Just a bit about search engine optimization.

In our previous article, we covered the basic theory of SEO and talked about ‘On Page’ factors. Off-Page is much more critical though. Think of it as appointing votes. If another site places a link to your site then that site has given you a vote of confidence. It’s as if they’re promoting the value of the site.

This link consists of two major parts. Firstly it contains the specific URL of the page. Then secondly the keyword phrase. This will be highlighted on the web page. This equates to a vote being generated for that exact page. In other words one ‘vote’ to push the website up the natural listings.

It is always so. The keyword phrase and targeted page are completely tied to each other. Or the process can’t happen. The SE’s know what search term to use for that page based on the anchor text. This is vital to understand: The search terms you will be listed for are completely determined by your anchor texts.

Hence, a link saying “click here for…” isn’t a good idea. We’ve simply voted for the words Click Here. Whoever is going to type that phrase into the Search Engine? Obviously no-one.

Hence why the anchor text must be used correctly. It signifies the keyword phrases that you want to rank for. (Before we move on – are you aware that if you did search for Click Here, you’d see Adobe Reader Download listed first). Did they SEO that term? Absolutely not! But so many sites have a ‘Click HERE to download Adobe Reader’ link on them, that they’re number one for that phrase.

So to count a ‘vote’ for a web page, the Search Engines always go to the anchor text. And doesn’t that make sense? Google wants to emulate what a real human being is looking for and would like to find. To some extent it’s irrelevant what your page is actually about. The only relevant phrases are the anchor text phrases that point to you. That’s how it works.

Naturally, there’s more to it than that… Such as the title of the webpage being pointed at. As well as a variety of other things. For example; how spread-out and relevant the sites are that are linking to you.

The crux of it all is though that a mass of back links solves all the problems! And these need to be from as many different sites as possible – with the correct phrases used as anchor text. The ‘authority’ of a site also plays a major part: Receiving a link from a top site like Microsoft is much more valuable than one from a start-up site.

Take time to make sure you have the appropriate keywords in place. (And you should perform a lot of keyword and competitor research before putting any strategy into place.) It really boils down to one thing: What do people type into the search box when they’re trying to find your service or product? When you know that, you know which keyword phrases and anchor text to use.

But these keywords can’t be just randomly chosen without thought, investigation and testing. The best results can sometimes be quite surprising. So many different phrases come to mind when we think of what to search for. Imagine you’re intent on sleeping better. You might think to search for ‘comfortable bed’. Whereas another person may type in “I can’t sleep”.

Successful on-line marketing is about more than trusting vague hunches. It can’t be over-estimated how important it is to investigate, measure and test all the phrases to be used. They are absolutely key to the volume of enquiries and sales you can make via the web. Think of a listing you may have in a regional telephone directory. You’re not going to get any enquiries for Car Repairs if you’re indexed as a Hairdresser! Successful SEO is the result of meticulous analysis of keyword research.