How Do I Optimize My Website?
Web search engines work by storing information about
many web pages, which they retrieve from the html
itself. These pages are retrieved by a Web crawler
(sometimes also known as a spider) — an automated Web
browser which follows every link on the site. The
contents of each page are then analyzed to determine how
it should be indexed (for example, words are extracted
from the titles, headings, or special fields called meta
tags). In order for the search engines to find and rank
your website, you must have content pages on your
website with the right keywords for your target
audience. If your website pages are filled with
relevant, keyword filled content, your website will
produce organic search results with the major search
engines.
Organic search results are listings on search engine results pages
that appear because of their relevance to the search terms, as opposed to their
being adverts. In contrast, non-organic search results may include
pay per click
advertising. The phrase was coined by writer John Kilroy in
an article written in 2006
The more keyword-rich text you have on your website, the more organic search
results you will have. But text isn't the only thing that search engines are
looking for. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and others also look at other
factors when determining how high your website will rank on their search engine
results page for any given keyword a browser may type in.
Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears
on a web page compared to the total number of words on the page. In the context
of search engine optimization keyword density can be used as a factor in
determining whether a web page is relevant to a specified keyword or keyword
phrase.
In the late 1990s, which was the early days of search engines, keyword
density was an important factor in how a page was ranked. However, as webmasters
discovered this and the implementation of optimum keyword density became
widespread, it became a minor factor in the rankings. Search engines began
giving priority to other factors that are beyond the direct control of
webmasters. Today, the overuse of keywords, a practice called
keyword stuffing, will cause a web page
to be penalized.
Off-page optimization are strategies for search engine
optimization that are done off the pages of a website to
maximize its performance in the search engines for target
keywords related to the page content. Examples of off-page
optimization include linking, and placing keywords within link
anchor text. Methods of obtaining links can also be considered
off-page optimization. These include:
- Press releases
- Article distribution
- Social networking via sites like Facebook and Twitter
- Link campaigns, such as asking complementary businesses
to provide links
- Directory listings
- Link exchanges
- Blogging
- Forum posting
- Multiway linking
- Internet Marketing
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia