Introduction to Search Engine Optimization

What is Search Engine Optimization - SEO?

Search Engine Optimization is defined as the process of increasing the quantity and quality of traffics to a website. This is done by ranking high in the search engine result pages once a relevant keyword or key terms is entered.

It is also the term used to describe the marketing strategy of preparing a website. As a marketing strategy for increasing a website’s relevance, ranking and search engine visibility, SEO considers how search engine algorithms work and what users search for.

It is said that the higher a website ranks in the search engine result pages, the better the chances that a website will be visited, an undeniable truth.

There are two factors in optimizing a website, On-page and Off-page optimization.

On page optimization is directly related to the content and the architectural link structure and overall functionalities of a website. This usually consists of pages written in the HTML and also applies to the other document formats that are indexed by search engines. The On page optimization includes modifying and enhancing of the following elements:

• META Tags (Title, Description & Keyword)
• ALT tags
• Hyperlink Text
• Keyword use in the document
• Accessibility of document
• Links to document from site – internal pages (Internal Navigation)
• Primary subject matter of site
• Copywriting

Off page optimization is a search engine strategy that is done off the website pages to maximize its performance and visibility in the search engines for the targeted relevant keywords through the page content. It includes link building by placing keywords within the anchor text that points to the URL of the web page. These are the method of acquiring links that considered as an off-page optimization:

• Press Release
• Article submissions
• Social Media Sites
• Advertising
• Link building campaigns
• Directory submissions
• Blog and Forum posting

The most important of these criteria are the quantity and quality of inbound links using anchor text containing the targeted keywords, and these should come from the pages covering relevant topics, if possible from large and long established authority websites.