Search engine optimisation

 

Search engine optimisation describes numerous techniques that can be used to improve a websites ranking in a search engine. For example, a website that has made good use of search engine optimisation techniques would appear in the first few results when a Google search for a term or key phrase specific to that website was performed. Search engine optimisation methods normally fall into one of two categories, white hat search engine optimisation and black hat search engine optimisation. White hat search engine optimisation techniques are those which do not use any underhand tactics to deceive or get around the indexing techniques employed by search engines, an example of this would be including extremely relevant content.

Black hat search engine optimisation techniques will exploit features in the search engine in order to appear high, and search engines often employ methods to prevent this. One technique that has now almost disappeared as search engines are now designed to avoid listing pages using this tactic was known as keyword stuffing, where hundreds of utterly irrelevant keywords included on the bottom of pages or in hidden text. This is a prime example of black hat search engine optimisation.

Many search engines, Yahoo, for example, will offer their own search engine optimisation which companies can pay for inclusion in their database on a pay per click policy, however this does not guarantee a high page ranking. Also most search engine optimisation techniques are aimed at improving a page’s ranking on Google as it is by far the worlds most popular search engine.