Laura James

Search Engine Optimization (optimisation), or SEO, is very important because it serves as a primary method for a website to be found by someone who is doing an internet search. It is not surprising then that those “prime listings” are highly prized by those of us who have websites. After all, achieving high ranking in the search engines may result in dramatically increased website traffic.

While the good ratings are desired, it is uncommon for numerous websites to rate poorly, or even not be listed at all. A primary reason for this is lack of understanding, or perhaps not considering, the process of how search engines work. For example, many people will just set up a website or blog and leave it at that. In other instances, some people think all they need to do is submit the name of their website to one of the search engines and do nothing else. Either way, if you’re on one of these paths, it is time to rethink your strategy.

While I think of it, please don’t be tempted by any of the “search engine secrets or methods” that claim to improve your chances of obtaining a top listing. Don’t take any chances by using dishonest or “black hat” strategies to try and achieve a higher website ranking. There are honest, effective ways to achieve this process.

You may be wondering about how search engines obtain their listings. One of the biggest ways is by “crawling” your website. Another method is through human powered directories. Both are important and each obtains their listing information differently.

First, let’s cover crawler-based search engines. This means a listing that is created automatically. Google is one such example of this. They have methods that either “spider” or “crawl” each page of a website. Once this is done, these website pages appear in the search engines. Remember that if you change your website pages, this may affect how you are listed. The crawler-based search engines will find these changes, which include revising the copy or changing page titles, eventually. These spiders and crawlers are constantly at work on millions of blogs and websites worldwide, especially as new pages are added or other updates are done.

The second method is through human-powered directories. This method is dependent on humans for its listings. An example of this would be the Open Directory, or what is also known as DMOZ (Directory Mozilla). There are many others, of course. Just research this through one of the search engines. You will likely find ones that are suitable to your situation and end up submitting your information. Editors of these directories also write reviews for various websites. However, I would not recommend waiting for this to occur. A good website that has good content is probably more likely to be reviewed for free as opposed to a low quality website. In the case of human powered directories, there is no effect on your listing if you make any changes to your website pages. The issues that are important for improving a listing within one of the search engines, such as Google, Yahoo!, Bing, or Alta Vista, have nothing to do with improving a listing within the numerous human powered directories that are available.

Please keep in mind that these are just a few of the helpful methods available for getting your website or blog ranked higher within the search engine optimization (optimisation) process. Others include article submission, keyword research, and social bookmarking.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

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