« Search Engine Optimisation

August 22, 2009

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What Is Search Engine Optimisation

The real goal of Search Engine Optimisation isn’t to simply gain rankings for well searched highly relevant keywords. The real goal is to promote an event, product or company in order to build awareness, acceptance and trust amongst a targeted group of people or consumers. More often than not profit is also a large consideration. Search Engine Optimisation and the rankings it produces provide a means to those ends.

Search Engine Algorithms and Guidelines

Search Engines use complex algorithms to judge, measure and weigh up which web pages are the most relevant to serve up to their users. There is a large responsibility placed on search engines to get this right so that spammers are kept at bay and useful actionable information is provided to the searcher.

In order to do this Search Engines update their algorithms regularly. Furthermore, each Search Engine provides its own set of guidelines for webmasters to follow and will penalise any site if it is seen to be breaking the rules. This could result in rankings being downgraded, or at worst, the site being completely removed from the search engines index.

If a search engine optimisation campaign is to enjoy long term success:

Stay within the guidelines set out by search engines.
Don’t game the algorithms by using unethical techniques.

Search engine optimisation is about giving visitors and search engine algorithms exactly what they want, unique informative content in an intuitive environment that’s both usable and accessible. There are large commercial gains to be made by maintaining front page search engine positions; the simple rule of thumb is the more competitive the term the more lucrative rankings become. But don’t make that an excuse to resort to techniques that could see your website completely banned from all the major search engines.