Search Engine Optimization

Promoting a site through organic rankings is one of the primary forms of search engine marketing. Organic rankings is another name for free rankings or search engine listings. All of the major search engines rank sites based on complex mathematical algorithms that weigh the characteristics of not only the web site and its pages, but also by the quantity, quality, and structure of its inbound and outbound links. How well a site conforms to the algorithm will determine its position in the organic rankings.

It is important to note that each search engine has its own algorithm and that these formulas change periodically. Consequently, a site's rankings will often move around from period to period and vary from search engine to search engine. Part of our job at Catanich is to follow these changes and help our clients determine if and when changes need to be made. The other part is to help you prioritize your efforts in regards to the following factors.

On Page Factors
On page factors deal with aspects related directly to your web site, its construction, and content.

• On Page Site Optimization — Making a site structurally friendly, "spiderable" and consistent with the search engine ranking algorithms.
• Site Content Enhancement — Creating actual web pages to address areas where there is a lack of content.

Off Page Factors
Off page factors deal with how your site is linked throughout the world wide web.

• Link Popularity Enhancement — Generating incoming links to your site in order to increase the popularity of your site. Online public relations.
• Search Engine Submission — Utilizing pay for inclusion programs and hand submission where necessary to ensure that your site gets crawled by the major search engines.
• Directory Submission — Listing your site in the major directories like Yahoo and the Open Directory, as well as industry specific or regional directories.