SEO Services by IMAG Studios > Search Engine Optimization


Search Engine Optimization also known as Search Optimization, Search Engine Placement and SEO) is a complex technical process that overhauls a website to increase it's visibility and search engine rankings online.

Effective search engine optimization can take a website from the dark shadow of obscurity to the spotlight of front page listings on popular search engines such a Google, Yahoo and MSN Live.

Search Engine Optimization Techniques

Proper Search Engine Optimization starts with an understanding of how people search for things online. Only when you begin to understand the common patterns people use in searching, can you begin to explore what keywords will draw visitors to your website.

Infact it's easy to have first page search rank for the vast majority of search keywords. The problem is that most of those keywords are useless because no one ever uses them when they search online. Finding the right combination of keywords that match your Internet Marketing strategy and your businesses demographic are essential.

Search engine optimization also takes into account how the search engines themselves work. How the search engines find new webpages, the types of websites they elevate to top positions and the leeway given by search engines for optimization tactics.

The next phase in search engine optimization is structural optimization.

When discussing structural search engine optimization we are viewing a website in sweeping terms. Modification to the websites file structure, navigation elements and flow of hyperlinks from one page to another.

Many years ago during the dawn of personal computing, many people were familar with the idea of file structure and using directories. When websites first began appearing on the web, these traditional file structures came as well.

Over time we have witnessed the decay of these traditional file structures and practices. Websites today are developed by people with artistic talents and fantastic creative vision, many of whom are not familar with technical design elements.

Wikipedia is a good example of a website that uses effective linking and file structure. Structural search engine optimization is an important foundation for all other seo techniques to be built upon.

Onsite / Page Search Engine Optimization

Onsite optimization goes on to make technical modifications to the content of a website ensuring that emphasis is put on the proper keywords for the individual page on the website, and that there are sufficient supportive keywords from the same keyword genre. The idea is to ensure that when a search engine crawler visits the page, it is able to clearly determine what the page is about. When the individual page theme, meshes with the rest of the website to support an even larger keyword theme - this is effective on-site search engine optimizaiton.

Other well known topics of on-site search engine optimization include technical changes through meta data, hyperlink anchor text, alt tags and image tags.

Content Building for SEO

It has been argued by some that once a website is optimized once, the work is effectively done. This argument would be true were it not for the simple fact that most websites are in a constant state of flux.

For example, a search engine views two websites on the same subject. Both websites are very well optimized. However one of these websites has not been greatly updated or modified in several months... it has become stale.

The other website is updated regularly with fresh optimized content. In the eyes of the search engine, the website which is updated frequently is more likely to offer a better value to people using the search engine. The result is that the stale, but highly optimized website begins to fall and lose rankings in favor of websites which are more active and up to date.

Anyone who is in business knows that if you stand still long enough, someone else will pass you by. The same is true for search engine optimization and search ranking.

Let us not forget that you are doing yourself a great favor as well by offering your visitors more when they visit your website. A website that has had the same basic content for several months, will lose visitors to a website that is updated regularlly and appears "active".

That's where Content Building and Search Engine Optimization come together. By regularly expanding the amount of optimized content on your website, you give your human visitors reasons to keep coming back. Meanwhile you give search engine spiders a reason to give you higher search engine placement.

Off Site Search Engine Optimizaiton

The cornerstone of search engine optimization and search engine placement takes place offsite. Wikipedia could have an article on every subject in the universe, but if the search engines didn't know of its existance then it would live soley in a cold, lonely void by itself.

Off Site Search Engine Optimization revolves around the concept of building backlinks to your website. A backlink or inbound link is a one-way link from another website to your website. In effect a link counts as a vote of confidence in your website from another.

Of course if only it were that easy, everyone could just go about building the most links to race to the top. In reality there are many specialized forms of SEO that take place off site.

The lowest quality links are generic non-descript links. Profiles in forums, social bookmarking websites, and membership style websites are notorious for thinks links. . They will include anchor text such as "Visit Website" or something like "IMAG Studios Website" which is only marginally better, usually in the profile of an account.

Links pages usually allow for more descriptive anchor text, but are often devalued by search engines. Having a website link to you from it's "links section" or a page called "links.html" is likely not to do you much good. Especially when the page has hundreds of other links outbound, or is links page 33 of 87.

