Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, involves many different internal and external factors affecting a web site. Things like directory links, description tags, and URL structure. However, it is possible to categorize each of these smaller considerations into one of the three major aspects involved in SEO. These major aspects are as follows:

Internal SEO Aspects

A large part of SEO involves optimizing a web site internally; making sure search engine spiders can navigate it, adding ALT tags to images, creating a site map, entering valid META tags, and so on. Many of these efforts are not only useful for SEO purposes; they make sites easier for human visitors to use and navigate as well. It also includes the use of proper keyword density, original/unique content, SEO based web page URLs/filenames, and search query oriented titles. All of these factors are under the direct control of the web site operator, and they should be optimized before the other two aspects are attended to.

Link Popularity

Another one of the major aspects of SEO is linking, which is relevant both internally and externally. Obtaining inbound links on related web sites, blogs, social bookmarking systems, and directories often significantly improves a site’s search engine rankings. However, the wrong type of links can be detrimental or unhelpful, such as links on completely unrelated pages or sites which have been “banned” by major search engines. Outbound links to other sites also affect the search engine optimization of the pages they are located on, so (for example) users of a web site generally shouldn’t be allowed to post links on it without approval.

External Aspects

Other external factors include search engine submission, banner/image advertisements, and the SEO strategies of major competing web sites. Submitting a site’s domain name to search engines can help it become listed more quickly, especially if it doesn’t have any inbound links yet. Like text links, graphical advertisements count as inbound links, but only if they directly link to a web site (not a click counter or other redirection). Competing web sites’ SEO strategies can change how the internal optimization of a site should be handled.

When each of these three major aspects of SEO are properly attended to, a web site’s potential for success becomes much greater. This can take a lot of effort, but is typically a more cost-effective and long-term solution than purchasing pay-per-click listings or email advertisements.

Since SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is fairly complex and has many different facets, it’s not surprising to find that misconceptions about SEO are somewhat common. Controversy over certain aspects of SEO has helped to spread them.

One of the relatively common misconceptions is that search engine optimization is all about manipulating search engines, or that the engines are opposed to SEO. Although it is true that a few SEO firms use manipulative “black hat” techniques, most SEO actually benefits both the engines and individual web sites. Many engines, including Google and Yahoo, have instructions on how sites can better optimize themselves. The Yahoo! page includes common SEO suggestions like focusing on search keywords and using ALT text with images. It is in each engine’s interest to index as many useful sites as possible; if a web site hasn’t been search engine optimized, search “spiders” (a.k.a. “robots”, “crawlers”) might not be able to access or index it. Basically, it is only manipulative techniques like “cloaking” and “Google bombing” that degrade search result quality and are rejected by the engines. However, some people generalize or lack in-depth understanding of the issue and fail to see the distinction.

Another of the fairly common misconceptions about SEO is that optimization can be achieved through some sort of “quick fix” or by “just writing good content”. Search engines are typically designed to resist any simple, quick technique that would drastically improve an individual site’s ranking in the results. Some of these techniques can even harm rankings. As for quality content, it makes optimization easier and should always be considered important, but it cannot replace SEO as some misconceptions suggest. An online article might have excellent information about a specific topic, but not include any of the keywords or phrases people use to search for that subject. It may also lack optimized META tags, be located on a page that is inaccessible to “spiders”, have no keywords in its URL, or be presented in a way that ruins its keyword density. Thus its lack of optimization could cause it to receive few or no visitors, despite offering good content material.

Other less common SEO misconceptions exist; some are the result of changing search engine policies and outdated information, while others are spread by individuals and companies trying to sell services which benefit from misconceptions of this type.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, offers great potential for targeted lead generation. Unlike some of the other promotional methods, it is easy to independently target several different types of customers with SEO. Read on to learn more about how to use SEO for lead generation.

A single web site selling one product or service can attract customers with varying needs, by emphasizing certain aspects on different pages. For example, perhaps there is a web site which sells a fast, high-capacity battery charger. On one page, it might emphasize how many batteries the unit can simultaneously charge, while stressing how quickly it charges them on another page. Each page should include details on all of the product’s advantages, but focus upon one and begin by describing it. Both pages could have a form for requesting more information, which provides lead generation for the product being advertised and prevents the customer from having to make an immediate decision.

