| SEO is a trade that exists solely on the | | | | code to determine its relevance. Therefore, |
| internet, and even then it is comprised | | | | it's a good idea to pay attention to HTML and |
| almost entirely of the hot air of so-called | | | | familiarize yourself with proper tagging |
| "expert opinion." Plenty of it blowing around | | | | techniques if you're hoping to get a good |
| these days as search maintains position as | | | | handle on SEO. |
| one of the most important marketplaces in the | | | | |
| modern business world. Many DIY webmasters | | | | Link Popularity. Inbound links are probably |
| will end up searching for blog entries, | | | | the most important optimization point for web |
| articles, informational web sites, etc to | | | | pages. Number, quality, trust - these are all |
| help get them up to speed. The problem is | | | | factors that affect the value of an inbound |
| that in most cases certain key terms are | | | | link. Going back to the HTML root of search, |
| flung around like household names while the | | | | link popularity (in terms of quantity) |
| people doing the flinging are way out of | | | | measures how many pages point to your site |
| touch with the average web browser. What some | | | | using anchor text ( link text ). |
| of us don't realize is that not everyone | | | | |
| knows even the basics of SEO. | | | | Link Building. In short, the process of |
| | | | gaining links at other web sites pointing in |
| This lst of twelve SEO-related definitions in | | | | to pages on your own. |
| alphabetical order (with notes) serves as a | | | | |
| great companion for your initial SEO reading. | | | | Link Baiting. The process of generating |
| Read alone it will get you up to speed on | | | | high-quality content on your pages that users |
| some key terminology that you'll need to know | | | | will appreciate and link to voluntarily. |
| to intelligently engage the ever-changing | | | | |
| world of SEO. | | | | Meta Tags. Meta tags are found at the top of |
| | | | a page's source code. They are used to |
| Algorithms. A search algorithm is, in short, | | | | specify certain things that might not be |
| the incredibly complex mathematical formula | | | | found in the page content. They also allow |
| that a search engine uses to "rank" web sites | | | | webmasters to put up certain "flags" that |
| for keywords. Based on a huge number of | | | | search engine crawlers can react to. There |
| variables and calculations, algorithms are | | | | are many Meta tags available for use, and |
| among the most closely-guarded secrets on the | | | | many of them can help with SEO to a great |
| internet. Why? Imagine if they were leaked - | | | | extent and for a variety of purposes. |
| suddenly the less-than-honest would have a | | | | However, Meta tags are no longer used in the |
| very specific guideline to follow in climbing | | | | way they originally were - as a place to |
| to the top of search results in a | | | | stuff keywords to drive your site up in |
| less-than-organic way, ruining the quality of | | | | rankings. Some webmasters out there are still |
| Google's search results and their entire | | | | doing this, but they are decidedly behind the |
| competitive advantage with it. | | | | times and unaware of the impending, or |
| | | | already cast-down, penalties. |
| Bot or Bots. See also "crawlers" | | | | |
| | | | Robots. See also "crawlers." |
| Crawlers. Googlebot, for example, is a search | | | | |
| engine crawler. Googlebot periodically | | | | Search Engines. If you don't know what a |
| traverses the web in record time, indexing | | | | search engine is congratulations on finally |
| content, links - everything contained in page | | | | making it out from under that rock. Search |
| source code - and storing it in Google's | | | | engines are essentially programs that scan an |
| search index. Then, when a user visits Google | | | | existing index of the web based on a query of |
| and enters a search phrase, the index, | | | | search terms, or keywords, that a user |
| filtered by the algorithm, is what the user | | | | enters. However, the word more commonly |
| gets. Please note: there is some delay in | | | | refers to companies as a whole - Google, for |
| this process since the results you're getting | | | | example, controls a search engine, while |
| are from the index and not the live web. | | | | Googlebot is the crawler that gathers content |
| | | | for its index, but most users and webmasters |
| Directories. When webmasters realized just | | | | think of a search engine as the whole |
| how much power inbound links have in | | | | package. |
| determining search rankings they quickly set | | | | |
| out to do two things: 1) get inbound links | | | | Search Engine Marketing. Most often this |
| and 2) set up web sites where other | | | | refers to Pay-Per-Click marketing in which an |
