Search Engine Optimization information, how to use a search engine and targeting the search engines.

Business Website Information

Copyright Statement

Toucher Web Design UK holds full copyright of this website. It is regularly checked automatically using COPYSCAPE. Copyright infringers are automatically detected and invoiced for the use of our original content.

[Home Page > Browsing or Surfing the Internet > SEO ]

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine optimization is extremely important If you want to try to generate enquiries from your website so it is important that you have an appreciation of how the search engines work. We are all very much dependent on search engines for finding information. The top search engines are currently Google, Yahoo and Live.com (MSN). They account for the vast majority of all Internet searches.

Some online directories are also important. Yahoo has its own directory as does Google, which uses the data from www.dmoz.org, a human edited directory ran by volunteers. This is otherwise known as the Open Directory Project.

Using a Search Engine

There are many different ways of finding information using a search engine, much too many to discuss here. It is worth pointing out that the Internet is now too large for single word searches to be effective. Most successful searches start with two, three or more words. Inexperienced search engine users tend to use natural language searches like how do I find a hotel in Roanoke?. Experienced searchers would use the more appropriate Hotel accommodation Roanoke.

If you have a website that is designed to sell a product or service the facts are that it will be no good to you unless it is getting found on the search engines. Let's say that you have a training consultancy that specialises in management training. People using the internet to find this service will most likely start by entering something like "management training" in their chosen search engine. How valuable would it be to your company's website to pop up in the number one position of the results?

This, combined with an attractive website that provides the information the search engine user is looking for, is likely to lead to many enquiries and a corresponding increase in business for your company.

Search Engines and Selling Goods Online

SEO is likely to be very important if you want to sell goods online. Clearly your website would have to attract a large number of visitors to be viable so you have to find a way of channeling people into your site.

If you were selling children's Teddy Bears in Canada you would want to figure prominently in the results when someone searched for teddy bears or teddy bears Canada. That is why the major companies pay many thousands of pounds to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Companies. Successful SEO programs are extremely lucrative because they are possibly the most "targeted" form of advertising available.

Targeting the Search Engines

targeting search engines You may place an ad in a newspaper or magazine but it is only effective if by chance the casual reader wants your product. On the other hand, when someone searches for a product or service on the Internet they are specifically looking for this product or service.

If you offer this product and they find their way into your website there is a good chance that they will buy it.

Many people baulk at paying for SEO but they are quite happy to pay Yellow Pages $$$ for a basic entry that may never bring them any business just because they feel that they have to be in Yellow Pages.

This is no longer true, Internet Search is the new product finder of choice for most people.

< Previous | Next - Search Engine Indices >