Search Engine Optimization - Cbil360 - Internet

In an age where the whole world turns towards the Internet for quick and instant information, the concept of search engine optimization has never been more crucial than it is today.

In simple terms, search engine optimization (or SEO, as it commonly referred to) can be described as a series of coding actions, activities and tweaks that are carried out within a website and its content; all of which are aimed at boosting the websites ranking in search engine result pages.

SEO has gained the importance that it has, simply because there are way too many websites on a given subject out there on the Internet, and unless your website happens to figure in the top 5-odd search engine result pages (SERPs), it will more or less receive no web traffic at all. There are many ways and methods of optimizing a website to make it more search engine friendly. These can be broadly categorized into 2 ways: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO.

On-Page SEOIn this case, all the optimization is performed within the websites content and part of its software code. Some of the things that come under on-page SEO are: Using the right keywords and improving keyword density Proper link building using a sitemap Proper use of meta tags in the webpage title and description Formatting the webpage content for easy readability Using the targeted keyword in the webpage URL Creating original content which is not plagiarized Avoiding duplication of content on the same page

Off-Page SEOThe optimization activities that are performed outside the website, i.e elsewhere on the Internet, fall into the category of off-page SEO. Some of them are: Getting backlinks from reputed sites Proper use of the targeted keyword in the anchor text of the link Getting a website listed in popular web directories on the Internet Focusing on the quality of backlinks, rather than the quantity Promoting a website through different mediums such as social networking sites

These are some common ways of going about search engine optimization. However, you should make sure that in the process of optimizing your website, you dont go overboard. Things such as inserting too many keywords into your content (keyword stuffing), having invisible content on your webpage, having internal links that take the user nowhere, etc. are unethical means of SEO (also known as black hat SEO). Search engines can penalise your website heavily if you indulge in such type of activities.

Keeping the end user in mind and catering to his interests in an honest manner is the best way of going about search engine optimization.