What is SEO? Simply put, Search Engine Optimization is the process
of determining how search engines see your website, learning what
visitors do to find it, and making your Website successfully work
for both.
Jan 9, 2006
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is considered by many to be the most important aspect of Internet marketing. Yet, it is also the most misunderstood. As a result, many Websites rank poorly in the search
engines (or not at all) because they fail to recognize how the major search engines work.
It is not unusual for Internet users to perform a new search using a different phrase if they don’t find what they are looking for on the first two pages of a search query. SEO is a means of not only listing your business Website into the top ranks of the major search engines, but
keeping it there.
Importance of Search Engines
Using a number of methods and strategies, search engine optimization ensures a Website is not only accessible to search engines, but focuses on improving the chances it will be found by potential customers.
With more than 200 million searches performed daily, the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, MSN) are one of the primary ways unsolicited consumers
use to find your Website. As such, they are an invaluable resource for reaching your target market.
Search engines display Websites in their results in three ways:
- Paid advertisements that appear along the side of search results
- Third-party sites (i.e. Web directories) that are listed in the search engines
- Organic listings - the search engine result pages (SERPs) that are displayed to the users
Search Engine Optimization is concerned with improving
a Website’s visibility via the organic search results.
Websites that achieve high search rankings in the organic results
will witness a dramatic increase in targeted traffic.
SEO: Cost-Effective Web Marketing
Internet marketing consists of a number of methods, including search
engine optimization, to improve Website traffic. In comparison to
Internet marketing methods such as pay-per-click campaigns (PPC)
and banner advertising, SEO is the single most cost-effective way
to optimize your site for the search engines.
PPC
campaigns produce quicker results. Once you start bidding on
search terms, your Website will quickly appear in the search results
and the amount of incoming Web traffic will increase. Unfortunately,
even for moderately competitive search terms, the cost of a click
can cost a company between a few cents to a several tens of dollars
per visitor. And the effectiveness of PPC campaigns disappears as
soon as the bidding stops on search terms.
Optimized sites, however, can still do very well with the search engines after many years. Although it can take months before a well-optimized site shows results, over two or three years the cost-effectiveness of SEO doubles or sometimes triples. Given the potential costs of PPC campaigns,
it often makes sense for site owners to optimize their sites for organic search.
If speed is more important than cost, PPC campaigns come out ahead. But in terms of cost, search engine optimization is the more economical choice.
Conclusion
As the Internet continues to evolve as a powerful and lucrative business channel, more and more businesses are getting interested in finding ways to effectively and efficiently market their Websites.
Although search engine optimization can be a very complex process requiring a long-term approach allied with patience and diligent planning, SEO remains an important marketing strategy.
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