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SEO - Thinking Like a Search Engine

There are volumes of information available for search engine optimization (SEO) techniques available. From forums, to books, to classes, and to general advice simply floating around. Terms such as white hat and black hat techniques, are often discussed as in the right way, or the fair way, or the way to gain a unique advantage. We often hear about link exchange, meta tags, and various other activities which may be part of an effective SEO strategy.

However before digging into the mechanics of what may or may not work to get your site at the top of the search engine results food chain, take a moment to step back and ponder this idea, what are the goals of the search engines themselves? They do have them you know, the search engines are not out there out of the goodness of their hearts. All of the major search engines, Google, Yahoo!, and MSN, exist for one thing, to turn a profit for their owners and maintainers.

And how do they turn a profit? The same way that any other enterprise on the Internet does, the same reason you are likely interested in SEO in the first place, by driving traffic to their sites. What is the number one thing that will make a particular search engine popular with magnitudes of traffic? By ensuring the search results they provide are as accurate and complete as possible. To ensure the sites that display at the top of those results contain the very information you are searching for. When this is a achieved, your search provides useful results, more than likely you are going to the same place for your next search, and on and on. It is the primary reason Google is the most successful search engine today, and when it fails to work as expected the primary cause of frustration for the searcher.

There is often talk of Google "changing the rules" from time to time. Do you really think they do so to make things more challenging for SEO activities? Not at all, Google is continually changing their methods and algorithms towards one primary goal, to produce the most effective results. If you happen to be out searching for "blue widgets", search Google for the term, and the results come back with the most useful and complete information you are looking for, you are a happy camper.

Therefore you can rest assured, when the Google team are sitting in their design meetings, they are discussing the best way they can provide that type of result. They are required to keep improving their methods because the competition is continually doing the same in an effort to keep up and even surpass them as the most popular search engine. It is clearly in Google's or any other search engines best interest that when you do a search for "blue widgets" that you indeed find what you are looking for.

When taking the first steps towards SEO, if your site is in the market of selling blue widgets, you need to ensure that elements of your site make that absolutely clear. The premium way of doing that is to ensure the content of the site is indeed about blue widgets to a human visitor to your site. Content is very much the key, how many times have you found the information you were looking for by viewing page source to look at the keyword tags? Not very often I would guess unless you happen to be an over the top geek.

All of the elements such as URL, page title, description, link building, and the like are only methods to assist the search engine spiders. The most important thing is content. Without it, all the other things may return short term results but not the long term results you are likely to be looking for.

 
Internet Success

Success in eCommerce, in any type of web based business, or simply building a web site that receives visits outside the scope of your family and close friends requires a plan and some effort, in most cases quite a bit of effort. As easy as it is for many of us to become lulled into the get rich simply by raising your hand method, its very unlikely to produce success. We've all seen the ads, "all you need to do is buy yourself a domain name", some claim you don't even need to do that, and just sit back and count the money as it rolls in. There are no magic formulas, no secrets to instant wealth, rather many who would have you play their game of smoke and mirrors while they get rich and you are out your "low, low price of $19.95".

Success on the Internet is no different than any other en devour, the investment of time and dedication, and knowing how to apply those resources are the key. Of course a really great idea doesn't hurt too much either as well as doing something you may enjoy. The thing that does make the Internet unique and provides the advantage over traditional businesses, are the relatively low startup costs and the far reaching effects which are possible. For an Internet business the world truly is your market.

I find the concepts of building a web site, promoting a business, and all the parts and pieces involved quite fascinating. I am a student really, having a thirst for knowledge, I enjoy learning the ins and outs of what may work and what doesn't. Much of what I know, I've learned simply by paying attention, as well as a few thousand visits to Google search. I began this journey with a small foundation of technical knowledge which I shared with others simply for the price of asking. When I encountered a problem that I didn't have the answer for, I went out and tracked it down. More often than not I managed to come up with solutions and all the while soaking up that knowledge.

And while my thirst on numerous occasions has been quenched, I find there really is no end to end all, there is always something else. I have come to the conclusion there is no single authority when it comes to the Internet or technology in general. There is not the way that is correct all the time in all conditions. I have discovered that things are not always as they appear, methods that go contrary to wildly held beliefs and are yet successful. I have found that the way that works, is the way that works, regardless of what the rule book says, and yet there is that constant of "does it make sense", because sometimes the rule book doesn't.

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and the things I've learned, and I enjoy helping others. That is what motivates me and provides me with a level of personal satisfaction. I am never afraid to say "I don't know", but I am always willing to do what it takes to find out. The articles I post here on this web site, I do because I feel they can be helpful to others who may also have that thirst for solutions. My solutions may not always work for everyone all the time, but they have worked for me and so I share. Call it generating positive karma or whatever you will, for as long as I have something useful to share, I'll keep doing just that.

 
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