Search Engine Optimization: The New Kid on the Block

Though search engine optimization (SEO) is not technically new, it is a murky area even for many people employed in the field of internet marketing.  Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns get much more attention, partially because the basic concept is easy to understand and implement – pay a fee for certain keywords and customers will see your ad when they input those keywords.  PPC results are also easier to quantify than results from SEO techniques.  SEO, which requires slow, steady efforts and takes up to 90 days to show results, is a challenge for marketers who are impatient about seeing a return on their investment and accountable to management when a marketing initiative does not appear to be working.    

SEO is the process of improving organic search engine rankings – the non-paid search results on the left side of the page (PPC campaigns do not affect organic rankings).  The idea is to appear higher in search engine results to increase web traffic, since most users will only click through the first few results in any given search.  Depending on the industry, achieving a high search engine ranking is a long process requiring consistent effort that is non-aggressive in nature – slow and steady wins the race with SEO.  Once a high ranking is attained, SEO efforts must continue in order to maintain results; this has the added positive effect of establishing the company as a knowledge-leader in their industry.    

Optimizing a website involves improving content as well as code. It is helpful to look at SEO from the point of view of users: What keywords will they search when they have an interest in your product or service, and what will they expect to find when they click on a link to your site?

In the “old days” of the internet, it was relatively easy to achieve a high search engine ranking by engaging in keyword-stuffing; many of us remember clicking a link only to find an unhelpful page that simply repeated the keyword over and over with no real content attached. But today’s search engine algorithms - thankfully, from the user’s point of view – are much more sophisticated. Keyword-stuffing is one technique used by those who employ what are called black-hat techniques, which is the term used to describe efforts to bypass or “trick” search engine algorithms. Black-hat SEO techniques may show a short-term gain in rankings, but it won’t last, and these methods are a good way to get your website’s rankings reduced or even have your site banned by search engines altogether. In contrast, white-hat SEO, which works with the algorithms in terms of producing quality online content and does not engage in deceptive practices, offers longer-lasting results.

With SEO, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.  If a company promises you a number-one Google ranking (typically guaranteed on lengthy, seldom-entered keywords that are easy to dominate) or insists that they can improve your site’s ranking by submitting it to thousands of search engines via some automated process, beware.  If the company mentions use of “shadow domains” or “doorway pages,” watch out! If a company engages in black-hat techniques using your site, you are responsible as far as Google and other search engines are concerned.  As in other aspects of business, working with an ethical, reputable SEO company is critical to your company’s success.