The Basics of SEO - Some FAQs
By Glenn Murray | Advertising
Copywriter, Website
Copywriter, Article PR Specialist *
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a foreign field to a lot of
people. Rarely does a day go by when I don't get asked a few questions
on the subject. So I've decided to post this FAQ article in the hopes
that it will help people understand the basics, and make them a little
more comfortable with the whole domain.
Q: Why are search engines important to me?
A: 85% of all website traffic is driven by search engines.
The only online activity more popular than search is email. 79.2% of US
users don't go to page 2 of search results. 42% of users click on the
no.1 result. For the under-40 age-group, the Internet will become the
most used media in the next 2-3 years.
Q: How do search engines decide on their rankings?
A: IMPORTANT: You cannot pay a search engine in return for a
high ranking in the natural results. You can only get a high ranking if
your content is seen as relevant by the search engines. Search engines
identify relevant content for their search results by sending out
‘spiders’ or ‘robots’ which ‘crawl’ (analyze) your site and ‘index’
(record) its details. Complex algorithms are then employed to determine
whether your site is useful and should be included in the search
engine’s search results.
Q: Can't I just pay for a high ranking?
A: No. The biggest concern for search engine companies like
Google and Yahoo is finding content that will bring them more traffic
(and thus more advertising revenue). In other words, their results must
be relevant. Relevant results makes for a good search engine;
irrelevant results makes for a short-lived search engine.
Most search engines these days return two types of results whenever you click Search:
- Natural/Organic – The ‘real’ search results. The results
that most users are looking for and which take up most of the window.
For most searches, the search engine displays a long list of links to
sites with content which is related to the word you searched for. These
results are ranked according to how relevant and important they are.
- Paid – Pure advertising. This is how the search engines make
their money. Advertisers pay the search engines to display their ad
whenever someone searches for a word which is related to their product
or service. These ads look similar to the natural search results, but
are normally labeled “Sponsored Links”, and normally take up a smaller
portion of the window.
Q: How do I get a high ranking?
A: There are four main steps:
Step 1 - Use the right words on your website
Step 2 - Get lots of relevant sites to link to yours
Step 3 - Use the right words in those links
Step 4 - Have lots of content on your site & add more regularly
Q: What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
A: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of creating a website which is search engine-friendly. This means:
- using the right words in your copy
- using the right words in your HTML code
- structuring your site properly
- designing your site properly
For more information on these 4 elements, download our free 'SEO Secrets' eBook.
Many people use SEO to also describe the other ingredient in a high ranking, 'Link Popularity'.
Q: What is link popularity?
A: Think of the search engines as a big election. All the
websites in the world are candidates. The links to your website are
votes. The more votes (links) a candidate (website) has, the more
important it is, and the higher its ranking. Link popularity is all
about how many links you have, and how you can get more.
Links to your site tell the search engines how important your site
is. They assume that if it’s important enough for a lot of other sites
to link to, it’s important enough for them to display at the top of the
rankings. Links are the single most important factor in ranking.
Generally speaking, the more links you have to your site from other
sites, the better your ranking.
Q: How many links to my site are there?
A: Search Google for "www.yourdomain.com". (Don't search for
"link:www.yourdomain.com" as this only returns a subset of the links to
your site.) Then on the page that displays next, select "Find web pages
that contain the term "www.yourdomain.com" ". When you do it this way,
you'll see all the pages that contain your URL. In most cases, the URL
will be an active link (or at least it should be... if it's not, you
should ask the site owner to make it so). There are also some tools you can use.
Q: Are some links better than others?
A: Yes! The ideal kind of links are those that:
- come from relevant sites (sites which use the same keywords);
- come from important sites (have a high ranking);
- include your keyword as part of the visible link text;
- include varying link text (not the same link text each time); and
- come from a page that links to few other sites.
When a search engine sees a link which satisfies most or all of
these conditions, it says, “Hey, this site must be credible and
important, because others in the same industry are pointing to it.”
Q: How do I get lots of links back to my site?
A: There are many possible ways to generate links. Some are
dubious (like auto-generation software, and sites set up by webmasters
simply to host links to their other sites) and I won’t be discussing
them here. Others, like those discussed below, are legitimate.
