Search engine optimisation is the process of increasing online traffic through a website by natural search engine methods. A larger number of “key words” on a website will usually mean it is included higher up on the Google listings and will therefore increase traffic to the website. It is estimated that approximately 80% of traffic to websites comes through search engines. It is key that a company gets its website as high up as possible on the list of Google finds because over 90% of people will not go past the third page of the results. It is extremely important in order to keep the business thriving.

In order to do this, new content must be uploaded onto the website as often as possible. This content must contain as many of the key words relating to the company as possible so that when the “spiders” go to the website looking for new content there will be some there and when one of the key words is typed into the Google search engine, your website will appear.

There are two different types of SEO, white hat and black hat. Black hat is used to describe any way of increasing the ratings of your website by means not permitted by the search engine operator. This may include cramming many keywords into the site, hidden by either placing them off screen of placing them in a similar colour to the background colour of the website. The result of employing black hat methods of Search Engine Optimisation is normally a ban from Google. White hat methods are what can be described as creating content for the user and not the search engine. It is new information which is uploaded to the website but that makes sense to the reader and to the “Google spiders.”

It is difficult to determine when to use search engine optimisation within your company and there is no right or wrong answer on this. It is very much a choice of preference and opinion and whatever suits the company and the situations it faces. Some businesses opt to use it from when they start out in order to keep the business well known from the beginning. It is also used as a way of making the website more accessible and user friendly. If the right SEO Techniques are used then it ensures that people using search engines will be directed to the right website and that the business only receives hits from people wanting to look at their website.

Other businesses only use SEO when the company is experiencing hardship. It is a way of reminding people about the brand and making them aware of your website. If the content is relevant and warrants a higher ranking than the competition it can really make a huge difference. When used together with other marketing techniques, this is a great way of improving the traffic to your website, increasing awareness of your company and its services and bringing your company back to the top.

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