keyword. Blogging can enhance the effect of your SEO, and not only improve your listing position, but also be listed itself, thus providing even more traffic to your website.
Search engine marketing involves a good knowledge of search engines and how they work, but if you get it right then the rewards can be very high in terms of traffic highly targeted to your product. The problem is, unless you know how, or have the right advice from people who know what they are talking about rather than trying to sell you a service, then it takes a long time to learn.
How To Get Improved Search Engine Rank Using Squidoo and SEO
If you know how to use Squidoo to achieve improved search engine rank of your web pages, then you have a tool at your disposal that can be just as powerful as using traditional search engine optimization, if not more so.
One important facet of your Squidoo lens is that it could be listed on Google, or any of the other search engines, for your major keywords, and you should not lose sight of any promotional techniques that provide you with free exposure on search engines. If you Blink your Squidoo lens, you can win every way. Not just with Blinklist, but you can have it listed on just about every social networking site you can think of, Technorati and Deli.cio.us included. Also Furl, Craigslist, Stumbleupon and any of the many others out there.
One important facet of your Squidoo lens is that it could be listed on Google, or any of the other search engines, for your major keywords, and you should not lose sight of any promotional techniques that provide you with free exposure on search engines. If you Blink your Squidoo lens, you can win every way. Not just with Blinklist, but you can have it listed on just about every social networking site you can think of, Technorati and Deli.cio.us included. Also Furl, Craigslist, Stumbleupon and any of the many others out there.
For those not totally aware of what Squidoo is, I don't intend to go into the ethos of the site right here, other than to state that it can be used as a promotional tool as well as a being a virtual website. Your lens can also be given a Google PageRank. You can use your Squidoo lens in place of a minisite in order to promote yourself and your product, and improve your search engine listing. You can use it as a showcase for your products, your blogs or even your websites, and draw traffic to it and hence to those other online ventures you are involved in.
In order to use Squidoo as a promotional tool for your main website you have to know a lot about the topic of your site. It is not a tool to use to sell an affiliate product, for example, unless you are an authority on that product. However, if you have written a book on a certain aspect of SEO, and want to advertise it, then Squidoo is ideal for that. The reason is that you can give in order to earn. Hence, Squidoo is great for me, because I can provide visitors to my lens with useful information on SEO, while at the same time advertising my SEO site that offers my product. I then get visitors and a link from Squidoo, both of which are great for my search engine rank, and also listing position.
It might be possible just to advertise the product directly, but I prefer to provide information. That allows your visitors to become confident that know what you are talking about, and are not just a 'fly by night' that is trying to sell a product that you know nothing about. The objective of Squidoo is to provide useful information on topics to others interested in that topic. If they go to Squidoo and click on a category, they should be able to find all the info they are looking for.
In order to use Squidoo as a promotional tool for your main website you have to know a lot about the topic of your site. It is not a tool to use to sell an affiliate product, for example, unless you are an authority on that product. However, if you have written a book on a certain aspect of SEO, and want to advertise it, then Squidoo is ideal for that. The reason is that you can give in order to earn. Hence, Squidoo is great for me, because I can provide visitors to my lens with useful information on SEO, while at the same time advertising my SEO site that offers my product. I then get visitors and a link from Squidoo, both of which are great for my search engine rank, and also listing position.
It might be possible just to advertise the product directly, but I prefer to provide information. That allows your visitors to become confident that know what you are talking about, and are not just a 'fly by night' that is trying to sell a product that you know nothing about. The objective of Squidoo is to provide useful information on topics to others interested in that topic. If they go to Squidoo and click on a category, they should be able to find all the info they are looking for.
They don't want outright adverts, but if they find that you are providing good information, then they might want to visit your website. You give them the link to do so, and then they get more information. Part of that might be the offer to purchase your product that will possibly solve their problem. However, neither you nor they know that it will, so you provide them with a guarantee that if it doesn't work for them, they get their money back. You have used Squidoo to persuade them that you know what you are talking about, that led them to your site and more information, and then to your product. They buy it, try it, and if it works fine. If not, they get refunded. In my book that is the proper way to conduct business, and you can use Squidoo to help you with that.
You can also optimize your lens for maximum search engine listing position, since your Squidoo lens should be based upon a single keyword or keyphrase to enable you to get a good listing. You can SEO a lens just as you can do a web page, and with the same effect. Free organic traffic from your listing position.
To achieve all that, sign up for Squidoo, follow their instructions and get your first lens up and running, and then use it to promote your regular website and improve its ranking. You must also make sure that your customers have an out if it doesn't work for them. Squidoo provide lots of help in designing your first lens, but if you already have website then you should find it easy. Optimize your lens for the search engines and you are all set.
By combining your web page, lens and blog optimization, and cross-promoting each in an intelligent way, it is difficult to see how you could fail to get high search engine listings and improved search engine rank using Squidoo and SEO.
