SEO | The Bottom Line In SEO

By Andrew Redfern @ 9th August 2011 8:30 am

There are innumerable ways to improve a page's Search Engine Optimisation , or SEO . Whether improving the quality and keyword density of your page's text content, developing a strong network of useful links from other popular sites or any number of other tried and tested techniques, the name of the game is forcing search engines to take notice of your site and rank it highly within search results for the searches that you want to be a part of.

It can be pretty daunting to try and addressing each of these rules and recommendations from the outset, which is why this article is designed to help you lay a solid foundation from which to develop your SEO strategies throughout the life of the page. The pointers referenced in this passage are the fundamentals of SEO and the starting point for anybody who wants their site to ascend the rankings.

The bottom line in SEO is this: Text, Links, Popularity and Reputation.

Text is an absolute necessity because search engines operate using functions nicknamed spiders or crawlers which trawl the worldwide web instantaneously to find information that is relevant to the terms of a user's search, but spiders/crawlers are only capable of reading text.

For this reason, a website with the most stunning imagery and design is likely to feature less prominently in a natural search list than one with quality, keyword rich text.

In many ways, links, popularity and reputation go hand in hand. The more popular your site, the higher it will appear in the rankings as search engines will perceive it to be a valuable resource on the given subject matter.

The popularity of another site can have a positive effect on your ranking too, if you are able to secure a link within that site to your own. The strength and quality of links to and from your site, all contribute to your position within search listings.

But just as exterior forces can have a positive influence on your ranking, the opposite can also occur. If you share a server with a blacklisted IP address or known spammer, you will suffer a much lower ranking as a result. This could diminish the effect of any hard work you carry out producing strong, keyword rich text and to the same degree a site with less text content but very strong authoritative links may fare better.

Observe the four cornerstones of SEO and you are likely to reap the benefits. There is no magic wand for SEO, just a set of principles. But if you are faithful to them, you are likely to benefit from a much higher ranking and, in turn, a great deal more clicks.

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