Search engine optimization: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:01, 24 February 2003

Revision as of 23:13, 24 February 2003

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As the industry developed, search engines quickly became wary of unscrupulous SEO firms that attempted to generate traffic for their customers at any cost. One frequent practice, called keyword spamming, involved the insertion of random text at the bottom of a webpage, colored to match the background of the page. The inserted text usually included words that were frequently searches (such as sex), with the goal of getting rankings, and thus access to large streams of traffic.

The search engines responded with a continuous series of countermeasures, designed to filter out the "noise" generated by these artificalartificial techniques. In turn, several SEO firms developed ever-more-subtle techniques to influence rankings.

==Current TrendsReconcilliation==

In recentthe yearsearly 2000's, search engines and SEO firms have attempted to establish an unofficial truce. There are several tiers of SEO firms, and the most reputable companies employ content-based optimizations which meet with the search engines' (reluctactreluctant) approval. These techniques include improvements to site navigation and copywriting, designed to make websites more intelligible to search engine logicalgorithms.

Search engines have also reached out to the SEO industry, and are frequent sponsors and guests at SEO conferences and seminars. In fact, with the advent of paid inclusion, search engines now have a vested interest in the health of the optimization community.

==Paid Inclusion==

Paid Inclusion is a fee-based model for submitting website listings to search engines. Historically, search engines have allowed webmasters, as well as SEO's and the general public, to freely submit sites for consideration. However, as abuse from some SEO firms in the form of incessant submissions began to strain the engines' capacity, a fee-based system was adopted.

The fee structure is used by search engines as a filter against superfluous submissions, and also as a revenue generator. Typically, the fee covers an annual subscription for one webpage, which will automatically be cataloged on a regular basis.

Search engines still offer free submit forms, but make no promises as to the timeliness of the cataloging process through this channel.