What Is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Basically it’s a way of building a website or web page, or modifying it so that it can be found by search engines, think Google.
Google, being the most popular search engine, is used for between 75% to 95% of all searches in most countries. Google decides what is and isn’t acceptable. But Google is only trying to force us to create good websites that users like and find value in.
In reality the website or page needs to be user friendly and useful.Googles algorithm, which is constantly changing, is just trying to displaysites/pages that searchers will find useful.
In 2010, Google made over 500 algorithm changes. Google is continually refining its algorithm.
November 2015, Google released a full 160 page version of its Search Quality Rating Guidelines to the public. This document shows Google has shifted in their focus towards “usefulness” (good content)and mobile search(responsiveness).
In recent years the mobile market has exploded, with 51.3% of traffic going to a mobile device. Google has a utility called ‘Google Search Console’. Google encourages websites to be tested with this utility to make sure they are mobile friendly, i.e. responsive, and easy to use on a mobile device.
There are two methods of incorporating SEO
One is called ‘White hat’ the other ‘Black hat’. Needless to say the black hat method is regarded as a bad thing, and breaking the rules. Search engines are smart enough now to quickly learn when a site is using ‘black hat’ methods. So ‘black hat’ methods might get you to the top listings quickly, but they might also get your site banned quickly too.
Large international companies have been banned by Google in the past for breaking the rules.
An explanation of SEO White Hat practices
An SEO technique is considered white hat if it conforms to the search engines’ guidelines and involves no deception. As the search engine guidelines are not written as a series of rules or commandments, this is an important distinction to note. White hat SEO is not just about following guidelines, but is about ensuring that the content a search engine indexes and subsequently ranks is the same content a user will see. White hat advice is generally summed up as creating content for users, not for search engines, and then making that content easily accessible to the online “spider” algorithms, rather than attempting to trick the algorithm.
An explanation of SEO Black Hat practices
Black hat SEO attempts to improve rankings in ways that are disapproved of by the search engines, or involve deception. One black hat technique uses text that is hidden, either as text colored similar to the background, in an invisible div, or positioned off screen. Another method gives a different page depending on whether the page is being requested by a human visitor or a search engine, a technique known as cloaking.
In short:-
1) Write great content, that the people that you actually want to come to your site will find
useful and informative. Use words and phrases they might use in the search to find your page or website.
2) Make your site or page easy to link to from other website/blogs. If the article page is good others
may link to it and that helps you.
3) This is an ongoing process, so you’ll need to continue producing good content that people like.
Many company’s may try to confuse clients about SEO, 289 Web Design, offers many
services including SEO audit of existing sites and we’re trained SEO practitioners.
We have a checklist of questions that will help us if you could answer them on our website.
What about Exterior Links?
In the old days websites used to pay companies to create links to their website from other sites, you may remember reading a blog then a totally useless post would appear with an embedded link to a website. Google has figured that out and now penalizes websites that use this method. So just create great content, the other sites will find you and maybe link to your website. That is the way to get good exterior links, the links Google is looking for, the kind of linking Google ranks for.
Contact us today to get started!