Once a query has been entered the search engine's job is to determine which results are the best match for the query. Using the Engine's Algorithm (a mathematical equation commonly used for sorting) it runs calculations on each of the results to determine which is most relevant to the given query. The engine then sorts these by relevance on the results pages and users make a choice about which to select.

Since the inception of Internet Search Engines in the mid 90's webmasters and content providers have been optimising their sites in an effort to get to the top of the listings - hardly surprising, as 70% of search engine visitors will click on the top 3 search engine rankings.

Search engines are the market makers of the Internet. The majority of web traffic is driven by the major commercial search engines Yahoo, MSN, Google and AOL (although AOL gets nearly 10% of searches, their engine is powered by Google's results).

If your site isn't found in the search engine rankings or your content is missing from their databases, you miss out on the incredible opportunities available via Search Engine Rankings - people who want what you have visiting your site. Whatever your site provides - services, products, or simply information - search engines are the primary method of navigation for almost all Internet users. They are a push technology that enables consumers to meet with providers at the very moment of consumer interest, essentially giving you what you want, when you want it.

Of the four Ps of marketing, positioning is the absolutely critical component of the marketing mix when considering an effective Internet presence. If you are not visible to your customer at the time your customer is ready to buy, you lose. Your competitor in the right search engine rankings at the right time wins the business.

Our primary objective at Seo Consult is to position you in exactly the search engine rankings where your customer is. Our secondary objective is to position our clients better than their competitors in these places. In the world of Search Rankings, "better" means more visible, means higher, and higher means a much greater probability that somebody will click on your link and visit your site. While this figure varies from search engine to search engine, recent search data has shown that approximately 70% of users, if they click, will click on one of the first three search rankings in a search engine. Jupiter Media Matrix recently reported that 42% of respondents cited search rankings as the most common way they search for products and vendors online.

Not all techniques have been regarded as ethical by the SEO Companies, who refer to rogue practices such as using hidden text or employing link farms to create the illusion of popularity as Black Hat SEO. By relying so much on factors exclusively within a webmaster's control, early search engines began to suffer from abuse and search rankings manipulation through Black Hat SEO techniques.

In an effort to combat illegitimate search rankings, the engines began to introduce a variety of criteria to try and ensure that sites were listing by genuine relevance. Complex Ranking Algorithms assessing page popularity through the quality and strength of inbound links and additional factors made the engines more difficult for webmasters to manipulate.

We proudly wear White Hats (with great success) working with long-term objectives and within parameters set by the major search engines to avoid the risk of being Eliminated or Banned from engine databases. SeoConsult deploy a combination of traditional tried and tested methods alongside a powerful range of the latest tools and techniques to achieve successful search engine rankings for our clients.

It is estimated that there are now in excess of 200 factors used by the major search engines to determine site ranking. SEOmoz.org regarded by many as leaders in the field of SEO information gathering, collected the wisdom of 37 leaders in the world of organic search engine optimization to consider the various factors that are estimated to comprise Google's ranking algorithm (the method by which the search engine orders results).

We found it interesting to note that many of the issues prioritised by the panel of experts are considered standard practice to SeoConsults ranking efforts. Our industry-leading work is a significant contributing factor to our clients' consistently outstanding engine rankings.

The top ten positive factors were:

• Keyword use in title tags
• Anchor text of inbound Links
• Global popularity of the site
• Age of the site
• Link popularity within the site's internal link structure
• Topical relevance of Inbound links to site
• Link popularity of site in topical community
• Keyword use in body text
• Global popularity of Linking Site
• Topical relationship of Linking Page

To find out if your SEO campaign performs well for these factors, request a Free SEO Analysis.