Algorithmic Results
Algorithmic processing by Search Engines produces Algorithmic Results.
These results are ranked listings based on what search engines have
deemed to be relevant according to a particular Search Term, or Query.
Algorithmic Results are also known as Organic Listings. These are in
contrast to Paid Listings whose rankings are additionally based on
competition generated by advertising revenue paid to the search engine
rather than solely on relevancy.
Alt Tag/Alt Text/Alt Attribute
There are tags, elements and attributes in HTML. The Alt Tag is
actually an attribute of HTML, not a tag. An attribute specifies a
property for a HTML element which consists of a start tag, content and
an end tag. The Alt Attribute is primarily used for images and appears
as HTML text while an image is loading or when a cursor is positioned
over an image. This text is useful in Search Engine Optimization
because it can include keywords that a search engine looks for in
response to a query.
Analytics
Analytics is used in Search Engine Marketing, and involves statistical
analysis and data mining and collection to analyze a website’s
performance and to determine the success of an Internet marketing
campaign.
Anchor Text
Anchor Text is the visible, clickable text in a Hyperlink. This text
appears between the HTML anchor start tag and end tag, and it typically
contains information about the content of the link's destination. This
is why Anchor Text containing important keywords has a significant
impact on rankings when Search Engine Optimization is performed.
Backlinks
Backlinks are links to your site that are listed on other websites;
users are directed to your site when they click on them. As part of
Search Engine Optimization, backlinks are important because they can
significantly improve a site’s search rankings, especially if they have
Anchor Text with keywords relevant to the site and are located on sites
with established rankings.
Banned
When a website is banned (or delisted or blacklisted), it is removed
from a search engine’s index of website addresses, or URLs. The
algorithms of search engines are recalibrated to avoid banned sites.
Banner Ad
A banner ad is a form of online advertising which directs users to an
advertiser’s website or designated Landing Page when clicked on. Banner
ads are the most common form of online advertising. They are typically
rectangular in shape in varying sizes, but most measure 468 pixels wide
by 60 pixels high.
Black Hat SEO
Black Hat SEO is a term that refers to optimization techniques that are
considered unethical or deceptive. These include Spamming and Cloaking
as well as violating search engine rules in any way.
Blacklisted
When a website is blacklisted (or banned or delisted), it is removed
from a search engine’s index of website addresses, or URLs. The
algorithms of search engines are recalibrated to avoid blacklisted
sites.
Broken Link
A broken link (also known as a dead link) is a hyperlink that no longer
points to an active destination or Landing Page. Search engines
recognize and categorize broken links, therefore keeping all of your
site’s links active is an important part of ongoing optimization.
Click Fraud
Click Fraud is the illegal manipulation of Cost-Per-Click (CPC) or
Pay-Per-Click (PPC). A typical instance of Click Fraud involves the
webmaster of a site earning money per click by paying individuals to
click on the advertising links that site publishes. As a result, a
faulty CPC or PPC report is generated, and companies then pay for the
supposed site traffic from customers who never intended buy anything.
Some companies have filed class action lawsuits against ad publishers
such as Google and Yahoo! alleging that they have failed to
aggressively crack down on such fraud.
Click-Through
Click-through is the single instance or act of a user clicking on an
advertising link or site listing to move to a Landing Page. Search
Engine Optimization looks to achieve a higher Click-Through Rate (CTR)
for sites.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate is the ratio or percentage of users who click on an
advertising link or search engine site listing out of the total number
of users who visit but do not click-through, e.g. four click-throughs
out of ten views is a 40% CTR.
Cloaking
Cloaking is the presence of alternative pages to a search engine Spider
which results in association of different content for a URL than what a
human browser would see. Cloaking is usually employed to boost a site’s
search engine position or to trick users into visiting it or another
site. Cloaking is generally considered to be Black Hat SEO and the
offending URL could very well be Blacklisted by search engines. In
spare cases, cloaking is sometimes used to deliver specific content
based on a browser’s IP address and/or user-agent HTTP header. If such
cloaking is necessary, it is best to inform the search engine
beforehand as it could be construed as black hat cloaking.
Contextual Link Inventory (CLI)
This is an inventory of contextual links search engines and advertising
networks use for determining matches between a site’s content and
keyword-relevant text-link advertising. CLI is a compilation of website
pages with content that the ad-server recognizes as a relevant keyword
match. Ad networks further refine CLI relevancy by monitoring the
click-through rates of displayed ads.
