Search engine optimization, more commonly referred to simply as SEO, has really become a major topic over the last few years when it comes to website promotion. And it’s not a big surprise—SEO done right is not only incredibly effective at driving targeted traffic to an organization’s website, but it can also be an extremely attractive value when compared to other web marketing strategies, dollar for dollar.
What Exactly Is SEO?
Well, let’s take a look from a very basic perspective—that of an average internet user. Ready?
When you’re looking for specific information on the internet regarding virtually any topic imaginable, what’s the first thing you do? If you’re like most, you’ll probably log on to Google, Yahoo!, or a similar search engine and type in a few words (known as keywords) into the search box. In just a fraction of a second, you’re presented with an initial page full of listings to websites that presumably match what you’ve searched for.
Chances are, you’ll find and visit the first few listings shown on the first page of the search results, right? Well, if you’re like most, this is the case—listings on the second page or beyond might as well be non-existent.
So if you’re operating a website, the goal is to show up on the first page of search results. Have you guessed how this is done yet? If you’re saying, “SEO!” you’re absolutely correct. The process of search engine optimization is simply a set of strategies and methods that are designed to set a website up for probably search listing success for a certain keyword or keyword phrase.
Another Thing To Consider…
Again, when you do a search with the major search engines, you’ll actually be presented with two different types of results on the listing page, presented side-by-side. Here’s what you should know:
Paid Search – These often look just like regular search results, but are actually in fact paid-for advertising. Often shown as the first three or so search results at the top of the page, and also frequently shown along the right side of the results screen, they are bought by website promoters via a bidding process to show up for certain specific terms searched.
Organic Search – This is where SEO is most focused. Organic search results are the listings shown that make up the majority of the search results page. They’re free to website promoters, but do require a good deal of attention to actually show on the first page. Organic SEO’s number one goal is to get a website listed here.
And That’s The Value!
Because they are free, organic search results present tremendous value to a website promoter. Spending a marginal amount of revenue to create and implement a solid SEO plan not only costs much less than paying for advertising (paid search), but also delivers lasting results that keep on showing up long after the initial optimization is complete.
We’ll have more coming on the basics of SEO on the WSpider blog very soon—stay tuned!
Comments