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Search engines are one of the primary ways that Internet users find web sites. That's why a web site with good search engine listings may see a dramatic increase in traffic.
Everyone wants those good listings. Unfortunately, many web sites appear poorly in search engine rankings or may not be listed at all because they fail to consider how search engines work.
In particular, submitting to search engines is only part of the challenge of getting good search engine positioning. It's also important to prepare a web site through "search engine optimization."
Search engine optimization means ensuring that your web pages are accessible to search engines and focused in ways that help improve the chances they will be found.
 Why did search engine optimization come into being?
90% of all online users use search engines to find what they are looking for. But only 7 % of these users look at results further down than the top 30. It is therefore logical that websites appearing at the top of search engine lists have greater potential for ROII (Return on Internet Investment) than those positioned lower than the top 30. Search engine optimization can therefore help to give you a clear advantage over your competitors.
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Why Use Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization is a never-ending process.
Search engines are dynamic. They constantly change their systems with the result that one day you may have a position as no. 1 and the next day have fallen to position no. 100. It is therefore the task of every SEO company to detect this quickly and to respond daily. If your SEO supplier does not adapt the URL marketing campaign to the search engines' changes you will lose business to those with a position at the top - often your competitors. So, search engine optimization is like a newspaper subscription. If you want news every day, you have to subscribe.
Are all search engines alike?
Not at all! Try a search yourself with a selected keyword on, for example, www.Google.com and www.AltaVista.com. Compare the results list and you will see that they are very different. The search engines look at a web page in completely different ways. Some search engines regard metatags as being important. (Metatags are keywords/descriptions that describe your organization and/or its products). Others do not read and put relevance on any metatags at all. Some consider that the more often a keyword phrase is mentioned on a website the better - where as some would consider this SPAM. Others think that what other websites write about your website is of relevance. In other words, the search engines' understanding and assessment of keywords and phrases are vastly different.
So from a technical point of view, search engine optimization is primarily a thorough and continuous analysis of the search engines in order to find out what they have in common and the exploitation of this to achieve a good placement on as many search engines as possible.
Can all websites be listed with equal ease by the search engines?
Unfortunately not. As a general rule the more complex a website is, the more difficult it is for the search engines to list the website. Many database-controlled systems (CMS = Content Management System) have a very difficult time being recognized by search engines. This is due to the fact that each webpage is dynamically generated - i.e. generated only if you click on a given page. As such the flat website is extremely sparse in content, which is why the search engines cannot find any content to index.
Another type of website, which is almost impossible to optimize are those using the latest
''Macromedia Flash'' technology, which a type of film played back over the Net. At present, search engines have no way of reading these pages. An SEO company can work professionally with all types of websites, regardless of whether it is a CMS or Flash website. Ask for references with these types of websites when looking for your professional SEO supplier.
Which are the important search engines?
Many people have been contacted by companies who offer for a sum of say, US$ 149 to register their website with 300,000 search engines and claim that they are guaranteed a top position on them all. Don't be taken in - it can't be done!! Which are the important search engines? Can you think of more than 20-25 search engines that fit this description? Clearly not. An SEO company works with the search engines that are important for, or relevant to, a particular market - incl. consideration as to language used.
An optimum search engine optimization strategy is targeted at the relevant search engines in order to generate quality traffic.
Guarantee
With regards to guarantees, we can say that SEO companies that offer a guarantee are not serious SEO organizations. It is simply not possible to guarantee anything in a market as dynamic as the Internet. Search engines can change overnight, meaning that your guarantee isn't worth the paper it is written on!
An example: Most guarantees in this area originate from a worst-case scenario and guarantee a single top placement per search word within a specific timeframe. These guarantees merely ensure that the supplier is always able to live up to their promises. But what is your guarantee that the supplier will want to spend more time on your website once they've fulfilled their modest obligations?
The guarantee lies in solid results that have been achieved with actual websites
In order to reassure yourself that a given SEO supplier is in a position to deliver a satisfactory service, you can test their ability to service you in an open and transparent manner - a serious SEO supplier won't have anything to hide.
In other words: To ensure that a supplier of search engine optimization is in a position to deliver services of a acceptable quality, you should just ask them which results they are - generally speaking - in a position to generate for their customers, and also if you may obtain a list of their key clients.
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