The WHY of Search Engine Optimization

There are many articles written on the HOW of SEO, covering the many and varied aspects of the art of improving your site's position in search engine ranking pages (SERPs). While most people have heard the term "search engine optimization" and have a vague appreciation (or apprehension) of the hoped-for outcome, surprisingly few people seem to really understand WHY it is absolutely essential.

That includes a depressing number of website designers, some of whom actually tell their clients that SEO is a waste of time and money, and that it's quite unnecessary these days because Google is smarter than ever before... Au contraire - it becomes more and more critical every day, as website numbers expand exponentially! Lack of knowledge is not confined to website designers, it also includes a number of wanna-be SEO firms who make outrageous claims about their special relationship and affinity with Google etc, but have little idea of what it takes to consistently succeed in attaining Top 30 rankings. Be very aware that in most cases website design is taught as an Art, not as a Business discipline. Website designers are rarely taught anything about search engine optimization, and few are interested in mastering the skills required to produce optimal results. That's all very fine and dandy - but it leaves a lot of website owners desperately dísappointed in mediocre results! You've probably heard the analogy about building a shop in the middle of a forest too, I bet? Seriously, it really does not matter how beautiful the site is - if no one finds it, then it's just a gorgeous waste of virtual space.

Content is Still King

Regardless of the various conflicting opinions, Google conspiracy theories and misinformation, it comes down to a very simple concept - content quality, and accurate content classification.

Content is where many sites fail dismally! The sites that thrive are those with well written, well organized original, interesting and useful content. Don't copy other peoples stuff. Aside from being illegal, at best it immediately downgrades you to second best... As a general rule, from an SEO perspective, bear in mind the most fundamental issue - Google loathes duplicate content!

Classification

There are literally millíons of websites, each competing for viewers in a particular niche. Reasons for their existence vary across the A to Z spectrum - advertising, entertainment, comedy, educational, humour, informational, music, news, promotional, sports, wine, video, zoos... you get the picture, right?

In the world of books we have the Dewey decimal classification system. Every published work is assigned an ISBN number, and libraries classify all books under a rigid hierarchical subject classification system. It's not perfect, but it works pretty well because every one uses and understands it! Erudite people write insightful book reviews, which are sometimes included in advertising and promotions. Hold this thought, it's relevant to a following section. You want to find a book on a particular topic, or by a specific author, you do a search and Eureka! You've found it, there's a list, even! The best books are reviewed multiple times, and take pride of place in the "best sellers" rack.

Relevancy Ranking

Using different terminology, search engines are trying hard to do the same thing - to give their searchers the most accurate list possible, containing exactly what they want, so they can pick and choose from it! Unfortunately, there is no Dewey classification system on the web. The closest thing to a hierarchical subject listing is the Open Directory, Yahoo, or one of the thousands of other web directories - all of which are inconsistently organized into completely different illogical structures!

So, here we have Google and other search engines trying valiantly to index and categorize the billions of pages on millíons of websites, in hundreds of countries in a multiplicity of languages. Then, they have to calculate each page's relevance to specific search queries...

Are You Helping or Hindering?

That's where YOU come into the picture... It's a big, big task - have you made any effort at all to help Google to help you? Or is your website fuzzy and unfocused, with no clear statement of content or purpose? In most cases, sites are constructed with vague intentions to do SEO as an optional extra sometime in the future... What, you want Google to do everything for you?

Done Any Homework?

Do you have any idea how your primary audience searches for the information, products or services you offer? Do the pages on your site describe your content using terms your clients use? Because that's the only way Google can match searchers with relevant content! What? You actually forgot to do any market research before launching the site? You have no accurate, researched, hard data on the keywords your potential clients would use? You asked your friends at work for ideas? Absolutely incredible!

Let's pretend you're looking for clients for your small bed & breakfast business in Christchurch, New Zealand. You are optimistic that potential customers in New Zealand, Australia and the UK will be able to find your website amongst the millíons of competing B&B pages on the web, be convinced by your persuasive advertising copy and elegant pictures... you'd also like them to come and book directly with you, to avoid hefty commission payments on the dozens of B&B Advertising Directory sites who also want you to pay to advertise! Dream on!