Conversion
Conversion refers to any significant action a user engages in while a
visitor to a site. Such actions include making a purchase, requesting
information, and/or registering for an account.
Conversion Analytics
Conversion analytics is a kind of Analytics specifically having to do
with conversion-related information from organic and paid search engine
activity. Data drawn upon for analysis include the keywords converted
users utilized in online searches, the type of conversion that
resulted, landing page paths, the search engine used, and so on and so
forth.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is the rate at which visitors become converted users
with a particular site. This percentage is calculated from the number
of site visitors who perform a significant action, such as the purchase
of merchandise or a service, register to open an account or request
information, out of the number of total visitors on any given day. If
three users buy products and one user requests a catalogue out of a
total of ten visitors on that day, a site’s conversion rate for that
day is 40%.
Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA)
Cost-per-acquisition (CPA) is measured by dividing total click-related
marketing costs by the number of Conversions for a site. This return on
investment model understands return in terms of Total acquisition costs
÷ number of conversions = CPA. Synonymous used with Cost-Per-Action.
Cost-Per-Action (CPA)
Cost-per-action is most meaningful in an advertising revenue system.
Advertisers are charged a conversion instance-based fee every time a
user buys a product, opens an account or requests a free trial.
Sometimes synonymously used with Cost-Per-Acquisition despite resulting
confusion with its use in a return on investment model.
Cost-Per-Click (CPC)
Cost-per-click (a.k.a. pay-per-click or pay-for-performance) is used by
search engines and ad networks to charge advertising companies for each
click-through on their ads. This click-through rate-based payment
structure is seen by some advertisers to be more cost-effective as
opposed to the Cost-Per-Thousand payment structure. Despite its
benefits, it is at times exploited resulting in Click Fraud.
Cost-Per-Thousand (CPM)
Cost-per-thousand is an advertising revenue system also known as
cost-per-impression, or cost-per-mille. Cost-per-thousand is used by
search engines and ad networks to determine a fee structure for
advertising companies who agree to pay an amount for every 1,000 users
who view their ads. This is not based on click-throughs or conversion
rate. CPM is usually the fee measure for Banner Ad sales, while
Cost-Per-Click is called upon for text link advertising.
Crawler
A crawler (a.k.a. Spider or Robot) is the vehicle by which a search
engine does its work. A crawler is a program which “crawls” the Web,
collecting data, following links, making copies of new and updated
sites, and indexing URLs. This makes it possible for search engines to
return faster and more up-to-date listings.
Delisted
A.k.a. banned or blacklisted. A site that has been delisted is a URL
that has been removed from a search engine’s Index for various reasons,
but the most common reason being Black Hat SEO. Delisted sites are
tagged by search engines and are subsequently disregarded by their
crawlers.
Description Tag
A description tag (a.k.a. meta description tag) is a short bit of text
written in HTML, and it provides search engines with a description of a
page’s content for indexing purposes. The description tag is not a
visible part of the website itself, nor is it displayed in the search
engine’s listing for that site. Search engines are now putting less
emphasis on description tags over actual page/site content.
Directory
The most popular directories include Yahoo!, The Open Directory Project and LookSmart.
A directory is an Index of websites selected by people instead of by a
search engine Crawler. A directory’s servers provide relevant lists of
registered sites in response to user queries. Directory Registration is
thus an important method for building inbound links and improving SEO
rankings. However, the decision to include a site is determined by
human directory editors rather than via an Algorithm; its rank and its
category placement are also subject to this kind of scrutiny.
Directories either accept free submissions or require payment for
listing.
Doorway Page
A doorway page (a.k.a. a gateway page or jump page) is a page with
minimal content and an associated URL that’s created to rank highly for
a specific keyword. This kind of page ultimately redirects visitors to
a homepage or designated Landing Page. A number of search engines frown
on doorway pages as a simple form of Cloaking or Spam. Despite this,
doorway pages are often legitimate landing pages designed to measure
the success of a promotional campaign, and they commonly appear in Paid
Listings.
Dynamic Content
Dynamic content is web content that is generated or changed based on
user activity or database information, hence it is “dynamic.” As
opposed to web pages that remain the same for all visitors in every
context, this content is known as “static content.” Many ecommerce
sites create dynamic content based on purchase history and other
factors. Search engines have a difficult time indexing dynamic content
if the page includes a session ID number, and will typically ignore
URLs that contain the variable “?”. Search engines will punish sites
that use deceptive or invasive means to create dynamic content.
