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Search Engine Optimization
Elements of an SEO Strategy
Ian Lurie, Portent Interactive, Seattle, WA
April 29, 2003
Of all the areas of Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization
is the most misunderstood, and potentially the most important to
your marketing efforts. There are millions upon millions of pages of
web content out there -- you can work hard, build a great site, and
then be totally lost in the shuffle. SEO is important. It's also a
very complex process that requires patience, careful planning and a
long-term approach.
If you're just getting started with:
...read on. This article should provide you with a high-level review
of the SEO process, dispel a few SEO myths, and help you understand
legitimate optimization strategies.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, defies easy definition. But
here's a short version:
Search Engine Optimization
Using keyword analysis and other legitimate practices to gain
the highest possible search engine and directory rankings, under
a given key phrase, for a given URL.
Every
SEO professional in the world just cringed, so I'll break this
definition down a bit and hopefully prevent a hail of angry e-mails:
Keyword Analysis is the process of mining keyword search data
to find the best balance between the keywords you need and the best
potential search niche. More on this later.
Search Engine means an automated search engine. 'Search
Engines' include Google, AlltheWeb.com, Yahoo (powered by Google
plus their own directory information), AOL Search, Ask Jeeves and
MSN Search. A search engine obtains its results from 'spiders' or
'bots' -- small programs that come to your web site read it in much
the same way you would: By reading the content on a page, and then
moving from page to page via links. A directory, on the other hand,
is built at least in part by human beings reading sites and other
information and deciding where each site fits into the directory
structure. Yahoo's directory area and Open Directory are both
examples of directories.
Ranking is the numeric rank reflecting your position in the
results list when someone performs a search on a particular set of
keywords.
Highest Possible means getting as close to number one as you
can. Sometimes you just can't get that number one spot. Maybe
someone else has a 400-page web site solely dedicated to the key
phrase for which you're attempting to optimize. Or maybe they're
paying a fortune in advertising. That's life, sometimes...
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