- Add your site to DMOZ & Yahoo Directories (and other free directories)
- Check where your competitors’ links are coming from
- Article PR - Write and submit articles for Internet publication
- Swap links
- Partner websites
- Pay for links
For more information on these methods, download our free 'SEO Secrets' eBook.
Q: What do you think is the best way to get lots of links?
A: Article PR. Write helpful articles and let other
webmasters publish them for free in exchange for a link in the byline.
With article PR, you don't have to pay for the link, you determine the
content of the page containing the link, you determine the link text,
and the link is more or less permanent. A single article can be
reprinted hundreds of times, and each time is another link back to your
site!
For more information, read How to Top Google with Article PR or visit www.ArticlePR.com.
Q: How do I write a good article PR piece?
A: See How to Top Google with Article PR
Q: How do I get a high ranking using free reprint content?
A: See Get a top 10 ranking without paying a cent.
Q: How long does it take to get a high search engine ranking?
A: A long time! It’s impossible to say how much time you’ll
need to spend generating links, but you can be sure it’ll be a while no
matter which method of link generation you use. You just have to keep
at it until you have achieved a high ranking. Even then, you’ll still
need to dedicate some ongoing time to the task, otherwise your ranking
will drop.
Q: What is the Google Sandbox, and is it real?
A: The Google Sandbox theory suggest that whenever Google
detects a new website, it withholds its rightful ranking for a period
while it determines whether your site is a genuine, credible, long term
site. It does this to discourage the creation of SPAM websites (sites
which serve no useful purpose other than to boost the ranking of some
other site).
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting the theory, but
there is also a lot discounting it. No one has categorically proven its
existence.
Q: What is the Google Dampening Link Filter, and is it real?
A: The Google Dampening Link Filter theory suggests that if
Google detects a sudden increase (i.e. many hundreds or thousands) in
the number of links back to your site, it may sandbox them for a period
(or in fact penalize you by lowering your ranking or blacklisting your
site altogether).
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting the theory, but
there is also a lot discounting it. No one has categorically proven its
existence.
Q: What SEO companies should I be wary of?
A: Be wary of SEO companies that promise or guarantee
results in a given timeframe, especially if they won't expand on their
methods for generating links back to your site.
Q: What tools can you recommend?
A: There are many very useful tools to help with your SEO.
The following are just selection. All tools are free unless otherwise
indicated.
Q: I'm confused about all the terms used in SEO, can you help?
A: See our SEO Glossary.
Q: What is keyword analysis?
A: The first thing you need to do when you begin chasing a
good search engine ranking is decide which words you want to rank well
for. This is called performing a keyword analysis. Keyword analysis
involves a bit of research and a good knowledge of your business and
the benefits you offer your customers.
For more information, download our free 'SEO Secrets' eBook.
Q: Do I need to submit my site to the search engines?
A: Theoretically, no. But I wouldn't risk not doing it -
especially as it's free. As soon as you register your domain name,
submit it to Google! Even if you haven’t built your site, or thought
about your content, submit your domain name to Google. In fact, even if
you haven’t fully articulated your business plan and marketing plan,
submit your domain name to Google.
For more information, download our free 'SEO Secrets' eBook.
Q: Should I submit my site to the search engines more than once?
A: No need. Although some of the search engines allow you to do this, there's really no need.
Q: What are directories and should I submit my site to them?
A: Directories are websites (or web pages) which simply list
lots of website and give a quick description of the website. Some are
free and some require you to pay for a listing. Free directories are
useful because you get a free link. However, the links aren't worth
that much. Paid directories can be good if they're relevant, but they
can cost a lot in the long term, so choose wisely.
One essential directories for any website is the DMOZ Open Directory Project.
* Glenn Murray is an advertising copywriter, website copywriter, SEO copywriter, and article submission and article PR specialist. He heads copywriting studio, Divine Write, and is a director of article PR company, Article PR. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Visit http://www.DivineWrite.com or http://www.ArticlePR.com for further details, a FREE SEO eBook, or more FREE reprint articles.
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