Basics of Search Engine Optimization

IntroductionSearch engine optimization (SEO) is antarget audience may use in their searches. The closer
online marketing strategy used to increase a Webthe match between your Web site's content's
site's visibility to the millions of people who findkeywords and phrases with those terms, the higher
information and services on the Internet. Search engineyou will be ranked in a result set.
optimization can help position your firm among the top
search results for a given query, which can2. Web Site Structure and Page Layout -The way
dramatically increase traffic to your Web site andyou structure your site and design your Web page
establish a Web presence for your practice. Amonglayout will have a large impact on your site's search
other things, SEO involves optimizing the structure ofengine ranking. This includes how you serve your Web
your site and the text that appears on it, as well aspages (e.g., as static HTML or XHTML pages or
obtaining links to your site from other sites, to help itsdynamically from a database or Web script), the
popularity rating with search engines. With the numberdirectory structure of your site, the names of your
of Web sites on the Internet increasing at ansite's directories and individual HTML or XHTML files,
exponential rate, gaining primary placements in searchand the URLs you choose when selecting your domain
engine rankings allows you to market your law firm innames. Also, each Web page on your site needs to
a very powerful and effective way.Pagebe optimized individually to most effectively present the
RankPageRank is in some ways related to linkcontent it contains to the search engines. Thus, the
popularity, but the calculation is dependant on theelements of a page's layout, including navigation, site
quality and strength of the links, not just the number ofmaps, graphics and multimedia elements such as Flash
links. So, how does one go about building andand QuickTime movies, need to be placed correctly on
increasing their Page Rank. It is not as difficult as someevery Web page. Using W3C Web standards such as
may think.XHTML and CSS can allow you to place unique
content for a given page above its navigational
Internal linking : also plays a factor in the Page Rankelements, while at the same time reducing the file size
of the pages within a site. The linking structure withinof these Web pages. Other factors that affect a
the site should follow the themed approach to internalWeb site's ability to be successfully indexed are the
linking, which stresses importance on minimizing linkinguse (and sometimes non-use) of Image Maps, Frames,
between 2nd and 3rd level directories and pages.JavaScript and, most importantly, your Web page title
Since the internal linking of your site plays a factor, nottags.
in increasing PR, but in sharing the PR of the site, and
the dilution of your keyword strength and theme, it is3. Web Pages Popularity -Putting up a Web site is not
important to review the internal linking structure of yourenough to market your company competitively on the
site. Then there are modifications that could be madeInternet. For your target audience to find you, your
to improve the site's internal linking.Web site needs to be found easily by search engine
spiders/crawlers and then to be ranked well in search
External linking is the largest factor in determiningengine results sets for the keywords and phrases you
PageRank, and is the place where you have the leasthave selected and placed in the content of your Web
control. There is no way to force another web mastersite.Conclusion
to link to your site, especially when they already have
a high PageRank. For this reason and many more,The process of SEO is not easy to tackle, largely
increasing your PageRank is difficult, but importantbecause so many pieces of a site factor into the final
nonetheless. When contacting other websites to link toresults. Promoting a site that writers on the web are
your site in the attempt to build and increase yourunlikely to link to is as deadly as creating a fantastic
Page Rank, these web pages that you are requestingwebsite no one will see. SEO is also a long-term
a link from should be relevant and of the same themeprocess, both in application and results - those who
and market of the page that you are requesting theyexpect quick rankings after completing a few
link to. Perform a search for your target keyword insuggestions in this guide will be deeply disappointed.
Google, ODP, and Yahoo to start, and check the topSearch engines can often be frustratingly slow to
40 ranking sites. contact them and request that theyrespond to improvements that will eventually garner
link to your site. Be prepared for them to ask for asignificant boosts in traffic.
reciprocal link.
To make your site the best site's adhere strictly to
Your site and pages within your site must meetthese guidelines:
certain criteria for this to work, with one piece being
the most important: the site and pages within your site1. Unique Content -
must be quality content that people will actually want2. Access to an Adoptive Community -
to link up to. This is one of the basic points of3. Link-Friendly Formatting -
PageRank: Google can tell which pages and sites are4. Monetization Plan -
authorities as they have a large number of high quality5. Market Awareness -Author:
links pointing them.Components:There are three major
components of search engine optimization that youHarish co-founded Varshyl Tech in 2005. As director
should keep in mind and incorporate into any design,of operations, he oversees the company's daily
written Web page content, coded HTML, andoperations and develops the strategy for product
programming scripts for your site.direction and new product development. Harish has
more than five years of experience delivering
1. Keywords and Phrases -To optimize your site, youmission-critical enterprise software solutions for diverse
must strategically select and place words or phrasesapplications such as supply chain management and
into your Web page content and specific HTML tags -corporate information delivery systems. Prior to
the areas from which search engines grab words andco-founding Varshyl Tech, he was a program analyst
phrases to build their indices. If you want your targetwith Infosys Technologies Ltd., and also worked as
audience to find your site through a search engine,software developer and testing engineer for Microsoft
your Web pages must contain keywords or keywordProjects. Harish has significant experience working with
phrases that match the search queries of your targetMainframe technology and holds a Bachelor's Degree
audience. Often, there are multiple words or phrasesin Mechanical Engineering from Visvesvaraya
that mean the same thing. From an SEO standpoint, itTechnological University, Karnataka, India.
is important to include all the words or phrases your