Search Engine Optimization and Web Crawlers-What Are They?

Don't you just hate lingo? (Until that heady transitional moment comes when you are talking to your blank-faced great Aunty Sally and describing how you used your PC to build your new URL which now has excellent SEO and spider activity.)

So, back to our first question: What is SEO?

First, an example:
Well, when you open up your favorite search engine (ie. Google, Yahoo etc), and search for 'spicy chicken recipes'; the ones that show up at the top have probably read about SEO. The ones that show up as number 5,470,000 probably did not.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is: the (unpaid) process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website by improving status in search engines results.
A little more about it:

• The higher you are up on the 'search result' list, the more people will click to visit your site.
• 'Optimizing' a website is achieved by editing its content and coding to increase relevance to specific keywords and remove any barriers that search engine spiders (see below) might encounter.

(Note: you can also hire a SEO (Search Engine Optimizer), who will do the work for you. But beware of scams and offers 'to-good-to-be-true. Do your research before paying for this service.)

Now to our second question: What are web crawlers?

Web Crawlers (Spiders)
(spiders, crawlers, ants, automatic indexers, bots, worms , Web spider or Web robot)

No..not the 8-legged variety. Think of a spider as an automated computer program that systematically searches the web for current and unique updates. The thing you need to remember about the internet is that it is as vast and deep as the ocean (maybe more so). And like the ocean it it gigantic, dynamic and rapidly changing. Therefore, spiders are programmed to work in systematic ways, similar to a filter only choosing items that match certain criteria.

If you are interested in the complexities of spiders there is plenty of reading to be done. However, for the most part all you need to know at a basic level is that they are out there searching the web looking for relevant and unique information and there are ways that YOU can attract them to your site:

1. Spiders love websites with CONTENT:
Be sure your website is well nourished with text. This does not mean repeating yourself, but it does mean fully explaining yourself to the viewer.

Example:
"Our site offers patterns"
versus
"Our site offers patterns of all shapes and sizes for your quilting, stained glass, applique and coloring needs".

2. Too many images are dis-tasteful to a spiders fine palate.
Too much of anything will make anyone feel ill. So,if your site only has images, the spiders probably will pass you by. Cut down on your images, and be sure to use text nearby if you are going to use images.

3. Spiders can be somewhat snobbish...
Get yourself linked to a site that is already in search results. Spiders will go through these websites to find new links (which could be yours!)

4. Hold your site together
Spiders move from one of your web pages through the links to your other web pages, so make sure all your important pages can be reached from wherever you are.

5. Again...text is a spiders favorite flavor.
If you have a button or image pointing to a different page, make it a text link and have one keyword that relates to your business.

6. Have an appetizing URL
Meaning...avoid symbols (ex: ?, $, %) in your domain name. Spiders can get easily confused by this and will not even consider your site.