| webmasters could achieve inbound links | | | | advertiser bids on chosen keywords and writes |
| (meaning big traffc revenues for the site). | | | | several ads to be displayed should their bid |
| Hence the directory farms you'll find today. | | | | achieve placement. These ads are displayed in |
| Link building has been a priority on the lst | | | | the "sponsored" section of search engine |
| of any SEO-savvy webmaster for years, and as | | | | result pages (SERPS). However, in some |
| a result "quick fix" directories that allow | | | | circles this term is used to refer to any |
| streamlined listing submissions get a ton of | | | | action taken to gain rankings both paid and |
| traffc. However, Google and the other major | | | | organic. |
| search engines are on to this tactic, and the | | | | |
| word among SEO "experts" is that the benefits | | | | Search Engine Optimization. This one is open |
| of listing your site at directories are | | | | to interpretation. It is quite often used to |
| diminished if not gone. | | | | encapsulate a huge amount of different |
| | | | tactics. On-site optimization, off-site |
| Frames. Frames are a way of laying out a | | | | optimization (link building, etc) and many |
| website with multiple documents in one | | | | other techniques all feasibly fall under the |
| browser window. Essentially, there is one | | | | SEO blanket. However, there is an obvious |
| main document which contains the frameset tag | | | | difference between optimizing a page's code |
| - this document specifies the dimensions | | | | to be clean and search friendly and writing |
| placement of the frames and also the | | | | link bait that will be popular and get linked |
| documents that will "populate" those frames. | | | | to. |
| From an SEO standpoint the use of frames for | | | | |
| your layout is not recommended. Since frames | | | | Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). The |
| do not use links in the same way, and since | | | | pages resulting from a search engine query |
| links may point to one frame from another, | | | | run by a user. Webmasters review these pages |
| they may cause serious problems for crawlers. | | | | to determine where their pages are ranking |
| Additionally, there are almost no uses for | | | | for certain search terms. |
| frames that can't either be 1) duplicated | | | | |
| with other methods or 2) thrown away without | | | | Sp@mming. Basically, any unnatural effort to |
| much fuss. If your site was built with frames | | | | bring a page higher in search results. What |
| and you're thinking you don't want to rebuild | | | | constitutes sp@m is open to some |
| - it might be tough luck if you're interested | | | | interpretation, but the only interpretation |
| in optimizing for search. Consider it a | | | | you need to worry about is that of the major |
| learning experience - build yourself a | | | | search engines. If Google, for example, |
| CSS-based layout. | | | | considers a technique "spammy" you'd be wise |
| | | | to cease at once. |
| Gateway Pages. Also "doorway pages." Although | | | | |
| there isn't a real consensus about what these | | | | Spiders. See also "crawlers." |
| pages are, their function is always cited as | | | | |
| their definition. In other words, these pages | | | | Submission. For SEO this has traditionally |
| are created to "rank well in search engines" | | | | meant submitting a web site to search engines |
| by playing to the algorithms. Often viewed as | | | | so they'll know about and crawl it. SEO firms |
| "spammy," "gray hat" or even "black hat." | | | | offered submission services as a big selling |
| However, any page written with search in | | | | point to bring in clients. However, for a |
| mind, and geared towards search, can be | | | | long time now submitting your site to search |
| construed to be a "gateway page." The | | | | engines hasn't done jack. They're all much |
| difference between a page well-optimized for | | | | smarter now - just focus on gaining quality |
| search and a "gateway page?" No clear lines | | | | inbound links and your site will be indexed |
| there, but quality of content is probably the | | | | in no time. |
| determining factor. | | | | |
| | | | This is just a sample of the core vocabulary |
| HTML. Okay, most of you probably know this | | | | associated with SEO. Is this all you need to |
| one, but there are probably some of you who | | | | know? Absolutely not. But in my experience |
| don't. HTML stands for Hyper-Text Mark-up | | | | these are the words and phrases that |
| Language, and it is the core building block | | | | newcomers have the most trouble with. If |
| that has made the web the greatest modern | | | | these definitions help one person have a |
| tool for business, social, informational, | | | | better understanding of SEO, then I will be |
| political and any other causes. Search | | | | satisfied. |
| engines look exclusively at a web page's HTML | | | | |