SEO is derived from the term Search Engine Optimization, which has equivalent words such as SEO or search engine optimization, which all have the same meaning and can be defined as follows:
· Search engine optimization (SEO) does not mean cheating or manipulating search engines with unethical methods. They are designed to help improve the visibility and relevance of websites in natural search results with the aim of achieving high rankings.
· SEO can be considered as a set of methods for strategically changing websites. This process addresses the most important page related factors and increases its importance on the search results page.
· SEO is not a simple process that is easy to implement because it requires a lot of knowledge, background science and patience. Search engines are unpredictable by constantly changing their ranking algorithms; Therefore, it is the duty of SEO engineers to keep their information in this field up to date.
Google's ranking algorithm has more than 200 criteria for ranking a site. Therefore, SEO engineers should consider the most important of these criteria for successful SEO implementation. FastSEO is a digital marketing company based in Muscat which provides SEO services too.
The first search engines were launched in the early 1990s; Some of the most popular were Infoseek, Alta Vista and Yahoo. At the time, people were looking at search engines as a list that, like the yellow page, was done in alphabetical order. There were pages like AAA at the top of this list.
With the continuous growth of the Internet, newer search engines appeared that used more sophisticated ranking algorithms. These algorithms used keyword density criteria (the number of times a keyword or phrase was used on a page divided by the total number of words on the page) and keyword-like tags to understand the content of websites. Following this growth, SEO started its activity to make the sites more visible. With the development of page rankings by search engines, SEO engineers sought to find ways to be effective in ranking these engines using both ethical and immoral methods.
What are the goals of SEO?
The goal of SEO is to help websites rank high in search results and increase the relevance between pages and keywords entered by users. Showing the most pages related to the entered search query has many benefits for both the user and the search engine in that the user gets the most relevant search results and the search engine becomes more reliable because its algorithm shows the most relevant pages.
After SEO started to improve the ranking of sites in natural search results, this process required knowledge and time to implement their methods. Time is the biggest initial investment to optimize a site or a page.
Depending on how competing keywords are used in the optimization, SEO can take weeks or months to get results. Although search engine optimization results may not be seen quickly, in the long run the benefits of SEO will increase site rankings and increase visitors. It is very important for websites to be on the first page of Google search results, especially among the top three results, which account for 58.4% of clicks.
In general, SEO goals can be summarized as follows:
· It has a great effect on website visits.
· Creates a brand.
· It will increase site traffic.
· The website ranks better on the search engine results page.
· It will increase product sales.
· It is the best tool for advertising.
What is On Page SEO?
On Page SEO is related to the direct control of the codes or contents of your website, including text, image, links, etc.; In general, everything you upload to your site is related to SEO On Page. This method is the basis of all optimization efforts because it is where you have the most control. Any changes you make to your site content will affect the search results, so it is very important that the On Page SEO method is done correctly before the Off Page SEO method.
What is Off page SEO?
Unlike the On Page SEO method, in which website development is done with high direct control, the off-page optimization method includes all the upgrades that are done outside of your website; This includes everything that can help you get a high ranking of your site. Off Page SEO focuses primarily on getting backlinks (links that point to your site from other sites) then optimizes search engine optimization using off-site methods.
SEO Off Page is an unlimited process run by SEO engineers to get links.
What is White Hat SEO?
In technical terms, white-hat SEO refers to a set of techniques, methods, and strategies that follow the rules and guidelines of search engines. This does not mean cheating or manipulating search engines or users in any way. This is also called ethical SEO because it either has a long-term implementation or uses the right guidelines and policies to get high rankings in search engine results.
What is Black Hat SEO?
In other words, the term black hat SEO refers to a set of commands used to deceive, play, and manipulate search engine algorithms in order to obtain high rankings. It is important to know that these methods are immoral and are not endorsed by any search engine, and using these methods carries the risk of being removed from the database list forever.
Doing black-hat SEO tactics may cause a sudden increase in search results, but can lead to fines or a complete removal from the search engine database.
Search engines have common goals with the SEO industry
Search engines are interested in helping you succeed. Even Google has a basic SEO guide for newcomers. They also support the efforts of the SEO community. Digital marketing conferences such as Unbounce, SearchLove and MozCon attract the attention of engineers and search engine representatives.
Google helps webmasters and SEO professionals through the Webmaster Central Help forum. Unfortunately, Bing Forum stopped its webmasters in 2014.
Although webmasters' guidelines on search engines are different, their basic rules are the same: Do not try to fool search engines. Instead, create a good user experience for your visitors. To achieve such a goal, use the instructions of search engines and respond appropriately to the needs of users.
Google Webmaster Guidelines
Basic rules:
· Build web pages for users, not search engines.
· Do not deceive your users.
· Avoid doing unusual tricks to improve your site ranking. To identify such tricks, always ask yourself, "Does doing this help my users?" Or "Would I do that if there were no search engines?"
· Always think about doing things that make your website more special, more valuable and more attractive.
What should we avoid?
· Automatic and machine content production
· Abnormal link building
· Making pages without original content
· Cloaking - Displays a different version of the page to search engines
· Hide text and links
· Doorway Pages - Pages that are created to rank and transfer users to another website
Webmaster Bing Instructions
Basic rules:
· Publish comprehensive and engaging content on the website.
· Write the title of the pages clearly and relevantly.
· Links are considered a signal of popularity and Bing rewards websites with good and natural links.
· Acting on social networks and sharing more website links in it will affect the ranking of your website in the long run.
What should we avoid?
· Poor content, pages with a lot of ads or pages created solely for the purpose of transferring users to other sites.
· Bad link building tactics that have been implemented with the sole purpose of increasing the number of links.
· Clean, accurate URLs have better keywords. Variable parameters in the links cause the problem of duplicate content on the website.
· Short, descriptive URLs with only alphabetic characters are always indicated.