Flash Optimization
Flash Optimization is the process of reworking the Flash movie and
surrounding HTML code to be more “crawlable” for Search Engines. Flash
is a vector graphics-based animation program developed by Macromedia.
Most corporate sites feature Flash movies/animation, but because search
engine Crawlers were designed to index HTML text, sites that favor
Flash over text are difficult or even impossible for crawlers to read.
Gateway Page
A gateway page (also known as doorway page or jump page) is a URL with
minimal content. It is designed to rank highly for a specific keyword
and it redirects visitors to a homepage or other specific Landing Page.
Some search engines do not look kindly on gateway pages and see it as a
softer form of Cloaking or Spam. Yet gateway pages are commonly allowed
in Paid Listings because as legitimate landing pages they are seen as a
key measure of success for promotional campaigns.
Geographical Targeting
Geographical targeting is the localized focusing of Search Engine
Marketing on states, counties, cities and neighborhoods important to
increasing a company’s business. A basic aspect of geographical
targeting involves the adding of the names of relevant cities or
streets to a site’s keyword list (e.g. Hyde Street Chicago apartments).
Increasing site presence through geo-targeting also involves inclusion
of sites on Local Search engines.
Geographic Segmentation
Geographic segmentation uses Analytics to determine and categorize
where the traffic of a website is physically originating.
Google AdSense
Google AdSense is a program operated by Google that provides
advertisements with relevant text, images and video to enrolled website
owners. Registrants pay for Google AdSense ads on a Pay-Per-Click,
Cost-Per-Thousand or Cost-Per-Action basis. This revenue is shared with
Google AdSense host sites, typically on a Pay-Per-Click basis (which
sometimes leads to Click Fraud). Google has search Algorithms and
Contextual Link Inventory to determine and display the most appropriate
ads depending on site content, Query relevancy, ad “quality scores,” in
addition to other factors.
Google AdWords
Google AdWords is the program that determines the advertising rates and
keywords used in the Google AdSense program. Advertisers bid on the
keywords that are relevant to their businesses. High bidding sites then
appear as sponsored links on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS)
and Google AdSense host sites.
Graphical Search Inventory (GSI)
Graphical Search Inventory is the equivalent of Contextual Link
Inventory but along visual lines. GSI is not text based and it is
advertising such as Banner Ads, pop-up ads, browser toolbars,
animation, sound, video and other media that is synchronized to
relevant Keyword inquiries.
Gray Hat SEO
Gray hat SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization methods that fall in
between Black Hat SEO and White Hat SEO. Gray hat SEO can be legitimate
under some circumstances, but is illegitimate under others. These
techniques can include Doorway Pages, Gateway Pages, Cloaking and
duplicate content.
Hidden text is a form of Black Hat SEO in which pages are filled with a
large amount of text that is the same color as the background. Keywords
are then invisible to the human eye but able to be discerned by a
search engine Crawler. Other hidden text techniques are Multiple Title
Tags or HTML comments. Hidden text is easily picked out by search
engines and will result in Blacklisting or a reduction in listing Rank.
Hit
Hit is a relatively misleading measure of traffic to a website because
one hit is recorded for each file request in a web server’s access log.
For example, if a user visits a page with four images, one hit will be
recorded for each graphic image file plus another for the page’s HTML
file. A more accurate measure of traffic volume is the number of
pages/HTML files accessed.
HTML
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, and is an authoring language
used to create web pages and websites. It is a set of codes or HTML
tags that direct a web browser to structure a web page’s information
and features accordingly.
Hyperlink
A hyperlink (also link or HTML link) is a clickable image or piece of
text that opens another web page or sends the browser to a different
portion of the current page. Successful Search Engine Optimization
Strategy for a large part relies on Inbound Links with keyword-relevant
Link Text.
Index
An index is a Search Engine’s database, and it contains all of the
information that a Crawler has identified (in particular copies of
World Wide Web pages). When a Query is submitted, a search engine uses
this database to compile a ranked list of the most relevant pages. The
index of a Directory is also comprised of titles and summaries of
registered sites, but it is categorized by the directory’s editors.
Inbound Links
Inbound links (also back link, backward link, or backlinks) are links
included on other websites which direct users to your site. Inbound
links can significantly improve your site’s search engine positioning,
especially if it contains Anchor Text keywords relevant to your site
and are located on sites with high Page Rank.
