In the previous search engine optimization lesson we discussed the different types of search engines and how they bring forward search results from keywords. In today’s lesson I really want to talk about each one of these search engines in a little more detail as understanding them is essential to understanding search engine optimization.
Crawler Based Search Engines
If you remember we also referred to these search engines as spiders or crawlers and bring up results from their indexing when a keyword or keyphrase is typed into the relevant search box. This procedure is most commonly referred to as ranking. Being found at the top of a crawler-based index is not just a matter of relevancy and pumping loads of rich keywords into your site content, it is made up of far more complex components, some we know about and some that are closely guarded secrets that change frequently.
You may have noticed that all of the above are off-page factors, factors that an honest webmaster has difficulty controlling. Due to this, you will find that with most crawler-based search engines ‘off page’ factors prevail over on the page. I now want to take a look at the main spidering search engines and want to discuss how we get them to index our sites and rank them highly. This section will not deal with search engine optimization directly but will focus on how a search engine views your page and this lesson should be used as a reference anytime you come to create a new page.
If you didn’t know already Google is the main or the top crawler-based search engine, even above the mighty Yahoo! and Msn lives search. Google’s search share is around the 60% mark and it indexes billions of web pages. It also provides vital tools for webmasters including web applications, and promotional and advertising tools to encourage webmasters to hold on to their leading positions. I always prefer using Google Webmaster Tools to submit my sites and sitemaps as I find indexing and ranking are carried out faster. Alternatively to the above, you could simply build up links to your site first and let Google find your site via those links. is a good place to get your site listed and is sure to be crawled by Google. If you want your site indexing fast this is definitely the best way to do it.
Google used to update its index on a monthly basis, this was a deep scan of all its unique URLs, which it claims to have 1 trillion; this process was also known as the Google dance. has to be remembered that Google also has lots of regional branches such as Google, and Google, all these are in place to further the accuracy of your search result and to provide the most relevant information. This is vital to know if you are attempting search engine optimization and will be touched on in later lessons.
PageRank – This is an absolute value given to every page in Google’s index. Later in these search engine optimization lessons we will deal with it in a lot more detail but put basically your PageRank will depend on the quantity and quality of external sites linking to your pages. By quality I mean the site should have a high PR and/or should be content-rich and updated regularly, the content should also be relevant to your own.
Mini or Local Rank – this is simply a modification of page rank and is largely based on the link structure of a single site. Remember search engines rank pages, not websites and certain pages of your site are going to rank higher for certain keywords than other pages of your site, Local rank will have a massive influence on your general page rank or overall PR.
Anchor Text – It amazes me how many so-called experienced search engine optimizers still have trouble grasping this one. All anchor text involves is the words used to link to your page, for instance, if I had a link pointing here that stated “excellent site” this would be of no value to me, however, if the link said “search engine optimization advice well that would be a different story. Such a relevant link will certainly boost your PR.
Semantics – This is a fairly new addition to the Google arsenal and has made the biggest difference in results since 2004. In 2003 Google bought a company called applied semantics and has been using this technology for its Google Adsense advertising program. In its basic terms applied semantics looks at the relationship between words ie.. which words mean the same thing and which words are always used together. This is a powerful aspect and many webmasters underestimate the part it plays in indexing. Well, that’s it for this lesson, in the next lesson I really want to go through on-page factors you need to consider when optimizing for Google and some other terms you will need to be aware of. If you found the information helpful please pass it on or subscribe to the site feed.
