SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)?

Most people with or without websites are totally unaware of this phr ase “Search Engine Optimisation.
What is it? Why do we need it? Who needs it? Is there a quick way to get to the top of online search results?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process in which your website is registered with the Search Engines and ultimately helps put your site at the top of the Search Engine searches. Not all sites are equal. Some sites look great and never get a customer, while others may or may not look great but get lots of enquiries. Why is this? Is it fair?

The Search Engines are very large scale businesses (like Google) and generate lots of income in one way or another for the companies that own them. There are millions and millions of web sites, so how do the Search Engines rate these sites? Over time the Search Engines have developed ways of “ranking” websites against criteria which the Search Engines have developed and which they change on a continuing basis. The Search Engines use “spiders” to trawl the net and “test” the sites they are scheduled to look at, which in turn produces the site’s “rank”. It’s a bit like your site “taking an exam”. The best ranking sites get to the top of the search results, the others don’t.

PPC (Pay Per Click)

This is the process which can get your site to the top of the rankings instantly or almost. However the downside is that you have to pay the Search Engine a certain amount (say £0.50) every time someone “clicks” on your link. Now this sounds good, and makes the \search Engines lots of money, if you expect say 30,000 hits a year on your site, this would be a marketing budget of £15K per year, which is pretty high.

SEO scores over this approach in that once the site makes it in the rankings then there is little ongoing cost (relatively speaking) in maintaining that position

It may be that your site does not need to be found, although this is unusual. Most people or companies setting up sites want customers and they want these customers to find them. It’s like having an advert in the paper, you pay for the ad but expect a certain degree of exposure and real customers to appear at the end.