So how is SEO involved? The web site will not receive much search engine traffic if it emphasizes the wrong keywords on the lead generation page. The same holds true if it overuses them or applies words that too many other web sites have emphasized. For example, hardly anyone uses the words “rapid” or “high-speed” when searching for information about charging batteries quickly, whereas some do use “fast” or “quick” in these searches. In some cases, it may be best to repeatedly use two alternative (but correct) spellings of the same SEO keyword. Remember that the pages shouldn’t be too similar to each other; this can be detrimental to SEO, as search engines may see them as duplicates.

The title tag and META description tag are also part of SEO; they must use phrases which attract potential customers who have the interests emphasized on a specific page. Using the right keywords in the URL is important as well. A page emphasizing the quality of a product should use several related keywords in its URL, alongside words indicating the product type. An example would be www.example.com/cell-phone/very-durable-rugged.html; notice that highly competitive words which have been overused by other web sites, like “best” and “quality”, have been left out.

Basically, a web site can use SEO to enhance lead generation by emphasizing different search keywords on each page, creating attractive title/description tags, and using hyphen-separated keywords in the page URLs. This should make possible lead generation on many types of customers.

Google recently rewrote their article about what an SEO is and if they recommend them. The rewrite now includes how an SEO firm can help a company with valuable services as well as the warnings about common SEO scams that were there previously.

Some highlights from the article include Google’s definition of SEO and what SEO firms can do including the following list:

•    Review of your site content or structure
•    Technical advice on website development: for example, hosting, redirects, error pages, use of JavaScript
•    Content development
•    Managment online business development campaigns
•    Keyword research
•    SEO training
•    Expertise in specific markets and geographies.

Google also offer the following list of questions as helpful questions you can ask an SEO firm when thinking of hiring them to help increase your search engine rankings.

•    Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?
•    Do you follow the Google Webmaster Guidelines?
•    Do you offer any online marketing services or advice to complement your organic search business?
•    What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure your success?
•    What’s your experience in my industry?
•    What’s your experience in my country/city?
•    What’s your experience developing international sites?
•    What are your most important SEO techniques?
•    How long have you been in business?
•    How can I expect to communicate with you? Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site, and provide detailed information about your recommendations and the reasoning behind them?

Finally, Google provides a list of things to be wary of if you run across them when dealing with an SEO firms. They are as follows:

•    owns shadow domains
•    puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
•    offers to sell keywords in the address bar
•    doesn’t distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear on search results pages
•    guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
•    operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
•    gets traffic from “fake” search engines, spyware, or scumware
•    has had domains removed from Google’s index or is not itself listed in Google
•    requests your FTP account information or root access to your server

Overall, it’s a good to see that Google is showing support for search engine optimization firms that follow their guidelines and can help increase your rankings as a result.

When creating a new web page with SEO in mind, choosing the right title becomes important. Good titles attract the interest of searchers while identifying the page’s subject. They also use the right number and type of words to gain better search engine rankings. Here are some tips on creating an SEO based page title.

1. The page title length shouldn’t exceed 65 characters, including spaces. Otherwise, most search engines will cut off part of it in their results and use an ellipsis (…) in place of the remaining text. Titles may also be abbreviated in this fashion on web browsers if they are too long. If a lengthy title must be used, try to put less important words near the end, so that it won’t matter if people can’t see them.

2. Searchers may not bother to read the description if the title doesn’t appeal to them or attract their attention. It should be specific to the content and purpose of the individual page. For example, when creating an SEO title for a page about a specific truck model, make sure it reveals whether it is a review, a promotional advertisement, or a list of details. This way, people won’t have to load and review the web page to find out.

3. When creating SEO titles, make sure the words in the title are repeated in the text of the page. This will help pages gain higher rankings in search results by showing that the content is relevant to the titles. Avoid using the same word repeatedly. Consider including related search keywords if the title remains under forty characters in length, perhaps by adding a “category” word at the beginning (followed by a colon).

4. Don’t use uppercase or lowercase letters for the entire title. It isn’t entirely clear as to whether or not search engines find this important; either way, lack of capitalization makes the site less appealing to people looking at search results. It also looks better if there aren’t too many short (1-3 letters) capitalized words in page titles.

5. Sometimes adding a commonly misspelled word (“keybord”) or an alternative spelling (like “criticize” and “criticise”) can have SEO benefits when creating titles. Certain words are spelled differently by people of particular nationalities, such as “favour” or “favor”. For example, a television sales page targeting British customers might use the phrase “Colour TV” in its title.