Internet Directories are almost always a better source of links then the above alternatives. An Internet directory are search engine friendly directories of links to webpages usually divided into several categories based on topic or genre. Internet directories typically do not deliver a lot of traffic, and pass along marginal link value initally.

Over time however many link directories will expand, and grow in authority. For webpages that are listed early with directories on the front pages, they will see an increase in the link power given to them from that directory, while late adopters are likely to see a lesser return.

An exception to this rule occurs on geographical directories "aka local directories" and business or industry directories. Since these directories are much more specific, their "theme" is also much stronger. Thus adding your Cincinnati based business to directories that focus on cincinnati websites adds more potent linking power to your website. Likewise if your business involves carpentry work, and a capenters link directory links to you this is also a bigger boost in link power.

This brings up another important point about off site search engine optimization. As you've discovered already it's not just getting backlinks that's important, but who is giving you those backlinks.

Having a website with a lot of authority link to your website is an important concept to follow. Having CNN link to you on their home page for example would be tremendous. (By the way, anyone at CNN wanna help a brother out?)

However realistically, unless you plan on doing something criminal or fraudulent as link-bait, that's probably not going to happen. Still having other authority sites link to your website is a good thing.

Even better is to have an authority website with the same theme as your website link to you. Imagine having the national carpentry association website link to your caprenter website. Now you get the cincinnati chapter to link to you as well. Next a major capentry industry forum links to you. All three of these would be powerful links for your carpentry website.

If however your website was about barns or horse stalls, the benefit of these links would of course be reduced.

It's not just the link in Search Engine Optimization

It's not just the anchor text of the link that counts, it's not just the theme of the website and whether it matches your websites theme. It's also the context in which the link is placed.

If I created a page on this site with a description of your carpentry company and a website link within the description, it would be a medicore link at best. (Ignore the fact that this website has nothing to do with carpentry)

Now imagine I create a page on the site in article format, citing your website among other authorities in carpentry. The article itself is highly optimized, fleshed out content and builds authority by already linking to other authority websites on carpentry. Ahh ha, but it also links to you. The link to your website has just become more powerful.

It's not just where the link comes from, but the context in which it comes from.

Contextual Link Building Piggy Backing

What does one do when you have exhausted all avenues for relevant links from websites that share your theme?

Why you call 1-888-749-3832 to speak to our team of Search Engine Optimization experts at IMAG Studios of course!

Ahh ha! Just checking to make sure you were still paying attention!

One effective strategy is simply to build relevantly themed websites. If you can't find anymore, make your own. Building your own microsite is an effective way to start building content specific links to your website.

Here are a few ideas for a microsite:

A Private Directory of Carpentry Websites (Private because there is no "form" submission, other carpentry listings are all no-follow links or simply provide traditional contact info (name, street, city, brief description)

A Private Review Website (Again private as you are in control, provides traditional contact methods and generic reviews except to your website)

Niche specific carpentry website (Focusing on one or two specific aspects of carpentry, with lots of content on those specific areas - thus you can repeat this with other niche microsites which focus on other areas of carpentry, then linking to your website)

Of course you want to link to other authority websites as well to build trust from the search engine, but you should avoid linking to sites that would be direct competitors.

What about SEO Piggy Backing?

Okay, so microsites sound like a lot of work. It's true that much of the SEO we've discussed so far would also be required for each microsite. You will in effect have to optimize multiple websites to make that strategy effective.

The other avenue is to piggy back on the authority of a website that already exists. Blogging websites are a good start, social networking websites, free web hosts are OKAY, business wiki's, microblogs, some social bookmarking sites.. you get the idea.

Many of these avenues will allow you to create custom pages, which you can then use to develop themed sites relevant to your own.

Articles, Press Releases and RSS/Pings

Writing great articles and content, then distributing those to article distribution networks. Not only will it grant you a link from the network, but in theory anyone who downloads or syndicates the content will have a link to you as well.

The same goes with an RSS feed or Ping from a blog on your website. (You did add a blog as part of your content building right?) Great way to get quick backlinks from multiple sources.

If you are willing to put the time and patience in, a press release is a great way to pick up some additional traffic and even generate some media hype.

Of course the easiest way to do all of this, and much more, is to just call IMAG Studios experts at 1-888-749-3832 and let us handle all of this dirt work for you. Call now for a free consultation on your specific internet marketing and SEO search engine optimization needs.