Internet Marketing Course -
Search Engine Optimization
Executive Summary:
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Search Engine Positioning (SEP), as some call it, is a key Internet Marketing topic. SEO is the art of improving the ranking of specific Web pages in the “natural” (also called “editorial” or “organic”) search results of the major search engines and directories for a specific search phrase.
How Search Engine Optimization works
Search Engine Optimization starts with an understanding of what your potential Customers will do in a specific situation – what search phrase (two or more words in a specific order) they will enter into one of the major crawler-based search engines (ex. Google search engine) or human-edited directories (ex. Yahoo Directory) while looking for specific products, services and/or information.
Why focus on only the major search engines and directories – because they handle 95% of the world’s Internet search traffic.
The major crawler-based search engines (in order of importance) are:
- Bing (Microsoft’s search engine technology)
- Yahoo (considered a major crawler as well as a major directory; search engine is Microsoft’s BING engine technology)
The major human-edited directories are Yahoo, LookSmart and The Open Directory (Web site: dmoz.org). The Open Directory also powers the Google Directory (Web site: directory.google.com).
Once you have a very good idea what the top 3-5 search phrases are that your potential Customers would use in order to find the products, services and/or information you offer on the Web, you then must apply that knowledge to both “on-the-page” and “off-the-page” search engine optimization techniques.
After you have completed the search phrase review process, made all the required changes, both on the specific pages and on the Web, you then must monitor the progress of this effort to insure that the changes do in fact improve your pages’ rankings on the major engines/directories.
The monitoring process should become an ongoing task. Why? Because the anticipated initial boost in page ranking for a given search phrase on a specific engine/directory can quickly be followed by a decline in ranking for that same phrase on that specific engine.
You also need to have an aggressive, targeted Linking Strategy – this will ensure the long-term success of your Search Engine Optimization program.
Another important area to pay attention to, especially for businesses that depend on walk-in business (a classic “bricks and mortar” operation), please be sure to read about one of the most important search engine trends, Local Search, particularly Google Local Search and Google Places.
Finally, in order to get your site immediate attention on the search engines, you need to do some well-targeted Search Engine Advertising
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 80/20 To Do Lists
Links to two detailed, step-by-step Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 80/20 To Do Lists™ are provided below. Follow the “SEO To Do List” for your situation and you will reap 80% or more of the benefits of optimizing your site for the major search engines and directories.
Search Engine Optimization 80/20 To Do List – EXISTING Web site
Search Engine Optimization 80/20 To Do List – NEW Web site
Additional Search Engine Optimization Resources
Here are several excellent search engine information resources on the Web. If you would like to understand Search Engine Optimization in more detail, please take advantage of these excellent resources.
Here’s the short list of my favorite Search Engine Optimization resources (click on each link below to see my brief review of each resource and a link to that site):
For Search Engine “newbies”, try Marshall Brain’s overview of how Internet search engines work at:
Want to learn more about Search Engine Optimization? Pick up a copy of Search Engine Optimization for Dummies by Peter Kent (click on the book title and you’ll be taken to the Amazon.com info on this book). It’s a really good book. And it ain’t for Dummies!
Search Engine Marketing – Return to SEM Start Page
