Monday, August 25, 2008

Optimizing Your Website

By Michelle Ming


People often discuss Search Engine Optimization in the internet marketing and website design world. They wonder how it works, if it's worth the time and money spent to optimize their site. They wonder how SEO techiques and methods help gain higher rankings for their websites. There are myths on how to effectively improve search engine results without having to hire an SEO expert: adjusting Meta Tags, utilizing doorway and gateway pages, submitting multiple domain names, resubmitting pages on a weekly or monthly basis, and in-house self adjustments. People often utilize these common unproductive myths of optimization to try and improve search engine results.

Search engine tools origially used Meta Tags to discover what content a website provides. Meta Tags imbedded directly into the HTML document aren't directly visible by webpage visitors, but can easily be revised. Most search engines treat Doorway and Gateway pages as unwanted spam. Most search engines also ban Cloaking Doorway pages, which redirect visitors without their knowledge, to another page. Meta Tags, Doorway and Cloaking pages may seem to be quick and easy fixes for helping increase search engine results, but they carry the risk of getting you website banned, instead of increasing search engine results.

When referencing webpage optimization, "less is sometimes more" definitely holds some truth. It is not cost effective to maintain and build multiple websites. Utilizing multiple keyword domains not only narrows the focus of content on the site, but also limits the ability to cross-sell your other products. Once website information is found by a search engine database, it doesn't disappear with time. There are many services that claim to resubmit to search engines on a monthly basis, but this has no impact on rankings whatsoever.

Despite the various effective options on improving internet marketing exposure, many still try to optimize sites on their own. Fact of the matter is, website optimization is a very complicated task, involving far more that just tweaking Meta Tags or changing title tag keywords and phrases. The technical knowledge required for optimization of web design is specialized, and clients who utilize professional SEO services tend to rank at or near the top of major search engines. With search technology and algorithms which are used for defining rating on a search being reevaluated on a daily basis, the daunting task of website optimization is a task better left to the professionals.

Since most people locate a website or products and services via search engines, companies who utilize the services of a professional SEO company gain much higher prioritized rankings in search engines. They also receive more targeted traffic to their websites, since most visitors do not use the website URL itself. Utilizing SEO, consumers searching for a specific product or service like the ones your company offer would be more likely to be directed to your website. Higher, prioritized rankings in search engines are a direct result from the services of a quality SEO campaign developed by professionals.

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