What is SEO?

SEO optimization is process that affects ranking of the website in the search engines unpaid result, which is often called “organic” or “earned” result. The higher the site is ranked in search engine results, the more visitors it will attract, thus achieving purpose of the website.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it literally means adjusting the website to search engines. It is an internet marketing strategy, which analyzes what is it that users are looking for, the actual search terms or keywords entered into search engines. It is a long process, which makes your website readily available to all those who need it. The first web site in the search engine results is a web site that has the best SEO optimization (provided that it is not a paid advertisement).

Optimization involves editing website content, HTML and HTML-related codes, that are relevant to specific keywords, but also to remove barriers for the search engines indexing. Another important thing that can be achieved by SEO optimization is the promotion of website to increase feedback or inbound linking. Seen from SEO point of view, the key elements of the website are: content, information architecture, content management system and overall infrastructure of the website.

The core function of search engines is referring users to websites and content that is most relevant to what users are looking for.

How is this relevancy determined?
1. Content – determined by the theme, the text on the pages of the website, titles and descriptions that are given.
2. Performance – how fast is your site and whether it works right.
3. The authority – the quality of the website’s contents (more reliable, precise, relevant information), which would encourage sites of “higher authority” to use those contents as a reference.
4. The user experience – how a website looks, how easy the navigation is, if it looks safe, if it is functional.

When we speak of SEO optimization, it is important to note that this is not a one-time process and it demands certain amount of time for results to be visible – your website amongst the first ones in web search results. SEO involves continuity. It does not end as long as your web site exists. The reason – the rules of searching are constantly changing, tools for optimization are changing and improving, the number of competitive sites is growing and so on. If you want to adapt to the everchanging conditions of the Internet environment, your website needs to have proper SEO optimization. The ultimate goal remains the same – more customers, better market position, business image preservation, more income.

White Hat SEO or Black Hat SEO?

SEO techniques are divided into two categories:
– techniques that search engines recommend as a good practice (“White Hat SEO”),
– techniques that search engines do not approve of (“Black Hat SEO”).

The essential difference between the two techniques is reflected in the duration of the desired results and how those results are achieved. In the case of “White Hat” techniques, the results are focused on the long run and are achieved by the approved means. In case of “Black Hat” tools, they provide short-term success, and often lead to banning of the website because of illegal (fraudulent) actions within such SEO optimization (for example: BMW’s website got banned in 2006 by Google; Forbes magazine website got intentionally degraded in web search results by Google in 2011).