Search engine optimization

SEO or Search Engine Optimization (SEO, . Engl) means measures that serve to that Web pages in search engine ranking in the unpaid search results (natural listings) appear at higher places. Search engine optimization is a branch of search engine marketing.

Operation

The searching and reading in the content of Web pages follows familiar HTML standards of the Web, which is why their application on the creation of websites is the first step of optimization. According to statements made by Google, however, the validity of an HTML page is not a factor influencing the ranking dar. Nevertheless, the pages are particularly HTML compliant, be loaded by the browser faster, which is rewarded by search engines entirely.

We divide the SEO in online marketing roughly into two areas, the on-page and off-page optimization. This categorization is moored to the criterion of whether it 's own site is under construction or take influence on other websites.

Onpage optimization

The on-page optimization includes all content- side customizations of your own website. These include the optimization of the page content (including content ) with respect to formatting, headings, etc., but also technical aspects such as the header and tags, as well as the internal link structure of the page. Usually a off page optimization is always preceded by on-page optimization. The actually designed for search engine meta tag keyword is now no longer taken into account by Google. The same applies to the Meta Description. This, however, may appear (depending on the query) as an excerpt in the SERPs and therefore should not be ignored.

A further step is the selection of appropriate search terms ( keywords). This can be done freely available databases as a keyword or database of MetaGer web associator operate. In addition, offers the use of the Google AdWords Keyword Tool, which lists related keywords next to the approximate number of monthly searches per keyword.

Usually a site for one or two keywords is optimized. Often a comprehensive site is divided into several pages to optimize them to different words. These main and annexe keywords are set (also the primary and secondary keywords ) for the respective sides. The keywords with the corresponding contents are combined. A kind of optimization is performed by so-called landing pages. The user enters with the click on the link to a specially optimized for SEO purposes page.

As part of the methods of SEO has its own style of writing has developed in this area, which can be described as search engine optimized style. This follows the " rules" of SEO, which are to some extent determined by the search mechanisms of the search engine. It is implicit rules, since they are reconstructed on the basis of the success factors of the optimization, because a search engine providers are usually not known his criteria for qualitative classification of indexed pages.

In the search engine optimization therefore the techniques of web crawlers and sorting algorithms of search engine are examined. This will be disclosed only in part and often changed to make it harder abuse and to provide relevant results to the user. The unknown and kept secret techniques are examined by reverse engineering of search results. Here, we analyze how search engines index websites and their content and what criteria they are evaluated, compiled and sorted by the search engine.

The specifications by the search engine content of the pages can thereby completely contradict the rules of classical text production. For example, play grammatical rules for the search algorithms hardly matters. In this way, often misspelled keyword can contribute more to the optimization of the ranking as a technically correct term. However, this procedure decreases because Google and other search engines are increasingly identify and assign misspellings independently.

Since these mechanisms are subject to dynamic development, this style of writing is also often adapted to again deliver the best possible result in the optimization of each. This means that a page will never be optimized only once. Rather, it requires a long-term review of the relevance of keywords used, since also changed user behavior.

OffPage optimization

The " off-page optimization " takes away instead of to be optimized page and includes all activities outside the site to be optimized.

Meanwhile, it is no longer alone is sufficient to increase the relevance of web pages. A good listing and a good search engine visibility is also strongly (called back reference or backlink ) from the quantity and quality of inbound links to a site affected. In the off-page optimization is about the emergence of a structural link with other websites in order to better position themselves in specific thematic areas. For example, one looks for thematically appropriate websites in order to win them for a link partnership. The use of so-called Link Research Tools can be worthwhile scour the best bases on a domain. In addition, the configuration of the link text on references is essential for the placement for certain search words. To study sites for their potential out free web applications can be used. Often satisfy small changes in order to greatly increase the ranking in search engines.

A new development in the off page optimization is - in addition to generation of Backlinks - possible the simultaneous generation of so-called "social signal ". It is to mention the website in the form of "likes ", " shares ", " Comments" ( Facebook) or " Plus 1 " ( Google ). The background to this development is that search engines do not analyze the backlinks, but check both algorithmically, share how intense users of a web page within selected social networks like Facebook or Google . However, it must be mentioned that the value of backreferences ( backlink ) continues to decrease and is assessed more accurately. In addition to the content relevance of a linked website, include their own value is taken into account. The more a website and the higher the relevance, the greater the influence on the search engine optimization of a website. After the Russian search engine Yandex recently outputs the search results without an assessment of backlinks, expect a lot of Google search engine optimizers similar steps. Currently the backlinks still have a very high relevance to the optimization of a website.

Academic Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization is applied not only in the field of web pages, but also for academic PDF files to optimize them to academic search engines such as Google Scholar and CiteSeer. The basic principle of academic search engine optimization ( Academic Search Engine Optimization, ASEO ) is the same as with the traditional Web search engine optimization. The PDF should have as high a keyword density and instead of (hyper ) links include citations. The range of academic search engine optimization is still young and is currently being evaluated by the academic community greatly. Some consider it immoral to tailor scientific articles on academic search engines, others consider it necessary so search engines can index and weight the contents of PDFs better and "fair ".

Ethical rules

Methods that bring non-relevant web pages on top positions of search engine results pages are referred to as search engine spamming; they violate the rules, set up the search engines to protect against manipulation of their search results. Thus, it is possible to set up automatic redirection that contain text pages created specifically for search engines. This method of working with so-called doorway pages, however, contradicts the guidelines of most search engines. Cases that are uncovered by the search engine operators, often have the spell of the relevant page for the Commission, ie the landing pages in question are excluded from the search index.

So BMW had to accept short notice in early 2006 that the website of the automotive Konzernes was completely removed from Google because a number of automatically forwarding bridge pages have been created. Once BMW had removed the offending pages, bmw.de was resumed in the Google index.

Ethical Search Engine Optimization ( engl. white hat search engine optimization) avoids spamming. It does away with undesirable practices such as the use of doorway pages or a link farm and follow the directives of the individual search engines. This reduces the risk of exclusion or downgrading in the search result pages is avoided. In contrast to the ethical " white hat " search engine optimization is the optimization methods involving unwanted by the search engines " black hat " called optimization.

Link pyramid

In the field of search engine optimization occurred since the end of 2000 more on the concept of link pyramid. The link pyramid tries to simulate a natural backlink building. To this end, the backlinks of several successful entrepreneurs were analyzed and considered. It was good to see that the so-called foundation consists of simple links, and decreases the number, the higher the quality the links. Hence, the image of a pyramid, from which the word link pyramid was derived. In order to handle a link pyramid, using bottom-up seen fewer and fewer links. This results from the fact that it is increasingly difficult for high-quality links to get to them.

Technical limits

Clean graphically oriented, designed with movies, images and graphics embedded text, pages, as it allows for example, programming in Flash, the search engines offer hard evaluable text code. Since 2008, the company Adobe has the company Google and Yahoo provided the technology with which they can access previously exploitable content in Flash files. Google explains: " Googlebot can index almost all texts are displayed to users when they interact with flash SWF files on your site. On the basis of these texts, the Googlebot generate snippets or Syndicate requested terms in the Google search. In addition, the URLs that Googlebot can see in SWF files, for example, follow links to other pages on your website and them. " However, neither dynamically loaded texts are recorded in this way, nor can link text or various sub-pages within Flash are identified. Therefore, the programming a website entirely in Flash is not advisable from the perspective of search engine optimization.