Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it “ranks,” the more searchers will visit that site. ~ wikipedia.org

In the late ‘90s, businesses began to discover the benefits of search engine optimization and since then it’s caught wildfire. Google fields several hundred million queries on a daily basis, and being touched by Google’s magic wand can convert businesses overnight from ‘Lost in No Man’s Land’ to Internet Sensation. So of course, in an effort to crawl over each other to the coveted first three pages of Google results, a variety of sketchy practices were also born.

Unfortunately for the tricksters, Google employs some of the top minds of the world (as well as a massive budget) to improve their algorithms and in fact alters them several times a week. They currently utlize over 200 factors into ranking a page, and what exactly these factors are is a closely guarded secret… and with good reason. Google not only wants to defy false hits which chase off its users, but also doesn’t want competing search engines to cash in on their successful formula.

Some get greedy and employ sketchy methodologies in search of higher placement. But preventing these methodologies is also part of Google’s blueprint and when these methodologies are uncovered, sites can be booted from Google (resigned to “Google Hell”, as it is known) for long periods of time, with no explanation as to why.

To prevent this, many businesses are revising their strategies and turning to organic search engine optimization, tightening up and re-wording their sites to be certain that they’re Google-friendly, not Google-angering. This practice also returns a web guest that is a better match for the site rather than guests tricked into visiting and frustrated with a Google misfire.

And, particularly as the economy is soft yet the cost of sponsored links is still on the rise, businesses are realizing they’ve hitched their wagon to an ever-increasing budget during lean times. Some wearied web guests have realized that clicking on paid links results in a less accurate result for their search and are similarly reverting back to organic search results, scrolling past the paid ads when searching.

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Turn to an expert in organic search results. Your site will be optimized using the current best practices; you’ll be successful and stay successful in Google and other search engines despite changing algorithms and get honest results at a price you can afford.

© 2009 Matthew Costello