Search Engine Optimization Decoded

Search engine optimization is the process of increasing the quantity and quality of web visitors to your website.  As your website begins to climb in rank for the most appropriate keywords, your site will gain more quality visitors and likely greater conversions.  

A key component of search engine optimization is understanding the search engines.  Did you know that approximately:

• 55% of searchers use Google
• 30% of searchers use Yahoo!
• 6% of searchers use MSN
  

As you can see, Google has a commanding lead over their competition.  While Google is the #1 search engine to rank on, depending on your product or service offering, other search engines and directories will be beneficial for your company to rank at.

Other search engine stats to keep in mind:

• The top 15 listings in a search engine results page (SERPs) are the sites that get greater visibility and traffic
• Approximately 80% of traffic originates from search engines
• Approximately 60% of all search phrases are 3 or more words
• Approximately 80% of all searches are research based, not outright shopping in the beigining
  
• Almost 90% of clicks from Google organic  (Approximately 70% at Yahoo!)
• Your competition is not just your industry competition, but sites that rank above you for your keywords
• Spamming is generally caught in 4-6 weeks
  
• The average website page changes 5 times per year
• Google has over 200 factors they consider to decide website rank
• More websites will link to your site if you offer free, valuable information
• No website has search engine optimization secrets
• The #1 keyword searched for at Yahoo! is . . . GOOGLE!