Wednesday 12 October 2011

How Does SEO Work?

How Does SEO Work?

Search engine optimization works on the principle of satisfying search engine algorithms. Search engines used advanced mathematical equations to analyze and sort websites. Websites that correspond to those equations(algorithms) with highest relevancy get top spots in search results.
The algorithms are somewhat decoded through various tests by search engine optimizers, however, there is no magic formula to find out how SEO works.
Different industries will require slightly different approach. Certain basics of how search engine optimization works:

Keyword Research

If you are not aware of your keywords, you cannot do search engine optimization. There must be a clear goal in your mind and you must know the keywords that will get your there. To find out keywords, use keyword research tools.
Once you know your keywords roll up the sleeves and prepare for some tough work. Search engine optimization is long, hard and competitive place. Masses are slowly waking up to the power SEO, making it hard to swim for fish with small teeth. SEO with no budget, by hand with no help is a tough road.
I know the keywords, what’s next? I want to know more how SEO works. Plug them in. Put the keywords in: Page Titles, <h> tags, internal links, and website copy. Make sure to target only 1 – 3 keywords per page, that can be easily related.

For example page title: “Search Engine Optimization Marketing Company” targets 4 key phrases: “search engine optimization”, “search engine marketing“, “search engine optimization company” and “search engine marketing company”. Depending on the level of your inbound links, you should be able to target all of them at once. Make sure the keywords are related. If keywords differ or there are not too many incoming links to your website, make separate pages and target each phrase at once.

 How Does SEO Work – The Next Step

Once you plugged the keywords throughout page elements learn about link building. Google uses page rank formula to rank websites:
PR(A) = (1 – d) + d * SUM ((PR(I->A)/C(I))
How SEO Works - PageRank
Find out more about pagerank at wikipedia
To get page rank, you must get links. Start by submitting your website to biggest directories:
You can find more directories at ODP and Directory Archives. Directories will help Google to relate your website to a certain field / niche. Make sure that you qualify them before submitting. When getting links go slowly – don’t get too many too much.
Once you have some links, share the new page rank with other pages.
In most cases, other people and your submissions to directories will point to the homepage, meaning that the homepage will be getting all the pagerank. The homepage can share that PR with other pages, making them rank higher in search results. Look at it that way – your homepage got a piece of a chocolate cake(pagerank). It can share that cake with other pages by linking to them. This is the basic explanation of how pagerank and SEO work.

Internal Linking

When linking internally, make sure you specify the keywords you want that page to rank for within the link. For example, if you want a page to rank for “SEO Company” and that page has a title “SEO company” make sure you name the link: SEO Company. This way the pagerank is passed specifying the keyword you want to rank for. Do that for all other pages.

Organic Link Build Up

If you’re on to SEO yourself prepare for some labor. “Content is King” is a phrase you hear a lot. Though content is king, first page placement can be achieved with a 5 page website.
If you have great content other people will be keen to linking to you – which is essentially automatic link building. Of course it comes through many hours of work, as there must be a good reason for people to link to you. The more links you have the better.
This is the basic outline of how search engine optimization works.

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