Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

The terms Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are often misused. Both have the common goal of generating more targeted traffic to a website in order to achieve specific goals including desired visitor actions and increased sales, however, they have quite a different focus and utilize different tools to accomplish those objectives.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is everything that can be done to a Site within itself, internally to help maximize targeted visitor traffic while achieving desired visitor actions.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) encompasses everything that can be done to improve or maximize targeted visitor traffic externally, from outside of the Site and it's code.

This page is dedicated to Search Engine Optimization. Make sure and visit our Search Engine Marketing page for more information on website promotion.

The Growing Complexity of SEO

SEO is somewhat complex in that it is the culmination of many on-page and off-page elements and disciplines. The goal of Search Engine Optimization is to design a Site that will place well in the Search Engines, hopefully on the first page of search returns (SERP - Search Engine Result Placement) for your most important or targeted keywords and phrases, when marketed well. Keywords and key-phrases are the terms that an Internet visitor will type in find your site when using a Search Engine such as GOOGLE, YAHOO or MSN.

Search Engine Algorithms

The Search Engines (SEs) have developed complex algorithms to determine the intrinsic value of a website and it's value to the Internet Community. By ranking Sites based on these algorithms they attempt to ensure search quality and relativity for search returns.

Over time Search Engine Ranking has become a real "cat and mouse" game between Site Owners or Webmasters and the SEs, particularly GOOGLE. GOOGLE commands the largest share of a multibillion dollar yearly Search Engine advertising market. Researchers spend a great deal of time determining which elements in the algorithms are more important than others in effort to gain SERP advantages over competition. GOOGLE spends a great sum of resources continually updating their algorithms to avert SPAM exploitation and deliver the most relevant search returns possible. To maintain their leadership position GOOGLE must be perceived as delivering the most relevant returns. GOOGLE's algorithm changes are introduced about four times a year and are named somewhat similar to the way hurricanes are named. Frequently the changes target specific kinds of Sites that use dubious means to gain high ranking SERP.

Black, White and Gray Hat SEO

The terms, "Black Hat", White Hat" and "Gray Hat" are terms that have developed over the last few years to describe certain types of SEO practices:

"Black Hat" describes SEO and SEM practices that utilize deceitful practices to gain unfair advantages in SERP such as cloaked gateway pages, hidden text, hidden links and various artificial linking schemes, to name a few. Many times the methods they deploy are specifically recommended against by the Search Engines themselves. Several known Black Hat SEO techniques earn varying degrees of penalties from the SEs for prescribed periods of time. More severe infractions can even lead to delisting on a Search Engine database or permanent banishment. GOOGLE has been known to permanently ban certain URLs for repeat offenses.

There are and always will be Sites that are "Black hat" by nature and relying on other marketing methods beyond Search Engine SERP listings. Categories that include those kind of sites are usually on the "dark" side and/or are frequently spammed, such as casinos, porn and prescription drugs.

"Gray Hat" describes SEO and SEM practices that are a bit dubious by nature, but haven't been targeted by and/or penalized yet. One example is the practice of link swapping with Sites not containing relevant content. This practice was generally accepted for some time, but started being targeted during GOOGLE' updates; "Bourbon" and "Jagger".

"White Hat" describes SEO and SEM practices that subscribe completely to Search Engine recommendations as well as best known practices within the webmaster community.

Make sure and join us on Page 2. Topics Include:

Search Engine Optimization Considerations
• SEO Component Overview
• In Document Factors Affecting Ranking
• The Title Tag
• Page Content
• The Description Metatag
• Internal Site Navigation
• Clean Code
• Outbound Links (OBLs)
• Sitemaps for visitors and the SEs
• The Keyword Metatag