Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the techniques used in web marketing to increase the visibility of one’s website. The use of the internet as the primary source of information for most people has made search engines invaluable – a trend that will definitely continue for many years to come.

The ability to list your page on the first page of search engine results, and particularly in the top three results, is used as a yardstick for success in search engine optimization.  Most internet users are in need of quick information and thus will only access the top pages on the search results.  In fact, studies have shown that more than 90% of searches never go beyond the first page of results.  This means that a highly ranked page will drive significantly more traffic.  Attaining higher ranking makes search optimization a necessity for websites. It has become a fundamental need for every website as it will ensure more visitors to the website which in turns translates into more revenue.

The role of your site’s content is paramount. The content’s quality must be top notch which often requires rewriting articles while also focusing on using keyword phrases. These keywords and phrases are pointers to what the site is about.  However, the keyword density, or how often you use it on the page, should not go overboard as this will lower the integrity of your site. It is critical that the keywords be used in the right context. In addition to including the keywords in the text, it is also helpful to use them in the title to further optimize the site.

Search engine optimization also requires building links from other websites to your site. Search engines use this metric to gauge how authoritative and popular your site is.  The more the links to your site, the more it will be crawled and the higher it will rise in the rankings.  It is important to recognize, however, that not all links are created equal. These links will provide the most value to your website if 1) they are from an authoritative website and 2) they use relevant keywords in the anchor text.

These are just a few of the methods available for search engine optimization and many more can be easily found on expert blogs and relevant forums. By learning these methods, you can ensure that your website will have a higher ranking in search engines and continue to drive organic traffic to your website.

About the author

Dav Gra is interested in the latest trends of search engine optimization and also online collaborative tools.  For planning out websites through sitemaps, or brainstorming new ideas through mind maps, or by creating UML diagrams with an effective UML tool, Dav prefers to use this online Visio alternative.