Impression
An impression (a.k.a. page view) is a displayed instance of an online
advertisement. Impression statistics are what search engines and ad
networks use to determine Cost-Per-Thousand (CPM) charges.
Internet Marketing
Basically, Internet marketing involves using the Internet to advertise
and sell goods & services to consumers. At an advanced level,
Internet marketing is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the use
of targeted keywords, crawler-friendly site architecture, Search Engine
Submissions and a well-developed link network to improve a site’s
Position, Page Rank and Click-Through Rate.
Internet Marketing Consultant
Internet marketing consultants (also SEO professionals or SEO
specialists) use their expertise of Search Engine Optimization Strategy
to advise and subsequently improve their clients’ site Position and
Page Rank.
Internet Promotion
Internet promotion (also search engine promotion, website marketing or
website promotion) refers to all methods employed by a company or
individual to promote a website and increase its Position and Page Rank.
Keyword
Keywords (also known as search terms or query terms) are the words or
phrases entered into a search engine’s Query box. The subsequent Search
Engine Results Page (SERP) ranks indexed sites according to relevancy
to the submitted keywords. One of the best SEO Strategies recommended
to companies is to optimize their site pages with content that contains
targeted keywords that are highly relevant to their products or
industry.
Keyword Marketing
Keyword marketing is the use of keyword-rich content and
keyword-specific Link Text to establish a site’s relevancy to those
terms. This increases Rank for related web queries. Keyword marketing
is an essential component of Search Engine Optimization and can also be
accomplished through ad programs such as Google AdSense.
Keyword Submission
Keyword submission is part of the Pay-Per-Click keyword campaigns
available through advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Yahoo!
Sponsored Search and Microsoft AdCenter. This all-inclusive term refers
to keyword research/selection, bid cost assessment and budgeting.
Landing Page
A landing page is the webpage which a visitor “lands” on after clicking
on a search engine listing, email link, Banner Ad, Cost-Per-Click ad or
other. Well-designed landing pages that are relevant to a user’s
keyword query will improve Conversion Rates and play a critical role in
Search Engine Marketing.
Link
Also hyperlink or HTML link;
a link is an image or portion of text that opens another web page or
jumps the browser to a different portion of the current page when a
user clicks on it. Inbound Links with keyword-relevant Link Text are an
important part of Search Engine Optimization Strategy.
Link Baiting
Link baiting is when users link to your page from another website.
Users are usually enticed to link to your site because you have
included highly informative articles or news stories, useful resources
and sometimes controversial or sensationalistic content. Link baiting
is a White Hat SEO technique used to help a site improve its Link
Popularity and Page Rank. Some sites use link baiting as the
centerpiece of a Website Marketing campaign.
Link Exchange
A link exchange is a reciprocal link exchange between two sites. A site
agrees to link to another site if the second site agrees to link to it.
Reciprocal links usually lead to the home page of the associate site.
Link Farm
A link farm is a webpage (or group of webpages) that exists only to
increase the number of Backlinks in a site’s link network. A link farm
is meant to increase a site’s Page Rank or popularity which then
improves its search engine Position. However, link farms are considered
a form of Spam and sites that rely on them are penalized by search
engines.
Link Popularity
Link popularity is the measure of how popular a webpage is by the
number of Backlinks it has. Link popularity is not only based on
quantity. Page Rank is achieved when Backlinks are located on
reputable, relevant sites rather than so-called Link Farms. Most search
engines use link popularity as a criterion to generate their
Algorithmic Results.
Link Text
A.k.a. anchor text;
link text is the visible, clickable text between the HTML anchor and
tags. Clicking on link text activates a Hyperlink to another website.
Link text is very important in SEO because search engines factor in
hyperlink keyword to Landing Page relevancy in their algorithmic
calculations.
Listings
Listings are the results which are a compilation of individual sites
that appear indexed and in ranked order when a user submits a search
engine Query.
Local Search
Local search is the submission of a search engine Query with specific
geographical keywords (cities, streets, etc.) to focus listings results
to find business services in a particular zip code. This also applies
to Yellow Pages-type Search Engines such as Google Maps, Yahoo! Local
and AskCity. Search Engine Placement Services use local SEO to help
traditional “brick and mortar businesses” connect with customers in
their community.
