SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In other words, this is how you get your name to the top of the list. Not just any list, but the list, the one people rely on for quality solutions to their everyday problems. Now, who doesn’t want that? With search engines such as Google driving as much as 80% of todays Internet traffic, SEO is essential to setting your website within the view of potential visitors. But before we get into some details of SEO, let’s talk about search engines.

Search Engines.

Search engines perform two major functions. They crawl the Internet and provide answers. In the crawling, or mapping, process, the search engine explores billions, yes billions, of pages and creates references. Relevant content is stored within databases, patiently waiting to be recalled upon for future searches. When the search engine provides answers, results are displayed based upon relevance and importance. These dimensions are measured by complex algorithms, which ultimately determine the ranking of websites.

Think popularity.

Contrary to what most of us are taught, popularity, at least in this case, is everything. Popularity equates to importance. The search engine assumes that the more popular the website, the more valuable the information; a method that has proven to be quite successful.

Design & Development

There are several elements to keep in mind when optimizing a website. Primarily, there is content. Containing HTML text on the page enables search engines to read through and index the information. Want to see what the search engine sees? Google’s Cache, SEO-browser and MozBar are some helpful tools to let you do just that. Then there is the link structure. Search engines navigate pages through the most available pathway, often traveling through links. It’s important to remember to properly link the pages of your website. Otherwise, the search engine will not recognize any of the pages left out, regardless of its relevance and importance. Keywords are another element of SEO. The results of a search are based on the words entered within the search box, including their spelling, punctuation, and even capitalization. When a word is entered in the box, the search engine finds a relevant database, ranks the documents and then returns a list of results; a pretty big job for less than a second of work. One of the best ways to optimize pages is to include key words in the titles, text and meta data of a website. More specific key words increase the chance of ranking higher. This is due to the fact that more specific key words provide less competition. Search engine optimization can also be improved with the adjustment of other elements such as title tags, meta tags, URL structure, duplicate content and rich snippets. As a Florida advertising agency, BIGEYE practices and encourages SEO. Everyday, people are using search engines to navigate their way through the Internet. This an opportunity to make your website and your business more accessible to the visitor. When an individual types a query into their search box and the name of your business appears near the top of the first page, there is an intangible quality about it. There’s that comforting sense of reassurance that your business is the right one. For a more in depth look into search engine optimization, check out this informative tutorial provided by SEOmoz or learn how to build the perfectly optimized page. Ready to get in touch with a team of digital strategists to help you navigate the in's and out's of search engine optimization? Contact us today to get started!