• What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
• How is SEO different from SEM?
• How do I know whether SEO or SEM is right for me?
• How long does it take to see results?
• Is SEO part of web design?
• Will my visitors be able to tell if I’ve optimized my pages?
• What are keywords and how do I choose them?
• What are meta tags and why are they important?
• What is off-page optimization?
• Is it true I should get as many links to my site as possible?
• We're using a CMS for our web updating - does that mean we're creating search-engine friendly pages?

What is SEO?

SEO focuses on improving your rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs) – Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Live – by optimizing your content, code, site structure, and linking.

Often referred to as “organic” or “natural” search results, SEO can affect how relevant your site and pages are in the eyes of the search engines. Pages deemed more relevant rise to the top of the results. Research has shown that inks at the top of the results get more clicks and therefore more traffic.

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How is SEO different from SEM?

Because SEO increases your visibility in organic or natural search engine results, you don’t pay the search engines to achieve good rankings. You do pay your SEO provider for all optimization efforts.

SEM is another name for paid or sponsored search, also know as pay-per-click (PPC). PPC or sponsored ads are those you see at the top or to the right of the organic SERPs. You pay for the ad by the click. Competitive keywords are often higher priced, while more niche-related keywords can be less costly. Consider any traffic you gain from SEM as rented traffic – it will stop when you stop paying.

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How do I know whether SEO or SEM is right for me?

It depends. SEO is a great way to increase visibility over the long haul and attract qualified leads from an upfront investment. However, staying on top of your prospects information needs and searching behavior – and creating content to meet those needs – can be an ongoing effort.

Still, research findings regularly point to organic search results getting as much as 80 – 95% of clicks compared to paid search ads. That said, there will be times when your targeted search terms are too competitive to rank for and the only way you may be able to get exposure is through paid search ads.

Paid search ads can also help increase visibility for new sites, where it can take anywhere from 2 to 4 months to appear in the top 10-30 search results.

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How long does it take to see results?

That depends on many factors. It will take longer for a new site to rank than it will for an existing site that has been around for awhile and has a good incoming link inventory and other quality indicators.

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Is SEO part of web design?

For best results, you should approach your web design with SEO in mind. That way, you are building a search engine friendly site from the ground up. However, there are many things you can do to an existing site to improve its search engine friendliness and appeal to your target market.

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Will my visitors be able to tell if I’ve optimized my pages?

Not if you choose the right SEO services provider. Effective search engine optimization recognizes your site serves two audiences: your visitors and the search engine spiders. And makes your visitors' experience priority #1. In fact, Google prefers that you focus on providing great content your visitors will find interesting and relevant as the best approach to SEO success.

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What are keywords and how do I choose them?

Keywords are the terms your prospects and customers type into Google and other search engines when they search to solve a problem or find a solution. In SEO, you use those same keywords to optimize your web pages so that they will appear in the list of search results.

It’s important to choose keywords that your prospects and customers actually use versus internal or industry terminology.

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What are meta tags and why are they important?

Meta tags refer to the meta description and meta keywords tags within your HTML code. Meta descriptions are important because they can appear in the search engine results pages (SERPs) under your page listing and serve to describe what your page is about. Your meta description should be relevant to the copy on the page and entice the visitor to click and learn more.

Meta keywords, while of little value to search engine rankings, can be important if you have a search function on your site.

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What is off-page optimization?

Off page optimization refers to the external factors that influence your search engine rankings. These factors include the quality and quantity of links that point to your web pages. These links can come from:

• Other sites that are linking to your content
• Directories where your site is submitted
• Syndicated articles and press releases that include links to your site
• Social media outlets such as blogs and community networks like LinkedIn and Twitter

Links to your pages are very important in the eyes of the search engines; they are interpreted as votes in your favor.

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Is it true I should get as many links to my site as possible?

It is true that the more links you have, the more relevant you appear in the eyes of the engines. However, not all links are created equal.

You want to focus on getting trusted, authoritative links and avoid compiling links from untrustworthy sources. You should also be mindful of the sites you link out to - relevancy and quality are key.

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We're using a CMS for our web updating - does that mean we're creating search-engine friendly pages?

It depends. A search-engine friendly CMS should provide:

• Flat directory structure
• Static URLs (no dynamic generation, changes based on edits, or session IDs)
• Text-based navigation
• No frames
• In-platform 301 redirect capability
• Access to modify robots.txt
• Sitemap generation and flexibility 
• HTML code compliance 
• Usability compliance (breadcrumbs and social bookmarking)
• Ability to:
  • Control Web page attributes: page titles, window titles, nav labels, alt tags, heading tags, meta tags, & hyperlink properties
  • Control page and element access by user/role
  • Work in HTML or through a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor
  • Add or hide pages from navigation

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