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If you're going to sell any type of product or service online, you're
eventually going to have to optimize your Web site for the Search
Engines, in order to boost traffic and sales.
Many years ago, it was quite easy to draw effective traffic, as a good
content-driven site, with good products, was enough to get a Web site
ranked highly in the Search Engines. The competition has increased one
thousand times over since then, with billions of Web sites existing
online now, making for some very stiff competition in the area of
Search Engine placement and rankings.
This increase in competition has given rise to many different styles,
and many different methods of Web site optimization. Optimization is
simply the method of making a Web site "Search Engine friendly", by
using methods of enhancement that will increase rankings and placement
by placing the Web site higher in the SERPS (Search Engine Results
Pages).
Everything from software to increase rankings and placement, to Search
Engine Management and Marketing Firms exist, with many online merchants
becoming confused about what or "whom" to use and how to effectively
use the various services to increase rankings and placement.
The real battle seems to exist between those that favor "Organic SEO"
as opposed to those that prefer "Non-Organic SEO". The term organic
itself is defined by Webster's Dictionary as: instrumental; acting as
instruments of nature or of art to a certain destined function or end
(Webster's: 1913: 3).
Organic SEO, also called Natural SEO, is the most time consuming, and
the most tedious method of optimization for placement and rankings.
However, it is prone to longevity of results, as it has a focus on
content, meta-tag enhancement using proper descriptions, keyword
enhanced copy within the appropriate specified densities of the Search
Engines, and link exchanges. In addition, keyword dense reports,
articles, and other content materials are usually added in a routine
fashion to a site to maintain the densities necessary and increase
rankings and placement.
Organic SEO, if done properly in a step-by-step approach, can literally
promote increased traffic and rankings for years. It can also contain
overall marketing costs, as the use of PPC (Pay Per Click), is not
needed as much with this method. The main drawbacks with this type of
SEO, however, are the length of time it takes to properly implement all
the steps necessary, and the length of time it takes the Search Engines
to thoroughly spider and index a site that has implemented Organic SEO.
Non-Organic SEO, also called Artificial SEO, can take many forms, and
can use some Organic SEO coupled with other techniques. These
techniques can include software generated keyword enhanced pages, some
methods of re-directs, whereby traffic is shunted off from other sites,
with their permissions, and software generated doorway pages and
meta-tag descriptions. There are many different techniques that can be
employed including rather controversial ones such as hidden text loaded
with keywords, and tiny text.
Overall, Non-Organic SEO methods are quite popular, as it is a much
quicker means to rankings and placement. Links might be purchased from
"link farms" which are simply services that specialize in the promotion
of links to others.
Although Non-Organic SEO can speed up rankings and placement initially,
care needs to be given when using any of these methods. If keyword
dense pages are automatically generated en masse, the Search Engines
might view large sites, with large numbers of such pages as "Search
Engine Spammers" and a risk of being banned does exist. In addition,
pages may initially place very high, only to drop lower rather quickly,
as the Search Engines still place a great emphasis on good content,
which is not usually the focus of the Non-Organic type of SEO.
All in all, it really depends upon the overall purpose of a site, and
the longevity of results desired by a Web master/site owner. It also
depends upon how quickly results and sales are needed. For some
seasonal sites, such as holiday-theme sites that only remain up for a
few weeks or months, then the quicker method of Non-Organic SEO can be
quite effective. On the other hand, if a Web master/site owner promotes
a product or service to which they are committed for years, or perhaps
a lifetime, then Organic SEO would definitely be the better choice of
optimization method.
No matter which type of SEO methods are chosen or implemented, an
ongoing campaign of optimization does need to exist, as the parameters
that are used for the rankings and placement by the Search Engines,
change frequently, and research into current methods needs to be done
routinely.
As the old saying goes, "Different strokes for different folks", really
applies to Search Engine Optimization and rankings and placement. The
whole Search Engine Optimization process is really more art than
science, and continues to change daily.
Vishal P. Rao is the owner of Home Based Business Opportunities - One of Internet's leading website dedicated to starting, managing and marketing a home based business.
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