SEO: The Structured Market Discipline

Online marketing is a multi-billion dollar global business that helps millions of customers every day. If you have the right knowledge, strategies and tools, you too can be a part of this business – whether as a service provider or to market your own business. However, online marketing is plagued with a lot of myths and misinformation. This article will clarify some of the myths, and tell you why SEO is  ….

Myth: SEO is Hit and Miss

This myth has been around for years. Search engine optimization (SEO) was first created to help people find the right information online. At that time, the Internet had billions of web pages on every possible topic, but finding information was a hit and miss gamble. Out of this mess, search engines created an easy, logical order by using algorithms to filter search terms.

Search engine rankings

Today, almost every person uses a popular search engine as their gateway to the Internet. Whether it’s looking for a local deli or finding a business partner, people tend to ‘Google it’. This is also a basic human need – to study options. A search engine uses algorithms to collect, assess and make this a meaningful choice. This process is done by rating web pages on a number of criteria, with higher ratings moved up closer to the top of the search results.

Initially, marketing professionals were slow to wake up to the potential of search engine rankings. The old attitude of “Make a website and people will come” began to change. Entrepreneurs realized that having an online presence was only the start; the real victory was in attracting the right eyeballs, keeping them there, and attaining the desired results. Out of this marketing necessity, Search engine optimization was born.

The idea was simple – if the search engine algorithms used criteria to rank a website, the website should change to meet those criteria. However, there was a lot of confusion about the right approach. Online marketing itself was a new idea and clients were slow to accept SEO concepts. However, SEO experts soon developed a proven track record in helping websites improve ranking, traffic and overall business.

Climbing the search rankings

Far from being a hit and miss strategy, modern day SEO is a highly structured marketing discipline. All the major search engines, led by Google, create mathematical algorithms to continually refine the quality of their rankings. SEO professionals have developed tools that track these rankings and measure key parameters. The most well-known are keywords and cross-linking, both important factors in improving a website’s search rankings.

SEO strategies: Tried and tested

The great part about SEO is that entrepreneurs can easily adopt it to improve their online marketing efforts. While some other approaches can be hit and miss, SEO is based on clear metrics and widely available data. All it takes is the right knowledge and strategies to successfully climb up the rankings chart. In fact, SEO strategies are constantly being created, tested, and implemented. Online marketing entrepreneurs even have access to marketing experiment blogs and websites. These blogs and websites work like test chambers to try new SEO strategies and observe the results.

Conclusion

SEO today is far from being a hit and miss affair. Online marketing professionals have access to tested tools and strategies, which are constantly tested and improved.

About The Author:

Neeraj Sachdeva is a psychology-motivated blogger who writes about Freelancing and Self-Improvement, often together. Check out his latest post (and Free Quiz) on Motivational Goal Seeking. You can find his take on The Art of Persuasion  as well as his logic-driven post on The Essence of Friendship over at The Next Goal, part of WBB Survivor contest.

Tags: Online Marketing, SEO

Category: SEO