Source: seo-news.comYou can also optimize your lens for maximum search engine listing position, since your Squidoo lens should be based upon a single keyword or keyphrase to enable you to get a good listing. You can SEO a lens just as you can do a web page, and with the same effect. Free organic traffic from your listing position.
To achieve all that, sign up for Squidoo, follow their instructions and get your first lens up and running, and then use it to promote your regular website and improve its ranking. You must also make sure that your customers have an out if it doesn't work for them. Squidoo provide lots of help in designing your first lens, but if you already have website then you should find it easy. Optimize your lens for the search engines and you are all set.
By combining your web page, lens and blog optimization, and cross-promoting each in an intelligent way, it is difficult to see how you could fail to get high search engine listings and improved search engine rank using Squidoo and SEO.
Get Helped by Search Engine Optimization Consultant
A well designed website will not draw traffic unless it is optimized for search engines. So how will you know what needs to be done and how it can be done best? This is where our search engine optimization consultant comes into picture. Here your website will be viewed and you will be advised on how to improve it.
As internet searches are one of the most common ways of looking for products, it will help your business to give our search engine optimization consultant some thought. It will increase the traffic to your business and by making the right use of our advice you will also get a lot more targeted traffic, which will consequently improve your business. Staying a step ahead of your competitors is very important in business and this is one of the ways to do that.
Our search engine optimization consultant will be an expert in keyword research and will device ways of increasing targeted traffic. At the end of the optimization, your website will have a high ranking with the search engines as well which is very important if you want your website displayed within the first few pages. We keep updating our techniques and this helps us get you to the top.
Ways to top the search engine rankings in Google, Bing and Yahoo will be researched and applied by our search engine optimization consultant. SEO India has a highly skilled team that works on giving you the best. If you want to see you business bloom or if you are stuck with a website with very low traffic, we are the one stop solution to your problems. Only proven techniques are used to achieve search engine optimization and hence you can trust us completely with the job.
As internet searches are one of the most common ways of looking for products, it will help your business to give our search engine optimization consultant some thought. It will increase the traffic to your business and by making the right use of our advice you will also get a lot more targeted traffic, which will consequently improve your business. Staying a step ahead of your competitors is very important in business and this is one of the ways to do that.
Our search engine optimization consultant will be an expert in keyword research and will device ways of increasing targeted traffic. At the end of the optimization, your website will have a high ranking with the search engines as well which is very important if you want your website displayed within the first few pages. We keep updating our techniques and this helps us get you to the top.
Ways to top the search engine rankings in Google, Bing and Yahoo will be researched and applied by our search engine optimization consultant. SEO India has a highly skilled team that works on giving you the best. If you want to see you business bloom or if you are stuck with a website with very low traffic, we are the one stop solution to your problems. Only proven techniques are used to achieve search engine optimization and hence you can trust us completely with the job.
Effectiveness of Search Engine Marketing Services
Every business that has seen success has a smart marketing technique in action. If you want to see your online business becoming a success, you should employ search engine marketing services. This will make your products more visible to the customers and hence bring targeted traffic pouring into your website. It is proven that all the methods used by us give our clients the desired results in a very short time.
We employ all the proven strategies at SEO India to bring you the best in search engine marketing services. As most people only click on the website in the first few pages of the search result, it is very important to be on these pages. We help increase your search engine ranking which helps reach the customers. This involves link building, keyword research and other methods. Experts who are well experienced and skilled in the field will undertake this project and do what is best for your website.
All major online businesses use this marketing technique. If you don’t use this as well, you will miss out on a lot, as the people looking for your product will probably buy it from your competitor. Search engine marketing services is the only way to make sure your search engine ranking remains high and that all the keywords used in searches by customers lead them to you. Better your SEO, greater is your chance of being an online success.
The online marketplace is very competitive and everybody is taking every possible step to make sure they don’t lose potential customers. Search engine marketing services from SEO Company India will do exactly that and for an affordable price too. When done by the right people who employ ethical and proven techniques, this is one of the most cost effective methods of making sure your business will soar.
We employ all the proven strategies at SEO India to bring you the best in search engine marketing services. As most people only click on the website in the first few pages of the search result, it is very important to be on these pages. We help increase your search engine ranking which helps reach the customers. This involves link building, keyword research and other methods. Experts who are well experienced and skilled in the field will undertake this project and do what is best for your website.
All major online businesses use this marketing technique. If you don’t use this as well, you will miss out on a lot, as the people looking for your product will probably buy it from your competitor. Search engine marketing services is the only way to make sure your search engine ranking remains high and that all the keywords used in searches by customers lead them to you. Better your SEO, greater is your chance of being an online success.
The online marketplace is very competitive and everybody is taking every possible step to make sure they don’t lose potential customers. Search engine marketing services from SEO Company India will do exactly that and for an affordable price too. When done by the right people who employ ethical and proven techniques, this is one of the most cost effective methods of making sure your business will soar.
SEO India, SEO Services India, SEO Company India, Organic Website Optimization, SEO Consultant India
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