Most automobile owners don’t really know how their vehicle works. They only know that if they put the key in the ignition and engage, the vehicle starts, allowing them to get where they need to go. The same can be said for most users of the Internet. When they type a word into a search engine, the search engine provides them with many websites, helping the user get where they need to go virtually.
How a Search Engine Works
Search engines send out a virtual ‘spider’ to crawl inside the Internet and collect data from web pages. Once the data has been collected, an indexer looks at the information (the words it contains and their frequency as well as page links). A mathematical algorithm then ranks the prominence of the web page. For example, if you typed the words ‘Chicago Search Engine Optimization Company’ in Google (the top search engine in the United States), you would get a list of close to two million entries.
The sheer number of entries a search engine provides is staggering and the vast majority of people will not look beyond the first two or three pages of search results. In other words, most of the search results are never viewed. The goal, then, is to make certain that your website ranks among those first pages.
How to Make Sure Your Website Ranks High on the Search Engines
One of the most effective methods to ensure that your website ranks highly is search engine optimization. Search engine optimization works by increasing the visibility of a website in Internet search results. This is done through the use of key words or phrases and frequent updates in content. Frequent updates keep the virtual ‘spider’ crawling back to your website and giving it more weight.
The search engine optimization process is time consuming; requiring constant vigilance. Content that engages the site’s users and the virtual ‘spider’ takes time to produce. The search engines (Google, Yahoo! and Bing) can change their algorithms and your site’s ranking at any time. For these reasons and more, you should seek the help of a professional. A Best Chicago Search Engine Optimization Company can help your company strategize, create and implement an SEO campaign, and monitor its results.
A professional SEO company will keep you up-to-date on the most current trends and provide a much higher return on investment than the traditional marketing methods of television, radio and print.
