SEO

From NewHaven Software Wiki

About

What is SEO? Wikipedia defines it as 'Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results.'[1] In simpler terms it means to modify or design your site in a way that is more friendly to search engines. Good SEO is not about tricks or tactics to manipulate the search engines into returning better results for your site, but rather presenting your content in consistent and optimized format.

The first thing you should always remember when discussing how well your site ranks is content. If your site has little or no quality content it is unlikely that users will return link to your site much less link to it.

There are three main components to increasing search engine traffic to your site:

• Technical -- Is your site written with valid HTML and CSS? Are there proper <title> and header tags? Do you have a valid sitemap? Are portions of your site invisible unless using Flash or JavaScript?

• Content -- Content is still king. Does your site have good content? Do your products contain descriptive information that would help a user find your products using a search engine? Are you using quality keywords that would att

• Marketing -- Are you linking to quality sites and are they linking to you in turn? Have you promoted your site to blogs or other sites in your industry? Are you using ads to target

Some handy resources:

• SEOmoz.org - Long considered one of the best sites on the site to learn about SEO. There are must read guides for the beginner and great lists of free tools.

• Search Engine Land - One of, if not the most popular sites for news and information about the search industry. Great set of beginners guides