Marketing Analytics
Marketing analytics takes marketing-related information from organic
and paid search engine traffic (such as Unique Visitors,
keyword-generated sales, Cost-Per-Click advertising, Click Fraud,
Search Engine Marketing, etc.) to generate an Analytics picture of the
popularity and Rank of your site.
Meta Description Tag
A meta description tag (a.k.a. description tag)
is a short HTML paragraph that provides search engines with a
description of a page’s content for search engine Index purposes. The
meta description tag is not displayed on the website itself, and may or
may not be displayed in the search engine’s listing for that site.
Search engines are now giving less weight to meta description tags and
opting for the presence of actual content on the page itself.
Meta Keywords Tag
A meta keywords tag is a list of keywords that are relevant to a
webpage. Search engine Rank for a page can be boosted because of this
list through proper indexing. Nowadays, search engines are placing less
weight on meta keywords tags and put more emphasis on actual page
content.
Meta Robots Tag
A meta robots tag (named for a search engine Crawler or Robot) is used
when a page author wants to prevent web pages from being added to a
search engine’s Index. Alternate ways to achieve the results of a meta
robots tag are Robots.txt files and password protection.
Meta Search Engine
A meta search engine generates its listings by passing user queries
through a number of other search engines, and then it produces a
summary of the results. A meta search engine does not maintain its own
Index. Listings are displayed by meta search engines either in
aggregate or categorized by search engine source. An example of a meta
search engine is Dogpile.com.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are HTML tags which are placed in a webpage. They contain
information for Crawlers and web browsers. Types of meta tag
information include page descriptions (Description Tag), page-relevant
keywords (Meta Keywords Tag), whether a page can be indexed (Meta
Robots Tag), copyright, page refresh dates and redirection instructions.
Natural Listings (or Natural Optimization)
Natural listings (a.k.a. organic listings) are webpage listing results
that are generated by a search engine purely as a result of application
of the algorithm (this is as opposed to Paid Listings). Natural
listings can contain Paid Listings, but only if they fulfill the same
requirements as natural listings. The best way to improve a site’s
natural listing Position is through Natural Search Engine Optimization.
Natural Search Engine Optimization
Natural search engine optimization (a.k.a. natural optimization,
organic search engine optimization or white hat SEO) employs
keyword-focused copy and tags as well as crawler-friendly site
architecture, Search Engine Submissions and a quality Backlinks network
to improve a site’s Position, Page Rank and Click-Through Rate.
Research shows that about 80% of web users use Natural Listings,
therefore natural SEO offers a much greater chance of long-term
business success over that of Paid Listings or Pay-Per-Click ad
campaigns.
Optimization Services
Optimization services (a.k.a. Internet promotion, site optimization, or
search engine placement service) are the methods a SEO Company uses to
boost a site’s Position and Page Rank in search engine results.
Click-Through Rate and Conversion Rate are also targeted in a SEO
Company’s efforts.
Organic Listings (or Organic Optimization)
Organic
listings (a.k.a. natural listings) are Search Engine Results Page
listings that result only from application of search engine algorithms.
These listings can contain Paid Listings, but only if they fulfill the
same requirements as organic listings. The best way to improve a site’s
organic listing Position is through Natural Search Engine Optimization.
Outbound Links
All links from a particular webpage that direct to other pages. These
include pages with the same domain. Too many outbound links can damage
a site’s Search Engine Positioning because a Spider crawling the site
may perceive it as a Link Farm.
Page Rank (or PR)
Page Rank is an algorithm developed by Google founders Larry Page and
Sergey Brin. This link analysis algorithm assigns a webpage a number
from 1 to 10 as a measure of its importance (one for the lowest and ten
for the highest in import). This corresponds to the likelihood that a
user will arrive at that page by randomly clicking Links. Page Rank is
altogether separate from Rank.
Paid Inclusion
Paid inclusion is an advertising program in which a page is guaranteed
inclusion in the Index of a search engine in exchange for a fee. Unlike
Paid Placement, the rank of paid inclusion pages is determined solely
by the search engine Algorithm. Depending on Search Engine policy,
sites included through paid inclusion are sometimes (and sometimes not)
labeled as advertisements.
Paid Listings
Paid listings are sites included on a Results Page because money was
paid to the search engine for inclusion and/or position. The term Paid
Listings also refers to the practices of Paid Inclusion and Paid
Placement.
