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Search Engine Optimization usually abbreviated as SEO is the process of optimizing a web page or web site to rank high and list in the top results (SERP) of organic or natural (unpaid) results of search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo etc.

SEO can target different kind of searches like normal search engines, images search, video search, local search or maps, academic search, news etc. SEO is a part of internet marketing. The main aim of search engine optimization is to improve the traffic to a web site through the organic search results of major search engines.  To get more visitors to your site, it is important to rank high in search engines, so that your page is shown at least in the first page of search results for a particular keyword.  Because people rarely visit the second page of a web site, as the first page itself give them the answer that they are searching for. So if you want good traffic yours should be the first result because the first result gets the most clicks. But making your site appear at the top of a search result is extremely difficult. So instead what people do is if you are targeting a local area you concentrate on keywords that are specific to you area. Like if your keyword is ‘car’ and you business is in ‘New Delhi’ you concentrate on ‘cars in New Delhi’.

So what should be known to optimize a web site for search engines?

To optimize your site for search engines you should know how search engine works or the algorithm used by search engines, what people search for or the keywords, which search engines, are preferred etc.

How Search Engine Work?

It is always good to know how search engines work in order to optimize your website. Search engines use different algorithms to find the right webpage and webpage ranking for particular keywords.

Read Also : What is Search Engine Marketing?

The algorithm used by search engines?

Different search engines use different algorithm and they keep changing their algorithms. So is always good to have an idea about the algorithm used by search engines. Search engines don’t disclose the exact algorithm but we can get an idea of the algorithm they use. To stay ranked high in search engines it is necessary to make the changes in our website according to the algorithms of search engines.

Preferred search engines

Different search engines use different algorithm. So know which search engines are you targeting and optimize you website according to that search engines algorithm. Usually most of the search engines work in a similar manner, so there won’t be any major differences, but there is small difference. Optimize for more than one search engines will be better. The major search engines are Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask etc.

Keywords

SEO is highly dependent on keywords. Keywords are words of phrases that the user enters to the search box of search engines. A web page or an article can come first for a particular keyword and the same web page can come at the 100th place for another keyword. So in order to do SEO you need to identify the keyword you are targeting.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process done to identify the right and popular keywords that we need to target in order to get more visitors to our website. Keyword research is the most important and most valuable part of SEO. Because it is not always the keyword what we think are more popular in the internet searches. They may be different. We need keyword research to find the popular and right kind of keyword. According to Wikipedia “making money” and “acquiring money” both are keywords that have the same meaning but the former has 2 890 000 000 search hits and the later has only 47 900 000 search hits. So writing an article and optimizing for the keyword “making money” brings you more traffic than for the keyword “acquiring money”. “Making money” is a global keyword. Making an article rank high with the keyword “making money” will be extremely difficult because the competition is very high. Instead “Making money in Delhi” will be much less competitive and chances for ranking high for that keyword will be easier. So if you business is in based in Delhi you get more visitors from Delhi. Keyword research is not always done to get visitors to our website, but it is about getting the right kind of visitors. For example if you run a local business then in the above example “Making money in Delhi” will be more appropriate keyword than “Making money”.

How to do keyword Research?

There are a lot of online tools both free and commercial that can be useful in keyword research.

• Google AdWords Keyword planner
• Google Insights for Search
• Google Trends Keyword Demand Prediction
• Microsoft Advertising Intelligence
• Wordtracker’s Free Basic Keyword Demand

Classification of Search engine optimization

SEO can be broadly classified into

• On page SEO
• Off page SEO

On page SEO

On page SEO is most important among the two. On page SEO is the process of modifying the content of the webpage and the html code of the web page so that the search engines get convinced about the content and quality of the webpage. You need to have a good knowledge in html and web development in order to do on page optimization. On page optimization is performed inside the web page. On page SEO involves the practice of using the right markup of html codes. Markup states that the html document should be properly formatted using the right html tags in the right place, like html title tags, Meta tags, header tags, anchor texts, alt tags for images, bold, italic, etc. It also includes creation of xml sitemap, configuring Google and Bing webmaster central, submission of sitemap to search engines, implementing Google analytics or any other analytics software, using 404-not found page, 301 permanent redirects, using SEO friendly url. Designers should use a user friendly are easily navigate able design and search engines should be able to easily index all the pages. There are two parts for on page SEO.

Modifying the content of the web page

In this part we modify the content of the webpage or article so that search engines get a fair idea about the content you are focusing. We find the keywords and use these keywords in the body of our article. But remember don’t over use keywords (keyword stuffing) or else search engines may ban you. This one is user readable.

Modifying the html code of the web page.

In this part the html code of the webpage is modified. These codes are mainly intended for search engines and a user is not going to know what changes are made. This includes the title tags, Meta tags, anchor tags, alt tags etc as stated above. It includes using the correct html markups and make sure that all the html codes are valid. (The codes should not stop search engines.)

Off page SEO

Off page optimization is performed outside the web page. This mainly includes getting back links from other web sites. Google ranks a page by counting the back links you get from other web sites. Back links are links u gets from other websites. The principle is simple, i.e. u only link to a good quality content.

• If u both link to each other then Google gives both a +1 point.
• If u alone gets a link and you don’t link back then u get +2 points.
• Another important thing to note is getting a link from a high page rank site gets u more points than many links from low page rank site.

But each link u get are valuable. Note that u should get a do follow (search engines will follow the link) link and a do not follow (search engines will not consider this as a link and will not follow that) link us useless Below are some of the main techniques used in off page optimization.

• Article making
• Link building
• Blogging
• Directory submission
• Forum posting
• Press release
• Social bookmarking
• Classified
• Video posting
• Local listing like Google places
• RSS feed creation and submission

White Hat, Black Hat and Gray Hat SEO

SEO can also be classified as Whit Hat SEO, Black Hat SEO and Gray Hat SEO using the techniques used by the web masters.

Difference between White Hat, Black Hat and Gray Hat SEO

White Hat SEO

White Hat SEO is the techniques used by webmasters to improve the search engine rankings in manner that are acceptable by search engines. It is ethical SEO. White Hat SEO is little slower, and the result will last longer. It is beneficial to site users as well as search engines. White Hat SEO is creating content users and not search engines. It uses techniques like keyword research, analysis, rewrite the content to be more relevant(creating quality content), use proper html tags, meta tags, site maps, url’s,  including keywords naturally in title, content, anchor tags, headings, alt tags etc.

Black Hat SEO

Black Hat SEO is the technique used to boost the position of web page in search results in a manner that are not accepted by search engines. These techniques are intended to trick search engines to give higher positions in search results. It is unethical SEO. It works until search engines find it. The result is faster but eventually not only the page but the whole web page can get banned from search results, de-indexed or can be penalized by lower rankings. It uses techniques like keyword stuffing, link farming, comment spamming, doorway and cloaked pages, hidden texts etc.

Grey Hat SEO

Grey Hat SEO stays in-between white Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO. It takes more risk than white hat SEO but aren’t likely to get your site banned by search engines, but a search engine can penalize your site and give lower rankings. Having a keyword density more than natural but not at the level of Black Hat keyword stuffing, link building where it is less relevant etc, are some of the Grey Hat SEO techniques. Link exchange are also sometimes considered as Grey Hat SEO