Search Engine Ranking, demystified!
SEO is short for "search engine optimization." To have your site optimized for the search engines means to attempt to have top placement in the results pages whenever a specific keyword is typed into the query box. There are many search engine optimization services to choose from, so here are some things to keep in mind when seeking SEO services or developing an SEO strategy of your own.

Search engines have two types of listings: those that are paid for, which are usually distinguished as "sponsored links" and those that are organic.

To the right is a screen shot of a Google® search results page. The listings in red are paid ads, and the listings in the green area are organic results.

Organic Listings
Organic search engine listings are those that appear down the middle of the page. Search engine optimization services are devoted to optimizing sites to appear in the organic listings space. See the diagram above to see where organic listings and paid listings appear in the Google search engine results page.

Spider-driven search engines such as Google®, Yahoo!® and MSN® use "robots" or "crawlers" to score Web sites across the Internet. Robots "spider/crawl" each site and "score" pages based on how relevant they are. A Web site's score or placement within a spider driven search engine is derived from hundreds of variables such as link popularity, density and frequency of keywords in page content, HTML code, site themes and more. You will want to focus many criteria in your SEO strategy to position yourself well among the major search engines. Here are two of the most influential factors:

1. Link Popularity
   Spider-driven search engines use robots to spider Web sites across the Internet by traveling through links from web page to web page. A Web site's score or placement within a spider driven search engine is derived from hundreds of variables such as, link popularity, click popularity, keyword density, Web site themes and more.
   
   Google is the most popular spider-driven search engine. Its database currently has about 4 billion pages indexed and is known for finding the most relevant information. When Google spiders the Web, it finds sites by traveling through links. The more sites that link to you, the more important the engines believe your content to be. You should focus on getting many important sites to link to your site. You can do this in many ways: submit to online directories, exchange links with business partners and industry-related sites, or participate in Link Building.
2. Page Content
   Search engine spiders can only spider through text. They will use the content on your site to determine what your site is about, which in turn will help to decide how highly your site will be ranked for specific keyword phrases when visitors type them into the search engines. For this reason, keyword research is critical to obtaining natural search engine placement and should be at the top of your list when mapping out your SEO strategy.
   
   You will need to know how many people are searching for your keyword phrases and what kind of competition you are facing when attempting to obtain a top spot in the search results. Keyword research, text writing, submissions and site analysis are all included with our search engine optimization packages.

Why Search Engine Optimization?
Studies have proven that top placement in search engines generally provide a more favorable return on investment compared to traditional forms of advertising such as, snail mail, radio commercials and television. Search engine optimization is the primary method to earning top 10 search engine placement. Learn more about the search engine optimization process and discuss an SEO strategy for your site when you contact a search engine specialist today.

Paid Listings
Yahoo!'s Pay-Per-Plick (PPC) Program shows paid ads at the top and right of the results pages. Web sites that show up here bid on keyword phrases and pay Yahoo!® a small fee each time the ad is clicked on. The more you bid per phrase the higher your ad will appear on the results page. Yahoo! PPC is a great way to help drive traffic quickly to your Web site. You can set a daily budget. When you max out your budget, Yahoo! will pull your ad for the remainder of the day.

A comprehensive search engine marketing campaign may encompass both organic optimization for long-term success and a pay per click campaign for immediate results. Feel free to contact a search engine marketing consultant at 1-877-438-8599. We can help put together a marketing strategy for your site's needs.

Each organic search engine ranking places emphasis on variable factors such as the design and layout, keyword density and the number of relevant sites linking to it. Search engines constantly update and refine their ranking algorithms in order to index the most relevant sites. Other variables that have an impact on search engine placement include the following:

SEO Keyword Research: Choosing the right keywords is critical to SEO success.
301 Redirect: The primary search engine friendly way to redirect your domain name.
Link Popularity: Work to increase traffic by exchanging or achieving links from many high-ranking sites.
Web Themes: Create a content rich site broken down into "themes."