Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (”organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it “ranks”, the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.
But Search Engine optimisation is not just a case of getting more visitors, the visitors need to be targeted. Of course, it’s great that your web site gets 1000’s of visitors a day, but if the purpose of the web site is to sell a product or service, it’s not much good unless people are buying.
Wouldn’t you prefer 100 visitors and 90 sales to 1000 visitors and 1 sale?
When a search engine evaluates your web site for placement, it uses a small piece of software called a “spider” which analyses many factors and it is the job of the Search Engine optimiser to ensure you’re web site scores well on these factors.
Search Engines like Google do not try to make it intentionally hard for you to achieve good search engine positions. The basis of their business and reputation is on providing accurate, quality search results and so the algorithms used to index web sites are designed to do this.
Have a look at the Central Strata Internet Services and Marketing Services for information on how we approach Search Engine Optimisation and Marketing.
If you have a web site that sells widgets, you should be number 1 on google for the search term “widgets”, right?
Unfortunately this isn’t the case. Your competitors are also selling widgets and on the global scale of the Internet, you’re competitors could number in the millions and you can’t all be number 1.
Search engine research suggests that very few people go beyond the first two pages of search results. And as you would expect, you are more likely to be found if you’re site features on the first page. So that’s the goal, the coveted first page of google.
Why the other Search Engines?
You may ask why we are focusing so much on Google here. Well, google is by far the biggest provider of search results currently with the majority of searches being made on Google (at the time of writing, 86% of all searches online). And the general rule is that if you succeed on Google, you will rank high on the other search engines as well as the principles of search engine optimisation are shared with minor exceptions by other search engines such as Yahoo!, AOL, Alta Vista.
Contact Central Strata for cost effective search engine optimisation, Internet and Marketing services in Scotland.
