Search Engine Optimization: In Context!
In 1998, a little-known company named Google set out to solve an emerging problem created by the explosive growth of the Internet. The problem was Information Retrieval…and the answer was SEARCH! The purpose of their search engine was to create an index of webpages (similar to a library), and be able to serve up relevant pages upon request. First, they had to figure out how to understand what a given website was about. Next, they had to determine which ones were the most relevant. And finally, they had to provide a set of instructions/standards that would teach webmasters how to make their site accessible and understandable to the engines.
This perfect storm gave rise to a segment of the Internet Marketing Industry now known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Now, most people tend to look at SEO as some type of black magic…quite the contrary! Anyone who has attended the major search conferences or knows any of the top SEO’s is well aware that this is a very intelligent, scientific industry. It involves tons of testing, experimentation, data analytics, beakers and Bunsen burners!
In my upcoming series of posts, I will outline a few basic concepts that are essential to any SEO strategy. These include:
• Keyword Research
• Information Architecture, and
• Internal, External & Inbound Linking
Hopefully I will be able to provide some insight into what an SEO looks at when building/operating on a site, and provide you with some DIY techniques for improving your rankings. Again, the name of the game is to make it as easy as possible for the Search Engines to understand what your site is about. For now, here are a few solid SEO Blogs I recommend (and personally read)…enjoy!
• http://www.seobook.com/blog
• http://www.seomoz.org/blog
• http://www.seo-theory.com
• http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/
*This article was originally posted on the
network on 5/21/2009 by the amazing @lenawest