Paid Placement
Paid placement is when advertisers are guaranteed spots for their sites
on a Results Page when particular Keywords are searched. The ranking of
paid placement listings is determined by competitive bidding. Unlike
Paid Inclusion listings, paid placement listings are usually displayed
separately from Natural Listings and are labeled as advertisements or
sponsored links. Google and Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture)
are two of the largest paid placement search networks.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Pay-Per-Click (a.k.a. cost-per-click or pay-for-performance) is an
advertising revenue system employed by search engines and ad networks.
Advertising companies agree to pay a certain amount for each click of
their ads. This payment structure is based on Click-Through Rate and is
considered by some advertisers to be more cost effective than the
Cost-Per-Thousand payment structure, but it is more open to Click Fraud.
Position
Position (a.k.a. rank) is the place a website occupies relative to the
highest ranking listing on an Algorithmic Results page when a Keyword
query is submitted. The first page generated displays Listings in the
first ten positions, the second page eleven through twenty, and so on.
Businesses trying to get their site into a top ten position will often
contract with a Professional Search Engine Optimization company.
Consumer studies have shown that most search engine users make site
selections from those on the first page in the top ten positions.
Position Reporting
Position reporting is the daily monitoring of search engine Position
changes for indexed URLs. This usually results from the optimization of
specific keywords by a Search Engine Optimization Company. Position
reporting is also used to generate a Search Engine Ranking Report.
Professional Search Engine Optimization
Professional search engine optimization is when a SEO company modifies
a website in order to increase its search engine Position and Page
Rank; this also is aimed at improving its Click-Through Rate and
Conversion Rate.
Query
A search engine query is a user’s request for information (in the form
of webpage listings) from a search engine’s Index. These queries return
results that are most relevant to a Keyword or set of Search Terms.
Rank
Rank (a.k.a. position) is the place a website occupies relative to the
first listing on an Algorithmic Results page when a Keyword query is
submitted. The first page displays Listings in the one through ten
positions, the second page eleven through twenty, etc. Businesses
trying to get their site a top-ten rank will often contract services
from a Professional Search Engine Optimization company. Consumer
studies have shown that most search engine users click only on sites
that occupy a top-ten rank.
Reciprocal Link Exchange
A reciprocal link exchange is a link for a link arrangement or link
exchange between two sites. Reciprocal links usually direct users to
the home page of the associate site.
Registration
Registration (a.k.a. search engine registration or search engine
submission) is the submission of a URL to a Directory or Search Engine
for inclusion in its Index. Registration is usually free but in some
cases does require payment. Registration is a basic but important part
of Search Engine Optimization.
Results Page
The results page (a.k.a. search engine results page) is the collection
of ranked Listings displayed in response to the submission of a Query
to a search engine.
Robot
A robot (a.k.a. Crawler or Spider) is a search engine program that
“crawls” the Web collecting data, following links, making copies of new
and updated sites, and storing URLs in the search engine’s Index. This
program allows search engines to respond more quickly with the most
up-to-date listings.
Robots.txt
Robots.txt (a.k.a. robots exclusion protocol) is a text file stored in
a site’s root directory that tells a search engine Crawler the site
pages and sub-folders which should not be included in a search engine’s
Index. While these instructions are provided and directed specifically
at a Crawler, there is no guarantee that it will comply with this
request. Robots.txt is an alternative to a Meta Robots Tag or password
protection.
SEO Professional
SEO professionals (a.k.a. Internet marketing consultant or SEO
specialist) use their knowledge of Search Engine Optimization Strategy
to improve their clients’ Position and Page Rank.
SEO Services
SEO services include all of the tools employed by a Professional Search
Engine Optimization company (these encompass Analytics and Keyword
Marketing as well).
SEO Specialist
SEO specialists (a.k.a. Internet marketing consultant or SEO
professional) use their knowledge of SEO Strategy to improve their
clients’ Position and Page Rank.
SEO Strategies
SEO strategies are the techniques used in SEO to boost a site’s
Position and Page Rank in listings results; these are supposed to also
increase its Click-Through Rate. A few SEO strategies are keyword
research, content writing, optimized HTML code, and improved
Geographical Targeting.
Search Engine
A search engine is a website that enables users to submit queries to an
Index of stored web pages. These web pages are gathered and
compiled by a Robot or Crawler on the basis of information relevant to
keywords or Search Terms. The Rank of information and websites on the
resultant Search Engine Results Pages is determined by relevancy.
