Search Engine Optimization FAQ

What is search engine optimization?

SEO is the process in which your Website undergoes redevelopment to properly and best communicate your keywords to search engines. In order for your Website to rank highly among major search engines, you must understand how they become ranked. Search engines rank Websites based on two major factors: Unique content with pertinent keywords in the body, and link popularity - the number of quality incoming links your Website has. Other important algorithms that determine your ranking with search engines are the architecture of the site, visibility of your content, underlying code and how natural your site appears to the engines.

Definition: Search engine optimization is the practice of guiding the development or redevelopment of a website so that it will naturally attract visitors by winning top ranking on the major search engines for selected search terms and phrases.

For an introduction to search engine optimization, including tips and analyses, visit Search Engine Optimization 101.

For a best practices white paper on search engine optimization, visit Guide to Search Engine Optimization, by C. J. Newton, published by the American Marketing Association.

What is search engine spam, or SEO spam?

Defining Search Spam

In the search engine world, spam is defined as the manipulation of a web page to give it an artificial boost in the search engine rankings. Generally, spam is what the search engines say it is. I.e., it is defined by the search engines themselves. Each of the major search engines provide specific guidelines describing what webmasters should and should not do to their web pages in order to achieve a better search engine ranking, though that has not always been the case.

Several methods are universally deemed search spam, including hidden text, doorway pages, and mirror pages.

For engine-specific guidelines, visit the search engines themselves.

Yahoo! > Search Help > Search Spam & Deletions provides information about what search engine optimization tricks to avoid on Yahoo! and on Alltheweb, which will soon be powered by Yahoo!.

Google Information for Webmasters provides information about what techniques to avoid on AOL, Google and Netscape.

AltaVista - Help - Adding & Removing URLs provides information about what techniques to avoid for AltaVista. Just search the page for the word spam by selecting "Edit > Find (on This Page)... Ctrl+F" in the browser menu.

Submit Express
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BenchMark
http://www.benchmarkseo.com
Benchmark Search Engine Optimization is a division of the Benchmark Internet Group, a company dedicated to assisting clients obtain "measurable results" from their internet marketing.

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Found Agency
http://www.foundagency.com.au
Found Agency has built a formidable reputation for results in natural or organic search engine optimisation. Search engine marketing is an energetic, competitive practice ¨C with frequent changes in specific technology, and in successful strategies for maintaining optimal rankings in each engine¡¯s results.

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1-Hit
http://www.1-hit.com
1-Hit provides complete search engine optimization services include keyword phrase research, natural search engine optimization, link popularity / pagerank analysis and recommendations, XML feeds and paid inclusion, sponsored listings mnagement and detailed reporting services.

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Market Leap
http://www.marketleap.com
Marketleap is a San Francisco based Internet marketing firm specializing in search engine optimization and online customer acquisition solutions. Marketleap's innovative technology, industry relationships and intellectual capital are the foundation for achieving client business objectives online.

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