SEO is the abbreviation for search engine optimization. ‘Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s natural or organic search results.'[1] The highest ranked website that is displayed in the search results list receives a number of visitors from the search engine’s users. SEO help to make sure that a site is accessible by a search engine. ‘Search engines are programs that search documents for specified keywords and return a list of documents where the keywords were found.'[2] Search engines enable users to search for documents on World Wide Web. Search engines refer users to websites if they find the content, performance of a website that is the most relevant to what the user is looking for.
To understand the goal of SEO, consider our internet browse habits. When we want to get some information we make use of search engines because it is the easiest and fastest way to retrieve the information. On a search query some results are displayed out of which we are more likely to go to the first page of results because they contain the relevant information about what we are looking for. As a general rule, the websites that appear on the top in the results get more users when compared to the other sites. So the goal of SEO is to get to position one by optimizing the web site so that the search engines rank the web sites as high as possible.
Strategies to strengthen a web site’s visibility
The visibility of a site can be defined as the ease with which the users find the site among millions of the sites. Effective strategies of website depend on the knowledge of an individual business. It is necessary to follow some basic principles so that there is a pretty good chance of getting to page one.
Identify and Use Keywords
The first step of optimization to find required website is to make sure that we are using proper keywords in a search engine query. At first, we need to make our own list of keywords and then use the Google AdWords Keywords Tool which is designed to help in identifying the required keywords. Once the keywords are identified, make sure that the keywords appear in the body as well as metadata of the page which cannot be seen.
Use Readable URL’s
URL is one of the most important factors of search engines. It is necessary to make sure that the URL’s are easy to find by search engines. It is good if we use the most important keywords in the URL.
Usage of Good Content
Website content must be properly written and it must make use of the keywords so that the website maybe on top of search engine results list. The content must consist of words and phrases which are used by people while browsing. There should be some text on site’s homepage which describes the site and its purpose. There must be no duplicate content within the website since the presence of the duplicate content is an indication of low value according to the search engine.
Linking
PageRank to the website is a number scored out of 10 which is given based on the inbound and outbound links. This PageRank helps the search engine in verifying the trustworthy of the website. ‘Linking between sites allows link juice to be carried through, so if your site is linked to by a site with a good PageRank, link juice will be carried forward to your site, improving your ranking.'[3]
‘Link juice is a colloquial term in the SEO world that refers to the power or equity passed to a site via links from external or internal sources. This power is interpreted as a vote of recommendation toward your site and is one of the most important factors in determining your site’s search ranking and PageRank.'[4]
To improve the PageRank of the website, the inbound links to the website must be controlled. In the website, reference and hyperlink are to be included when site or a source is mentioned.
Keep It Fresh
The content of the web page must be changed frequently because the rate at which the search engine visits the site depends on the content. To make sure that the content is updated regularly, a task should be made to change text, add images, add or remove pages etc. A blog can be maintained which is related to the website so that regular posts can be done.
Promote with Social Media
The website can be promoted by using the social media platforms. Post content in these platforms along with the link which helps in increasing the website visibility. Later monitor the progress of the website. This can be done by looking at the traffic of the website and where is it coming from. This progress helps to analyze and adjust the strategies of the website and to stay focused on the website goals.