Levels of relevancy are established by the search engine’s Algorithm
and/or payment made to the search engine by indexed sites. Sites ranked
solely by relevancy are known as Natural Listings or Organic Listings
in contrast to Paid Listings.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Search engine marketing refers to all of the techniques used to market
a website via search engines. Some techniques include Pay-Per-Click
advertising and Natural Search Engine Optimization.
Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO)
The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) is a
non-profit professional association founded to increase awareness of
the benefits of SEM and to provide educational resources to members and
consumers. It has been doing this since 2003.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization is the application of techniques to a
website for the purpose of improving its natural Rank on Search Engine
Results Pages. This is done through a combination of SEO strategies
such as directory and search engine Submission, website optimization,
content writing and improved Link quality. Please see our SEO services for details.
Search Engine Optimization Company (SEO Company)
A search engine optimization company uses SEO Strategies to improve a website’s Search Engine Placement.
Search Engine Optimization Consultants
Search engine optimization consultants (a.k.a. SEO professionals or SEO
specialists) analyze a website’s Position and Keyword strength and
offer solutions for improvement.
Search Engine Optimization Software Systems
Search engine optimization software systems enable marketers to
generate site data and automatically customize Submission schedules.
Use of automated submissions should generally be avoided in favor of
tailoring submissions to cater to the rules of each search engine.
Search Engine Optimization Strategy
Search engine optimization strategy is an optimization plan an SEO
company specifically tailors and uses for the promotion of an
individual client’s website.
Search Engine Placement
Search engine placement refers to the tactics used by Site Optimization
firms to improve their clients’ Rank. Search engine placement is a term
sometimes used to mean the Position of a website on a Results Page.
Search Engine Placement Services
Search engine placement services (a.k.a. Internet promotion,
optimization services or site optimization) are all of the methods a
Search Engine Optimization Company uses to improve a site’s Position
and Page Rank; these services are also intended to increase its
Click-Through Rate and Conversion Rate.
Search Engine Positioning
Search engine positioning is a term called into use in two different
ways. In one context, it describes the ordering process of indexed
websites being ranked by a search engine Algorithm in response to a
Query. In the other context, it is used in Search Engine Optimization
to refer to the achievement of a higher search engine Position.
Search Engine Promotion
Search engine promotion (a.k.a. Internet promotion, website marketing
or website promotion) refers to all of the methods employed by a
company or individual to promote a website and increase its Position
and Page Rank.
Search Engine Ranking Report
A search engine ranking report is a periodic report (either monthly,
weekly or daily) of the Position of a company’s website Listing
corresponding to their top Keywords. Position Reporting allows site
owners to monitor Rank and it reflects the success of an SEO strategy
or Cost-Per-Click advertising campaign.
Search Engine Registration
Search engine registration (a.k.a. search engine submission or web
submission) is the submission of a URL to a Directory or Search Engine
for inclusion in its Index. Registration is usually free but in some
cases can require payment. Search engine registration is a basic but
important part of Search Engine Optimization.
Search Engine Results Page (SERPs)
The search engine results page (a.k.a. a results page) is the
collection of ranked Listings displayed in response to a search engine
Query.
Search Engine Submission
Search engine submission (a.k.a. search engine registration or web
submission) is the submission of a site’s URL to a Directory or Search
Engine for inclusion in its Index. Registration is usually free but in
some instances can also require payment. Search engine submission is a
basic but important part of Search Engine Optimization.
Search Terms
Search terms (a.k.a. keywords or query terms) are the word(s) or
phrase(s) a user submits to a search engine via their Query box. A
Search Engine Results Page (SERP) ranks indexed sites according to how
relevant the Search Engine deems them to the search terms that were
queried. Optimization of relevant pages (with keywords incorporated
into existing or new content) is one of the most important SEO
Strategies site owners can employ to boost their Rank.
Shopping Search
Search engines with a shopping feature, such as Google Product Search
(formerly known as Froogle) or Yahoo! Shopping, allow users to
comparison shop by providing lists of sellers and prices in response to
a particular product Query. Some shopping search sites require Paid
Inclusion or offer Paid Placement.
Site Optimization
Site optimization (a.k.a. Internet promotion, optimization services or
search engine placement service) refers to all of the methods a Search
Engine Optimization Company uses to improve a site’s Position and Page
Rank; these methods are intended to also increase Click-Through Rate
and Conversion Rate.
