Search Engine Optimization

How Search Engines Work

The internet is a sea of information. You can find the answers to just about every question known to man, or find just about any product or service you are looking for. Why is this possible? Well, it is all possible because of Search Engines, such as, Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Search Engines are wonderful indexes that list results based on the probability that their information will contain content similar to what you requested by typing in a keyword. They are the means by which content is delivered via the internet.  

You can go to your favorite Search Engine and type in just about anything and in a second you will see links to hundreds of sites that pertain to your keyword. So, how does this happen? Each Search Engine indexes websites a little differently than the others. Primarily, there are two ways that Search Engines rank a website: Keyword Density and Relative Links. Of course, content is king. If you have content that is deemed worthy to be ranked by the Search Engines and others link to your site, then you will receive a good ranking.

As I mentioned before, each Search Engine indexes information a little differently. Did you know that certain Search Engines even provide results for other Search Engines? For example, Google provides results for Lycos, Hotbot, and many other Search Engines. If you get some time, check this out by entering the same search phrase in different search engines and see who has similar results.  

The two powerhouse search engines who have the most name recognition and traffic are Google and Yahoo. Google has even been added to some dictionaries as a verb that means to look for information using a search engine. Even though they are both massive, they are extremely different in their rankings. Why is this?   Well, without getting too technical, I will just say that Yahoo is based more on the content of a website and Google bases its rankings on link popularity. Of course, that is an oversimplification, but I am sure you don't want to read about Google's sacred algorithm and how there are over 100 variables that account in your true ranking.  

Until recently, Yahoo powered the MSN Search Engine. However, now that MSN has chosen to go on their own, they can cater more towards their loyal clientele. What does this mean to the industry? In my opinion, this additional Search Engine will add another weapon in the arsenal of the individual in search of knowledge on the Internet. Due to the fact that both Yahoo and MSN are both considered Portals (home page of a browser that is tailored to the specific user); they will begin to gain an advantage over Google in the long run. I believe that eventually, Google will begin to offer similar portal services as Yahoo and MSN in an effort to fight back.  

You might be asking yourself why I am not mentioning any other Search Engines. The short answer is that they really don't matter. It is my understanding that 95% of all searches made on the Internet are made through Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Does this mean that you should not worry about any other search engines? No! You must spread the wealth, but if you do not show up in the major search engines, do you really expect to sell any product from the remaining five percent?

In a perfect world, someone would create a website that was full of information about a specific topic and the search engines would immediately find this new site and place it right at the top of their rankings. Essentially, there would be no need for Search Engine Optimization. Well, unfortunately, that is not what happens. To obtain great search engine placement, there is only one formula that has proven successful. Time! It takes time to fully optimize a website and it takes time for the search engines to rank your optimized site. Be patient and stay on top of your search engine placement and your site will eventually rank high in search engines.  

If you have created a great site and are not seeing the results you wanted, then you need to either try to optimize your site by yourself, or hire a professional to do it for you. No matter how big or small you site is you need to have some form of Search Engine Optimization. Nowadays, this is not a luxury anymore, it is a necessity. On the homepage I gave an example of how Search Engine Optimization compares to a phone book. Now, I will give you another analogy. People often ask me questions about what I do.   I give them the example of Real Estate. If it were so easy to buy or sell a house, why are their a million realtors across the country? The answer is that it is often difficult and time consuming to buy or sell a home; therefore, we hire people to do it for us. Also, when we hire someone to buy or sell for us, we understand that we are also paying for their expertise in their field. They know the market, they know where to find resources, they handle the contract, and they basically take the burden right off of our backs. Well, Search Engine Specialists do the same for those with websites who want to be seen. Why spend the time and efforts to do something that you are not trained in, when you can hire a specialist to help take the burden off of your shoulders.  

There are millions of websites created each month. With so much competition out there, doesn't make sense to have someone who is knowledgeable in Search Engine Positioning on your team? We take pride in our ability to optimize a website in a way that increases its visibility. You built a website because you wanted to have a web presence. How good is your new website if no one visits it? You could have the best company in the world and if nobody knew about you, then you would soon realize that maybe your company wasn't so good after all.   

If you sell products online, stop reading, and get in contact with us right now! You absolutely need Search Engine Optimization. If you do not have an e-commerce site, but you want to bring in new customers via the internet, you need to contact us immediately. You are potentially missing out on hundreds or thousands of clients. Remember, your website is an extension of your company to the rest of the world. Imagine if no one came through your doors and your phones stopped ringing. You would start panicking. Why should your website be any different?