Search engine optimization: Difference between revisions
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== Strategies and technology == | == Strategies and technology == | ||
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization Wikipedia] makes the distinction between '''white hat''' (good design approved by search engines) versus '''black hat''' practices (using techniques such [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamdexing spamdexing] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloaking cloaking]). This wiki was a strong target for such abusive tactics and this is why new user | [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization Wikipedia] makes the distinction between '''white hat''' (good design approved by search engines) versus '''black hat''' practices (using techniques such [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamdexing spamdexing] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloaking cloaking]). This wiki was a strong target for such abusive tactics and this is why new user creation is now being screened. | ||
{{quotation|SEO means two different things. For Google and honest people, it is an activity which focuses on optimizing sites for crawlers. For the SEO industry, it is an activity focused on boosting rankings. Thanks to the SEO industry the word is no longer useless for the former definition. It has becoming synonymous with boosting rankings.}} ([http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/03/18/1831231/google-is-planning-to-penalize-overly-optimized-sites Slashdot discussion, March 18 2012]). | {{quotation|SEO means two different things. For Google and honest people, it is an activity which focuses on optimizing sites for crawlers. For the SEO industry, it is an activity focused on boosting rankings. Thanks to the SEO industry the word is no longer useless for the former definition. It has becoming synonymous with boosting rankings.}} ([http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/03/18/1831231/google-is-planning-to-penalize-overly-optimized-sites Slashdot discussion, March 18 2012]). | ||
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=== WebMaster Guidelines === | === WebMaster Guidelines === | ||
The idea is structure web site and its contents in a way that search engines like, i.e. provide both structure and "real" content that will allow to match search terms to some kind of [[Latent semantic indexing]] (LSI) vector space and latent semantic analysis (LSA). This is the way to go if you aim at long lasting and solid SEO. Of course, it will take some time. | The idea is to structure a web site and its contents in a way that search engines like, i.e. one should provide both structure and "real" content that will allow to match search terms to some kind of [[Latent semantic indexing]] (LSI) vector space and latent semantic analysis (LSA). This is the way to go if you aim at long lasting and solid SEO. Of course, it will take some time. | ||
Read [http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35769 Google Webmaster Guidelines] and [http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/search/basics/basics-18.html Yahoo! Webmaster Guidelines] | Read [http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35769 Google Webmaster Guidelines] and [http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/search/basics/basics-18.html Yahoo! Webmaster Guidelines] | ||
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=== Linking === | === Linking === | ||
SEO services usually try to insert links in other web sites, either in some acceptable "white" way or through | SEO services usually try to insert links in other web sites, either in some acceptable "white" way or through aggressive and counter-productive strategies like wiki spamming. | ||
== Software == | == Software == | ||
Revision as of 16:54, 21 March 2012
Introduction
“Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural," or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic"), search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users.” (Wikipedia, retrieved 18:59, 5 March 2012 (CET))
See also:
Strategies and technology
Wikipedia makes the distinction between white hat (good design approved by search engines) versus black hat practices (using techniques such spamdexing or cloaking). This wiki was a strong target for such abusive tactics and this is why new user creation is now being screened.
“SEO means two different things. For Google and honest people, it is an activity which focuses on optimizing sites for crawlers. For the SEO industry, it is an activity focused on boosting rankings. Thanks to the SEO industry the word is no longer useless for the former definition. It has becoming synonymous with boosting rankings.” (Slashdot discussion, March 18 2012).
“I am a partner in a small SEO company and I feel dirty for it, but of course the money is good. Whenever I meet someone from google or Microsoft search I tell them how I long for the day they make my job obsolete. The net effects of of SEO are that search results are corrupted and instead of showing the most relevant or best source of original information, they show results of companies who have bought to most links and paid for the most fake blog and forum posts. SEO is about as bad for society as CDO and CDS trading by financial companies. SEO is robbing society of good information and knowledge.” (Slashdot discussion, March 18 2012).
WebMaster Guidelines
The idea is to structure a web site and its contents in a way that search engines like, i.e. one should provide both structure and "real" content that will allow to match search terms to some kind of Latent semantic indexing (LSI) vector space and latent semantic analysis (LSA). This is the way to go if you aim at long lasting and solid SEO. Of course, it will take some time.
Read Google Webmaster Guidelines and Yahoo! Webmaster Guidelines
Linking
SEO services usually try to insert links in other web sites, either in some acceptable "white" way or through aggressive and counter-productive strategies like wiki spamming.
Software
Local web traffic tools
- You can install local tools to analyse traffic, e.g. Created by awstats.
Search engine services
- Google analytics (tracks user behavior with cookies)
- Google webmaster tools
- Bing WebMaster tools provides less functionalities, but includes some tools that google analytics does not have, e.g. search boxes for backlinks (you can filter by domain) or keyword search.
- Yahoo site explorer
SEO tools
- Search Metrics Read Searchmetrics Link Essentials: Open Beta Release (Feb 2012)
- SEMRush. Read Scaling Keyword Research & Competitive Analysis to new heights at SEO Takeways (nov 2012).
Links
- Hansell, Saul (June 3, 2007). "Google Keeps Tweaking Its Search Engine". New York Times, retrieved 18:59, 5 March 2012 (CET).
- Patterns in Unstructured Data, A Presentation to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation by Clara Yu, John Cuadrado, Maciej Ceglowski, J. Scott Payne (undated). A good introduction that includes LSI.
Bibliography
- Berry, M. W., and Browne, M., Understanding Search Engines: Mathematical Modeling and Text Retrieval, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Philadelphia, (2005).