SEO – Is it “natural search engine optimization” or “organic search engine optimisation”?

I believe it was Oscar Wilde who quoted “England and America are two nations divided by a common language”. So when I ask “which is the correct way of writing for the internet ‘natural search engine optimization’ or ‘organic search engine optimisation’, you may reply does it really matter?”

Obviously Oscar Wilde thought so and in todays SEO world, it can make a huge difference. The internet is a global phenomena and epitomises a whole diversification in terms of culture, thinking and languages.  The English Language has fast become a universally adopted language which is highlighted by my Dutch brother-in-law and his new girl-friend.  She is from Bulgaria and he is from Holland. Neither of them speak each other’s mother tongue so they communicate in a third party language they both understand - English.  Do they speak in American English ie “Natural Search Engine Optimization” or UK English “Organic Search Engine Optimisation”.  Well as it happens it tends to depend on which English language television program they were watching at the time when they learnt the word.

From a Search Engine Optimisation point of view, if a potential customer requires SEO services then searches on “Natural Search Engine Optimization” and then next on “Organic Search Engine Optimisation”, they will be given a completely different set of results.  In fact just searching on Optimisation or Optimization will produce a completely different set of results.  Though from a company prospective offering SEO services, they are exactly the same thing.

So which keyword should a SEO company optimize (or is it optimise?) on?  Well the answer is both.  It makes sense to focus on the language relevant for where that company is located.  So for example Rain Dance Software Solution is a Wales based SEO Company. As Mark Andrews, Managing Director of Rain Dance explains, “Though it makes sense to optimise on the UK spelling, many of our Wales and UK based prospects still search on the American spelling.  Though it can create additional work, it makes sense to optimise on both keyword phrases regardless of the subtle language differences.”

Well one thing we can all agree upon is acronyms – SEO is universally accepted around the world. But is that organic SEO or natural SEO? Though the problem with acronyms is that SEO could also mean “Securities and Exchange Organization” or “Sociedad Española de Ornitología” which is a Spanish bird society; see the issue with acronyms?

But this diversity of languages is what makes living on the internet so interesting.  So though from a professional view point, it can create additional work for the SEO expert, I don’t mind if it is “natural search engine optimization” or “organic search engine optimization” – variety is the spice of life! Though I can’t claim to know if Oscar Wilde quoted that or not.