How Does Search Engine Optimization Actually Work?

Originally Posted on October 11, 2010

Search Engine Optimization works by looking at a website, both the text content on the site and any links (both general links and backlinks) that are there, and then, based on the keyword density, a ranking is awarded on the main search engines.

Simply hosting a website and saying it is great isn’t enough to get it anywhere near the top on Google or any of the other search engines out there; and lets face it without a good Google ranking nowadays you really don’t stand much of a chance at success.

You may think that if that is the case, you just find out what your keywords are  (Keywords are set words or terms that are deemed in the ‘eyes’ of the search engine algorithm to be search words that people use when looking for a website such as yours) and then fill page after page with random keyword dropping, creating nonsensical text on hidden pages that people will never actually see, or by filling your website with a more popular phrase in order to get people to your site through the age old art of deception. While this may work in the short term, the algorithms and people behind the search engines are not stupid and will find any such shit and block it from their listings completely.

In fact, Search Engine Optimization runs on a ratio basis. The number of regular words against the number of Keywords, and for the best rankings there is a certain percentage or ratio range that it should all fit between. By creating a site that waffles along, simply packing the text with the respective keywords every few lines, will create a higher ratio and make hard reading for those who do find your site.

The best method is to simply speak the truth, talk to your visitors how you want to talk to them, explain yourself and what your services are. Be short and sweet and you stand a better chance of achieving a good ranking.

Search Engine optimization is a key thing in generating web traffic, and ultimately profit for the business that is associated with the traffic increase, however a website that is hard to read because of all the keywords that are crammed into the text, but ranked number one on Google, may attract more people but hold their attention less than a site that is ranked lower but uses concise English, a realistic use of the keywords, and actually conveys information that the visitors want to read. A website that is written with the nature of its business and the interest of its visitors in mind will always fare better than a website written with the sole purpose to be a good Google ranking.

Takeaway

Write for your audience, and don’t worry too much about keyword density — your readers will appreciate it more and the Search Engines will love you for it, and give you better rankings than if you try to stuff keywords into your article just to make the mythical ‘magic keyword density’ figures that some ‘Gurus’ suggest, and finish up with a crap article!

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