Algorithms
The calculations made by search engine software that determine how a website
is ranked within a search result list. Each search engine will use a different
set of algorithms (which are closely guarded secrets) and factors such as a
website's title, body copy, meta-tags and link popularity may be important in
achieving a high search engine ranking.
Crawlers
The term used for the tools that search engines automatically send out to
find websites, record them and index them within their databases. Also known as
robots or spiders. Some crawlers will only visit the home page of a website
while others may 'deep crawl' and index many sub-pages, depending on the
structure of the site.
Directories
A web search tool compiled manually by human editors. Once websites are
submitted with information such as a title and description, they are assessed by
an editor and, if deemed suitable for addition, will be listed under one or more
subject categories. Users can search across a directory using keywords or
phrases, or browse through the subject hierarchy. Best examples of a directory
are Yahoo and the Open Directory Project.
FFA sites
Free For All sites are often included within the lists used by some companies
or software, offering submission of your website to 'thousands of sites'.
However websites are added to FFA sites on a 'most-recent' basis and are used to
front a marketing site. As a result, submissions to FFA sites will usually
result in your website only being listed for a short time and in return, your
e-mail address will receive hundreds of 'junk' marketing e-mails, many of which
will require a manual opt-out.
Frames
This is the HTML technique that creates a fixed element to a web page,
usually containing navigation buttons for the website that will be constantly
visible. Frames were a popular technique several years ago but can cause
problems for search engine optimisation as they restrict the ability of some
crawlers to index the site. However, frames are not as big an obstacle as some
people will make out and may also offer advantages when optimising a website.
Gateway pages
Pages designed
specifically to improve a website's search engine placement. These pages are
also known as bridge pages or doorway pages and are used for a variety of
reasons, such as to emphasize particular keywords or phrases; to target the
optimization requirements of a specific search engine; or to overcome the
elements of a website that are not 'search engine friendly', such as frames or
software applications like Flash. However, gateway pages can also take many
different forms and care must be taken when using these to achieve a good search
engine placement as they can be viewed as spamming if prepared incorrectly.
HTML
Hyper-Text Mark-up Language is the common coding used to create websites that
can be read by Internet browsers (such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer and
Netscape's Navigator). Part of the HTML coding for a website should include the
meta-tags required for search engine optimization.
Keywords
To achieve a high search engine placement for a relevant search, a website
must contain the appropriate positioning and density of keywords or phrases
related to the search terms used. This is a critical part of the search engine
optimization for any website.
Link popularity
The term used to describe the number of hypertext links coming into a website
from other websites. This factor is being used by many top search engines to
improve a website's ranking and is therefore an important consideration for any
website, but especially for new ones who need to build up such links as quickly
as possible.
Meta tags
An element of HTML coding on a website that is used by search engines to
index a website. Most meta-tags are included within the 'header' code of a
website and the most important tags are the title, description and keyword tags.
Rules used by different search engines govern how such tags are used, how many
characters they should contain, and how they should be formatted.
Metasearch engines
A type of search tool that will allow a user to conduct a search across 2 or
more search engines and directories in one go. These tools don't hold an index
of their own but are programmed to search across many of the top search tools
simultaneously.
Pay-per-click search tools
These search tools are becoming increasingly widespread as they provide
'sponsored results' to many partner search engines or directories. The concept
enables companies to achieve a top placement by bidding an amount of money for a
search term. Once a user clicks on the link from the search results, the bid
amount is deducted from the website owner's account. Examples of these tools
include Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing.
Search engine
A web search tool that automatically visits websites (using crawlers),
records and indexes them within its database, and generates results based on a
user's search criteria. Submitting a website to a search engine usually requires
just the page URL (and often an e-mail address) and optimization techniques are
essential for a website to be indexed and ranked appropriately by search
engines. Best examples of a search engine are Google, Yahoo, MSN and ASK.
Search engine marketing
The term used to describe the range of marketing techniques required to make
a website visible on search engines and directories so that it will attract
visits from its target audience. This includes the optimization of a site, the
submission to directories, the use of 'pay-per-click' search tools and keyword
related advertising.
Search engine optimization (SEO)
The term used to describe the marketing technique of preparing a website to
enhance its chances of being ranked in the top results of a search engine once a
relevant search is undertaken. A number of factors are important when optimizing
a website, including the content and structure of the website's copy and page
layout, the HTML meta-tags and the submission process.
Search engine placement
The marketing term used to describe the process of ensuring that a website
appears in the top results list of a search engine or directory once a relevant
search has been implemented. This can also be referred to as 'positioning'.
Search results
The ranked listing that appears once a search is submitted on a search engine
or directory. Results are often displayed in groups of 10 and research has shown
that websites appearing lower than 20-30 in the search results are less likely
to be seen, or visited. A search results list (or page) may sometimes be
referred to as SERPs - Search Engine Results Pages.
Spamming
The term used to describe techniques that might be used to 'trick' search
engines into ranking a website high up in their search results - such as the
repetitive use of keywords, hidden text or keywords unrelated to the site's
content. Search engines will penalize websites that use such methods and will
either downgrade them in their rankings, or exclude them completely.
Submission
The process of notifying search engines or directories about a website. Every
search tool has a form to enable the submission of websites, varying from a
simple URL address (for a search engine), to more detailed information (for a
directory). Submissions may be made manually or by using automated software,
although the former method is generally accepted to be more effective for search
engine placement.
Bridge pages
See Gateway pages
Doorway pages
See Gateway pages
Robots
See Crawlers
Spiders
See Crawlers |
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