SEO Facts

Search engine optimization is normally thought of as following either "white hat" or "black hat" practices. The "white hat" SEOs only employ strategies thought to be acceptable to the various search engines. These strategies include: writing compelling, interesting copy for Web pages; asking for but not trading or buying links; designing traditional in-site link navigation structures; using on-site site maps; submitting Web sites to reputable, trusted directories; distributing useful, timely press releases about product releases and improvements; and finding specialty niche sites willing to provide some exposure (usually in the form of feature articles) for client Web sites.

"Black hat" SEOs usually rely upon a mixture of acceptable and disreputable practices. The disreputable practices include: hiding text on pages to make them more relevant to queries; buying and selling links; participating in automated reciprocal link programs; using redirecting "doorway" pages that rank well in search results; using invasive tools to inject friendly links into unsuspecting Web sites.

From time to time, some SEOs sponsor search engine optimization contests. Proponents of these contests claim they act as showcases for the best and worst practices of the search engine optimization industry. However, the contests only incentivize artificial linking and content creation, neither of which reflect well upon the industry. Furthermore, since the competitions are usually very fierce, the contests do not represent the typical or average search environments that most queries resolve to.

The SEO industry has its popular icons and spokespeople just like any other industry. These "A List" SEOs are often described as the leaders of the community or industry. In reality, they wield limited influence because the competitive nature of the industry leads many people to seek out methods that provide them with advantages. There are no clear, universally recognized standards of ethics or evaluation. The SEO community is more aptly described as being a collective or near anarchic community that occasionally settles on the least secret or least offensive ideas as "conventional SEO wisdom".

Search engines each determine rankings according to their own unique systems, but there are four classes of factors that affect the results for every query:

1. What you do with your Web site optimization
2. What your competitors do with their Web site optimization
3. What queries people use to search for content
4. What the search engines do to resolve those queries

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