ResourcesSearch engine optimisationThe Guardian [published 9th June 2008]What exactly is SEO?Search Engine Optimisation is the process of making web content easy for search engines to index, find and display. It's hard to exaggerate its importance in driving traffic to websites. Most consumers use search engines every day and probably only look at the first page of search results each time. So if a consumer is trying to find your website, and you happen to be listed on page two of the search results, far fewer people will visit your site. How does Google decide on the order of search results?Google uses more than 200 assessments of a site's content to determine the order of search results and the exact algorithms are a secret - just as they are with Yahoo and Microsoft's search tools. But the criteria are roughly split between on-page factors such as the actual text and content, and off-page factors that include the number of external links to the site in question. So how do I make sure my content can be picked up by search engines?Google publishes its own SEO guidelines. First, ensure your site is indexed by search engines, which means automated "spiders" will crawl over your site's content and put it on the map. From there, optimisation involves a combination of editorial and technical tweaks. Essentially, content - particularly headlines - needs to be descriptive and literal, using keywords consumers are likely to use. Some sites may try to "trick" Google, either by loading pages with too many irrelevant keywords, or with "doorway" pages that use links in bulk with no original content. "If you don't get search right, you don't exist on the web," says Edward Cowell, a director of digital agency Guava. "You only have two chances - organic and paid listings. It's all about making content more relevant and presenting it better." To see how Swimming Hippo Digital can help with search engine optimisation, click here. |
