Internet Marketing Course -
Search Engine Optimization

Executive Summary:

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Search Engine Positioning (SEP), as some call it, is a key Internet Marketing topic. SEO is the art of improving the ranking of specific Web pages in the "natural" (also called "editorial" or "organic") search results of the major search engines and directories for a specific search phrase.

How Search Engine Optimization works

Search Engine Optimization starts with an understanding of what your potential Customers will do in a specific situation - what search phrase (two or more words) they will enter into one of the major crawler-based search engines (ex. Google search engine) or human-edited directories (ex. Google Directory) while looking for specific products, services and/or information.

Why focus on only the major search engines and directories - because they handle well over 90% of the Internet search traffic.

The major crawler-based search engines (in alphabetical order) include:

• AOL Search (powered by Google)
• Google
• MSN Search
• Yahoo (considered a major crawler as well as a major directory)

Second tier crawler-based search engines include:

• AltaVista (purchased by Overture, Feb. 2003; now a Yahoo property)
• Ask (formerly AskJeeves; now owned by IAC/InteractiveCorp) - the best of the rest
• FAST Search - Web site is AllTheWeb.com, (purchased by Overture, Feb. 2003; now a Yahoo property)
• HotBot (owned by Lycos; as of late 2002, has become a "meta" search engine for MSN Search, Ask and Google)
• Lycos - (powered by FAST Search; FAST is now a Yahoo property)
• MyWay (owned by Ask/IAC) - coming on strong
• Netscape Search (powered by Google)
• WiseNut (purchased by LookSmart)

Notes: Ignore Excite.com. It was a major crawler-based search engine until mid 2001. It has been turned into "meta search engine" that says it retrieves its search results from a number of sources including the Google, Yahoo and Ask search engines, but it appears that it's search results are slanted toward those from Overture.com.
Ignore Inktomi - it was purchased by Yahoo, Jan. 2003 and no longer offers a separate search function.
Ignore Teoma - it was purchased and merged with Ask (interesting side note - it is actually the original Teoma search technology that powers Ask search today).

The major human-edited directories are Yahoo, LookSmart and The Open Directory (Web site: dmoz.org; also powers the Google Directory, Web site: directory.google.com).

Once you have a very good idea what the top 3-5 search phrases are that your potential Customers would use in order to find the products, services and/or information you offer on the Web, you then must apply that knowledge to both "on-the-page" and "off-the-page" search engine optimization techniques.

After you have completed the search phrase review process, made all the required changes, both on the specific pages and on the Web, you then must monitor the progress of this effort to insure that the changes do in fact improve your pages' rankings on the major engines/directories.

The monitoring process should become an ongoing task. Why? Because the anticipated initial boost in page ranking for a given search phrase on a specific engine/directory can quickly be followed by a decline in ranking for that same phrase on that specific engine.

You also need to start an aggressive, targeted Reciprocal Links Program - this will ensure the long-term success of your Search Engine Optimization program.

In order to get your site immediate attention on the search engines, you need to do some well-targeted Search Engine Advertising

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 80/20 To Do Lists

Two step-by-step Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 80/20 To Do Lists™ are provided below. Follow the appropriate outline for your situation and you will reap 80% or more of the benefits of optimizing your site for the major search engines and directories.

Search Engine Optimization 80/20 To Do List - EXISTING Web site

Search Engine Optimization 80/20 To Do List - NEW Web site

Here are several excellent search engine information resources on the Web. If you would like to understand Search Engine Optimization in more detail, please take advantage of these excellent resources.

Here's the short list of my favorite Search Engine Optimization resources (click on each link below to see my brief review of each resource and a link to that site):

• High Rankings Advisor


• Search Engine Watch


• Spider Food Forums


• SearchEngineGuide.com

For Search Engine "newbies", try Marshall Brain's overview of how Internet search engines work at:

• Marshall Brain's HowStuffWorks.com

Want to learn more about Search Engine Optimization? Pick up a copy of Search Engine Optimization for Dummies by Peter Kent (click on the book title and you'll be taken to the Amazon.com info on this book). It's a really good book. And it ain't for Dummies!

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