What is ethical search engine optimization ?

Ethical search engines optimization is all about optimising a website for visitors, not for search engines. But yes, we can't forget that we are optimizing for website's search engines rankings. In this way, we need to use only ethical methods and white hat seo techniques.

Now, let us consider some of SEO methods / practices -
1) SE Friendly Design - Make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links. Making a website according to guidelines by major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Live will definetly help in search engine index, find, and rank your website.

2) Content - Website content should be relevant to the particular page and should be optimized with the targeted keywords. Don't overdo your keywords and don't duplicate it on the pages of the website. Content should be fresh and unique. Make pages for users, not for search engines. Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users, which is commonly referred to as "cloaking" which is an unethical way.

3) Meta Tags – Meta tags (title, description, keywords) are used to show your keywords and phrases to the search engines and to online visitors that what services you are offering. Always use unique and relevant title, description and keywords in meta tags content for any particular web page.

4) Directory Submission – Always choose the most relevant category for submission of your website in free / paid directories available on internet.

5) Link Popularity – Link exchanging is still considered as a major practice in the search engine optimization for good rankings in search engines for any website. Link exchange with only relevant websites is only the way for the right traffic toward a website. If you even go for a 3 way link exchanging, please do not go for any irrelevant website in 3 way LE too, all three website must come in the same theme.

6) Sitemap - Always offer a site map to your users with all the important links of your site. If the site map is larger than 100 or so links, you may break the site map into separate pages.

If we say about unethical ways, then, in that area, everything is optimized for the search engines and methods such as hidden content or hidden links, cloaking, unwanted automated queries and doorway pages are integral part of unethical SEO. Please note that unscrupulous search engine spam techniques could get your site removed and "blacklisted" from search engines.

So, always use only ethical SEO techniques and services.

Amit Verma is with Neuronimbus, Offshore software development company, India and writes about ethical search engine optimization.

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