Spam
Spam refers to any and all Search Engine Marketing techniques that
violate search engine guidelines. It also refers to those techniques
that try and gain increased Rank for a site using content that is
irrelevant, deceptive or of little value to users. Types of spam
include Hidden Text, content that contains nonsensical Keyword
repetition, deceptive Cloaking or numerous Doorway Pages that redirect
users to the same Landing Page. If a search engine detects spamming,
the offending site will be Blacklisted or lose Position. Spam is a
Black Hat SEO technique.
Spider
A spider (a.k.a. Crawler or Robot) is a search engine program that
“crawls” the Web, collecting data, following links, making copies of
new and updated sites, and storing URLs in the search engine’s Index.
This allows search engines to return more up-to-date listings faster.
Submission
Submission (a.k.a. search engine registration or search engine
submission) is the request to a Directory or Search Engine for
inclusion of an URL in its Index. Submission is usually free but can
also require payment. Submission is a basic but important part of
Search Engine Optimization.
Title Tags
A title tag is the HTML element with a sentence of text describing the
contents of its associated webpage. Title tags are very important
components of Search Engine Optimization because they are frequently
used as the text links that lead to sites from a search engine’s
Results Page. The best title tags contain keywords that will help a
site be indexed properly to catch the eye of human search engine users.
Three-Way Link Exchange
A three-way link exchange is a Reciprocal Link Exchange between three
domains. Unlike a two-way link exchange, not all three sites link to
each other. Three-way link exchanges are used by owners of multiple
websites to increase the Link Popularity and Page Rank of new or
smaller sites. It works like this: Page A links to Page B and Page B
links to Page C and Page C links to Page A. Page B does not post a
reciprocal link to Page A and Page C does not post a reciprocal link to
Page B.
Unique Visitor
Unique visitor is a web traffic measuring term used to refer to the
instance of at least one hit from a unique IP address per webpage for a
site. Visits are usually charted and reported during a specified period
of time (typically anywhere from twenty-four hours to a month).
Subsequent hits by the same IP address are not considered unique
visitor during that report period. Unique visitor count can be an
effective way of measuring the success of an SEO strategy.
Web Analytics
Web analytics uses web traffic records to study the behavior of website
visitors. Data such as Unique Visitors, Hits, page views, and the
connection between Landing Pages and Conversion Rates are used to
improve a website or marketing campaign.
Website Marketing
Website marketing (a.k.a. Internet marketing) is using the Internet to
advertise and communicate in order to sell goods and services. On an
advanced level, website marketing is known as Search Engine
Optimization (SEO). This involves the use of targeted keywords,
crawler-friendly site architecture, Search Engine Submissions and a
well-developed link network to improve a site’s Position, Page Rank and
Click-Through Rate.
Website Optimization
Website optimization (a.k.a. search engine optimization) is the
accommodation of changes made to a website in order to improve its
natural Rank on Search Engine Results Pages. This is usually
accomplished through a combination of optimization strategies such as
directory and search engine Submission, Keyword Marketing and improved
Link quality.
Website Promotion
Website promotion has to do with the marketing aspects of Search Engine
Optimization. These include Keyword Submission, Paid Inclusion, and
other techniques to increase a site’s exposure.
Website Promotion Services
Website promotion services (a.k.a. search engine marketing) is an
inclusive term for any techniques used to market a website via search
engines, including Pay-Per-Click advertising and Natural Search Engine
Optimization.
Website Submission
Website submission (a.k.a. search engine registration or search engine
submission) is the submission of a URL to a Directory or Search Engine.
Index registration is usually free but can also require payment.
Website submission is a basic but important part of Search Engine
Optimization.
White Hat SEO
White hat SEO (a.k.a. natural search engine optimization or organic
search engine optimization) is the legitimate use of keyword-rich copy
and tags, Crawler-friendly site architecture, Search Engine Submissions
and a high quality Backlinks network to improve a site’s Position, Page
Rank and Click-Through Rate. White hat SEO is the opposite of Black Hat
SEO as it does not involve the use of Cloaking, Spam or any other
similar techniques.
XML
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language, a simple and flexible
text-based programming language used along with HTML. XML is most
commonly employed in data exchange protocols and in the creation of
customized tags.
XML Feed
An XML feed is basically Paid Inclusion or Search Engine Submission
where an XML document is used to provide a search engine with
information about a number of web pages. An XML feed is most often
employed with multimedia sites or database sites because it better
accommodates a variety of relevant search queries.