How does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work?

In the early days of search engines, web site designers, or webmasters,  needed only to submit their page addresses or URLs to the various search engines, who would then send “spiders”or robots to crawl through and index the sites. As soon as people started to realize the value of having their websites show up on the first page the search engine result, they began looking for ways of manipulating the search engines indexing or ranking.

Back then, search engines processes relied on ‘on-site’ information to determine page rankings. In other words, they relied on information that was provided by the webmaster, things like keywords, meta tags and index files. If you want to see this “meta data”, simply go to any web page, right click, and view source. You will find “meta tags” that general public do not see.  All people needed to do was put in the right keywords in the sufficient density and they would start seeing front-page search engine rankings in no-time. This started to result in the SERPS (search engine return page) becoming unreliable, often filled with spam pages whose keyword tags did not accurately represent the pages' actual content. In fact it was common practice for some dishonest webmasters to change their keywords daily depending on the Oprah Winfrey topic.

Relying on webmasters input to determine what pages popped up on SERP got search engines in trouble. Engineers went to work on different algorythms to ensure the search engine would find relevant pages, and the top several search engines succeeded to a certain degree. On top was Alta Vista, Yahoo, Lycos, and MSN. Then along came Google..

Google, a company started in 1996 by Stanford grad students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Google's algorithm, PageRank, determines site rankings by measuring the quantity and quality of their inbound links. Google's superior, relevant search results immediately attracted a loyal following, and competing search engines started to realize the importance of keeping up with Google's new page ranking methodology.

By 2004, the three major search engines that are left, Google, MSN and Yahoo!, start incorporating undisclosed page ranking factors into their algorithms. The era of keyword-spamming SEO is long over. Webdevelopers and content providers have to rely on more creative ways to promote content and generate inbound links in order to achieve long term increases in SE rankings.

In 2005, Google starts personalizing search results, taking into account a user's search history to come up with customized results pages when that user is logged in. In 2007, Google starts a campaign against paid links affecting PageRank. In 2009. It is rumored that Google has several hundred “secret” algorythms, and Google isn’t talking.

Today, SEO is, for the most part, a conversation with Google Search. Although there are thousands of Search Engines, Google has over 70% of today's search engine users and is thus the place you have to be in in order to start driving organic traffic your way. SEO campaigns are much more labor intensive now than they were a decade ago, but this is largely a good thing. Users get better relevant results and webmasters and content providers have to provide actual value in order to rank high on search results.

When someone tells you that they will get you to the “top” of search engines without a lot of work and content change, don’t believe them. The only method to get to the top of SERPS is to have actual valid content, and use words in your articles and blogs that actually describe what people might look for during a search.

This is pretty simple and basic, but take it from someone who has succeeded in getting several websites to the top of SERPS, a LOT of work, and great content is the only valid method. There are methods to drive people to your site, including pay per click, however, the visitor will leave shortly if the content isn’t of value to them.

Joe Dilley