SEO FAQs
Q. Do I really need to optimize my web site for search engines?
Q. What are search engine crawlers and spiders?
Q. What is PageRank and how does it work?
Q. Will I have to redo my entire website to make it search engine optimized?
Q. Which practices are considered unethical or black hat SEO?
Q. When will I start seeing results of SEO?
Q. What should my domain name look like?
Q. Will users ever click a PPC link?
Q. If I am to use PPC advertising isn’t it better to just place banner ads on websites?
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SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. It is a collection of actions and practices that ensure that search engines index your website and that the engine rate your website as a desirable site for specific keyword searches. Essentially, SEO aims to get your website a higher search engine rankings for keywords most relevant to your business.
Q. Do I really need to optimize my web site for search engines?
If your website is a major source of business and you are looking at going virtual with a strong Internet marketing campaign, SEO should probably be one of your primary objectives. Another major incentive to opt for SEO is that more than 80% of all the Internet users run search engine keyword searches to look for what they need over the Internet. There are various SEO practices and you can choose which ones to go for.
Q. What are search engine crawlers and spiders?
For the uninitiated … Don’t worry; these are not a form of virus or worms. In fact, search engines crawlers or spiders are programs that browse through the Internet, look for pages, index the pages according to subject matter and usability and further rank them in comparison to other similar pages. These crawlers work on algorithms programmed by software engineers at the search engine company. The act of a search engine crawler traversing cyber space and browsing pages is called spidering.
Q. What is PageRank and how does it work?
PageRank is a trademarked term used by Google. It is a system implemented by them to rank pages on the basis of their importance and relevance to certain keywords. If PageRank likes your page and finds it useful according to its parameters you are set for a high ranking on the search result page. Other search engines also use similar systems to rank pages and have various trademark names for these programs.
Q. Will I have to redo my entire website to make it search engine optimized?
This is quite a dialectic especially for website owners who have spent significant money on creating a graphically appealing and multimedia based website. Although a user is likely to appreciate this more, the search engine looks for content and coding in plain readable HTML. Using common coding languages like JavaScript can add lots of SEO unfriendly code before relevant keywords can actually show up for the search engine to index. Moreover, imbedding important content in graphics and videos is also risky as most of the crawlers don’t read these formats. Although a very snazzy website may need some toning down to make it SEO friendly, there are several practices that can alter an existing website without doing any damage to the visual quality of it. Neuro SEO Services can help you bridge the often-wide gap between good SEO websites and user-friendly websites.
Q. Which practices are considered unethical or black hat SEO?
There are several ways in which you can get a good ranking. Some of these methods require more effort and are considered ethical while others are rather backhanded and considered unethical or black-hat methods. Often people looking for quick and easy results opt for page cloaking, link farms, duplicate content, and spamming keywords to get good rankings. These methods may work but search engine crawlers are smart and can sniff a rat soon enough and your site can end up sand-boxed or ignored altogether.
Q. When will I start seeing results of SEO?
Usually results will show up as soon as your page is spidered. Depending on how long this takes it could be days or weeks. There is no fixed duration for seeing results but you can check regularly and monitor any difference in ranking to make out the difference. The key is to apply good SEO methods and test your efforts before using the tools available.
Q. What should my domain name look like?
Now who has ever managed to get the perfect domain name? Sometimes even when you are willing to shell out big bucks the best domain names are not accessible. The smart thing to do is to opt for a domain name that reflects your business. If your purpose is SEO, make sure your domain name bears just enough resemblance to the keywords you may be targeting.
Q. Will users ever click a PPC link?
Pay-per-click is a widely accepted brand building strategy. Although a search engine result shows the PPC ads separately many users are quite likely to click there if your descriptions and titles are attractive. Also, since PPC is highly recommended by many consultants, you can go for it even on trust.
Q. If I am to use PPC advertising isn’t it better to just place banner ads on websites?
The difference between PPC advertising and banner ads is that PPC is keyword related and appears on search engine result pages while banner ads appear on individual websites. The chances of a wide base of users spotting your site on a search engine are higher than at other websites. Also, banner ads are usually more expensive than PPC and probably not so effective either. However banner ads is a good move if you have the budget and is done as part of a complete marketing plan.