So You Want Google To Work For You?

You'd really like Google et al to help connect your potential clients to your business via Search Engine Results Pages by making your site No.1... And you certainly want "qualified" traffic from Google, visitors who are specifically looking for exactly what you provide!

Anyone who thinks they can survive online without Google, Yahoo and MSN is either a thoroughly well-rounded idiot, or is a household name who does not need to advertise to generate qualified traffic. There is no middle ground.

But here's where it gets hard! How will Google do that? What solid information have you provided Google in your on-site content, and in the off-site links to your site? Have you got a Domain Name which encapsulates your business type and location; Bed-Breakfast-Christchurch.co.nz? Or a cryptic name, like; BnBChChNZ.com? Of the two, which is most likely to give the SE its first clue as to what your site is about?

What is On-Site SEO

Think about it this way... Does your home page have an explicit and accurate Title that provides a direct and unequivocal statement of the site's business purpose in 70 characters? Does the Title say "Bed & Breakfast Accommodation, Christchurch New Zealand" or does it say "Welcome to Dusty Lodge" or something equally asinine?

Does your home page have an explicit and accurate Description that provides a brief outline of your business purpose, unique selling proposition, and call to action, encapsulated in 150 – 200 characters? Or does it contain some vague warm and fuzzy drivel about beaches and sunsets?

Keep the book analogy in your mind, and take a look at your Home page, particularly the first heading and first paragraph... "Welcome to my website" is not a productive approach! What does it tell your visitors about you? It tells me that you are at best naïve and both you and your website designer need SEO counselling! And think about that first paragraph... is it an accurate summary of the site's reason for existence? Eliminate that fruity, cheesy, fluffy verbiage immediately!

If your website is required to deliver a return on investment, particularly by selling products or services, or delivering customer service, informing or entertaining, you really need to accurately describe your website's content, and allow it to become visible online. What's that I hear? Oh, you want it to make you rích as well? But you don't really want to make a serious commitment or effort to do the job properly? Right... good luck with that! And remember that old GIGO acronym - "Garbage In, Garbage Out!"

What is Off-Site SEO?

This may surprise you, but some people are dishonest about their site content. Frankly, some people handle the truth in a very awkward fashion indeed... Telling Google that your site is about Pamela Anderson, when its actually selling Bart Simpson comics, is deuced annoying to the people who visit it! Therefore, Google and other SE's decided long ago that some external verification of every website's content would assist their efforts to deliver the most relevant SERPs to their clients. Makes perfect sense to me...

How is this achieved, I hear you ask. Well, you've heard of links, right? Back to the book analogy - think of good links as being like a series of book reviews! What if lots of people are writing positive things about your site? What if multiple, external, widely distributed sites are all saying that your site is about "Bed & Breakfast Accommodation Christchurch NZ" huh? The balance of probability that your site is relevant to such a search is positively impacted by this external confirmation! A coincidence of keywords in on-site content and off-site links reassures Google immensely! Those keywords in the off-site links are referred to as anchor text, and should form the link title.

No, Its Not Rocket Science

Frankly, search engine optimization, in the pure sense of the term, is not particularly difficult to understand, or to do. The aim of the search engines is to provide their customers with the content most relevant to the search they are making. Therefore, your salvation lies in making your content relevant to the known searches! Do some thorough keyword research, learn and understand your target audience's searching behaviour. Plan pages that target specific, high-volume, low competition search phrases.

Don't be vague, don't waffle, and help Google to help you. When the economic gravy pot is bubbling merrily, and there's ample business gravy slopping over, even the mediocre get a share. But when the economic ice age casts midnight shadows at noon, and credít wolf packs softly pad the empty streets, howling balefully at the waning moon... When you're sucking the last congealed streaks of business gravy off your tarnished spoon... Ask yourself - can you afford your website to be 2nd rate, disorganized and inarticulate, with the Why of SEO ringing in your ears?