Search Engine Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a sampling of questions web site owners often ask when considering having their site optimized. Obviously these only scratch the surface. If you have a SEO question that you would like to ask, visit our Contact Us Page and enter your question in the space provided. We will provide a prompt, personal reply.

What is a Search Engine?

A search engine is a database of web sites that allows Internet users to search for information contained in the web sites. This information consists of keywords and other relevant content has been collected or “indexed” into the database by search engine “spiders”. Keywords are terms that Internet searchers are likely to use when looking for information on a specific topic.
What is a search engine spider?
A search engine “spider”, or “robot”, is an automated program that travels through the Internet and examines web sites in order to add them to the search engine’s database and rank them according to specific criteria for that particular search engine.
What does search engine friendly mean?
The web site contains content and structure that has specific elements that attract search engine spiders and satisfy indexing criteria in an efficient way.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of adding relevant content and structure to a web site that increases its chances of achieving a high ranking in the search results pages of any given search engine.
Why should I add SEO elements to my web site?
Search engine spiders look for very specific and relevant information contained on every page they assess. If the page contains strong SEO elements, it will rank better in search engine results than if it didn’t.
Why don’t SEO elements get added to a web site when it was originally designed?
There are a great many web site designers that don’t put much emphasis on search engine friendly design. This is often due to the fact that the technology is in a constant state of change and they don’t want to devote the time or effort to keep up. Also, due to the additional time involved to incorporate SEO elements, the extra cost is often a hard sell to clients who are unaware of the marketing benefits to be gained.
Why is it important to get a high ranking on major search engines?
A vast majority of people rely on search engine results to locate companies to do business with. Ranking near the top of major search engines increases your chances of being noticed by potential customers that are looking for your type of products or services find and can contact you.
How long does it take to get listed on a search engine?
This depends on the quality of the web site and the effectiveness of the SEO components. Generally, it takes anywhere from several weeks to several months for new sites. It’s possible to get listed on a search engine right away via a paid advertisement. However this is quite different than an indexing and ranking, and is also rather expensive.
Search engine spiders will normally find websites automatically and include them in that search engine’s index. Most search engines also offer the option for individuals to submit their site manually for indexing. Because of this, getting listed in a search engine’s database is a relatively swift process. Developing a strong ranking, however, is a different story.
What kind of guaranteed positioning will I get?
Be wary of guaranteed top 5 or top 10 rankings, or rapid turnaround times for a high search engine ranking. These short term boosts are often achieved at the expense of a site’s long term search engine health. A website’s actual search engine ranking will be determined by a number of factors, including competitor practices, user habits, and search engine algorithms, as well as the optimization best practices. All search engine optimization tasks performed by reputable SEO companies are done so to strengthen a web site’s visibility among popular search engines, its overall Internet marketability, and potential search engine rankings given various queries. This approach, while not guaranteeing a top ranking, certainly contributes to a favourable long term position.
If my web site is highly ranked, will it stay there?
Search engine rankings are a result of the constant spidering process, and thus cannot be controlled. Such factors as a competitor’s traffic and updates to improve their ranking can affect yours. If your site is maintained by a search engine specialist month to month, these efforts can offset the external factors threatening to harm your ranking.
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