understanding search (engine marketing).

Even though it has now been around for what seems like forever, for some, online search remains a bit of a mystery. And for those with small businesses or those just getting into online/search engine marketing, it is good to understand the basics.

Let me start by saying that I don't claim to be an expert, just a marketer who has picked up a few things along the way that I'd like to pass along, as others have done for me.

Understanding the basics search engine marketing starts with understanding the basics of search. We use it everyday to look for just about everything but how does it work? Glad you asked. There are three main operations that search engines perform to determine the relevance and rank of your content. These three criteria, along with others such as a users location, search history and social connections, determine what results appear on the page when you type_________.

The three actions are as follows, one, spiders crawl the web searching for your content so make sure your site loads fast and the code is "clean". That means your developers know what they are doing. Two, all of your data is stored in a database and indexed to determine its relevance. And three, your page gets ranked according to top-secret and ever-changing algorithms which determines what results show up when you type_________.

So how can you improve your search engine optimization or organic search? Content, content, content. Images, video and text. That's it. No magic bullet. Create solid, relevant content and you are well on your way to world wide web domination (sort of). By no means does this guarantee success, but it is the foundation on which you should build. I will discuss other factors that influence search in subsequent posts but the image above will provide you with some hints.

PS - That great image above comes to us via LookSmart.