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Search Engine Optimization FAQs
For answers to frequently asked questions about Search Engine Optimization, please select one of the links below:
How does a search engine work?
Search engine technology relies on three different elements:
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Crawling – First, search engines deploy a series of automated agents, known as spiders or crawlers. These spiders quickly travel from page to page, scanning content and cataloging the images, text, links and meta data from each.
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Index – The information obtained by the spiders are organized into an index that stores a wide variety of information about each page visited. This index represents the entire universe of pages that can appear in a search engines’ result set. The index for a typical general search engine such as Google or Yahoo! contains information on billions of documents.
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Algorithm – Each engine deploys a complex formula, or algorithm, which is used to determine the relevance of each individual page. When a user conducts a search, the search engine retrieves all pages that match it and then uses the algorithm to rank the pages in order of relevance. Search engines continually update their algorithms in an attempt to further refine the relevance of their search results.
More information on how search engines find and rank pages from Wikipedia.
You may also want to visit these helpful site-specific resources:
Google | Yahoo! | Ask
What variables determine a page’s rank?
While search engines consider hundreds of different elements when determining a page’s rank, they generally do not disclose the specific variables, or how heavily each factors into the final rank.
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Keyword density & proximity – how many times keywords show up, and where those keywords appear on the page
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Meta data – information included within the header of an HTML page that describes the content on the page. The meta tags most frequently used by the engines are the TITLE, KEYWORDS and DESCRIPTION tags.
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Link popularity – Perhaps the most significant factor in a page’s eventual rank. The search engines consider all pages that link to a specific page. In many cases, the relevance and importance of these linking pages are also considered.
Why is website usability important to Search Engine Optimization?
Website usability deals with organizing the structure and content of a web site to ensure that it is easily for users to understand what’s available and how to get to it. This work can have similar benefits for search engine spiders – tightly-focused, comprehensively cross-linked and well-labeled pages have a much better chance of being found and understood by search spiders. As a result, we approach every deal with the philosophy that SEO and usability fit hand-in-glove.
What is search spam or ‘spamdexing’?
Search spam or SEO spam are web pages that are manipulated to rank well for terms that are not relevant to the content on the page.
More information from Wikipedia on search spamming: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_spam
How long does it typically take for SEO to
improve search engine placement?
It may take up to 3-4 months to see results from SEO efforts. Because of the massive amount of content that search engines spider on a regular basis, the code from individual pages may not always updated regularly. Additionally, some elements that factor into a site’s rank are calculated in-house at the engines. For instance, Google’s PageRank metric, which judges the popularity of a page based on the number and quality of links pointing to and from it, is updated by Google on roughly a quarterly basis.
What are Vertical and Local search? (and why are they important?)
Vertical search refers to any search engine that is focused on one specific category of content, such as a shopping, business-to-business or travel search engine. These engines typically offer tools and content that are specialized based on the category. While vertical engines represent a small portion of overall search traffic, their users tend to be more receptive to related advertising content.
Local search engines are search engines that provide phone and address information for businesses within a specific region.These engines are similar in content to an enhanced phone book, often enabling user reviews, offering mapping capabilities and providing click-to-call service. Local search engines can provide advertisers with a strong link between an online presence and a physical storefront.
Do I have to redesign my entire site to optimize it for the search engines?
In most cases, a full redesign of your site will not be necessary to perform SEO – HTML and content can simply be adjusted to focus in on high-value keywords. However, it is essential that your pages are able to be spidered and indexed by search engines. Websites built in Flash, or whose pages are dynamically generated often pose challenges to search engine spiders. In these cases, a more extensive redesign may be necessary.
What are landing pages?
Landing pages are pages that serve as an entry point for search engine users. When properly optimized, these pages provide additional detail relevant to the content in the search listing.
More information on landing pages: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_page.
I have time-sensitive products, and I need results sooner rather than later – is there any way to speed up the SEO process?
Paid inclusion (PI) guarantees on-demand inclusion into a search engine’s index, as well as frequent content refreshes. (Yahoo! is currently the only general search engine that offers a PI product).
Several other engines, including Google and MSN, offer a non-paid submission process, but they typically come without a speed-of-service guarantee.
Unfortunately, once your pages have been indexed by the engines, we can do little to speed the SEO process. If you are promoting a time sensitive product, and need control over when and where your site shows up, we recommend using paid search.
How should I explain SEO to my boss?
Search Engine Optimization is the practice of making web pages easier for both people and search engines to read and understand. This involves changing both the content and code of each page to make sure that they are focused around the terms that users are most likely to be looking for.
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