Search Engine Optimisation and Your Business

Written by Adrian McLean
Monday, 07 April 2008

Search Engine Optimisation is one of the most effective tools that online marketers use today. Novices to the world of Internet marketing often come across phrases such as SEO and wondered what it's all about. In a nutshell, Search Engine Optimisation is a practice that helps your Web site increase its number of visitors and, ultimately, helps your business succeed.

Here's an overview of the basic concepts of Search Engine Optimisation to help you determine for yourself just how valuable it can be for you.

1. Virtually everyone uses search engines

According to some estimates, more than 60 million searches have been conducted over the Internet since it first came into vogue. These days, virtually a billion people use the Internet every day and the great majority of them rely on search engines to find what they want. Search Engine Optimisation is a way to make your site visible on these search engines, especially on companies like Google, Yahoo! and MSN, which are the leading search engines in the world. Ranking high on these search engine results is an incredible advantage for your Web site. And, through Search Engine Optimisation, you can achieve just that. Just imagine, ranking high on search engines means getting more visitors, which in turn means getting more potential customers, which in turn means more sales. Therefore, for any business, big or small, Search Engine Optimisation can translate into more sales. Isn't it about time you jumped on that bandwagon.

2. Play with the big boys

If you're going to engage in Search Engine Optimisation, you might as well play ball with the largest search engine around. In this arena, Google, Yahoo!, MSN, My Way, Ask.com and AOL are king. Using Search Engine Optimisation to get high rankings in any or all of these household names will do wonders for your Web site.

3. Bank on the power of keywords

As its name suggests, keywords are the key to unlocking the treasures Search Engine Optimisation holds. Learn to use keywords and you have taken a giant step in SEO. Basically, keywords are those words and phrases that people type into search engines when they're looking for information. There are ways to make keywords work for your Web site. First, determine what keywords users are likely to search for when looking for content on your site. Second, position these keywords or key phrases in strategic points throughout your site, including at the start and the end of the document as well as within your copy. Depending on the number of words in your content, keywords or phrases should be repeated throughout the text, with a density of around 2-5%. For example, 12 repetitions in 400 words.

4. Determine your niche

With millions of sites littering the Internet, most sites have to compete with countless other sites to capture attention. You will have to fight your way to gain the recognition of users. To avoid fighting endless battles, try to to find your niche market. Search Engine Optimisation can do wonders, especially if you know the market you are catering to.

Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )