seo questions

• What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
  
  Search Engine Optimisation is the process of preparing a website in order to achieve search engine rankings that drive traffic to your site. SEO is an ongoing process beginning with the initial optimisation of the site, monthly maintenance of the site, regular evaluation of search results and adjustments to the site.
  What good is having a web site if it is not being seen?
  
  90% of Internet buyers are turning to search engines to find the products they want. Google alone conducts over 150 million searches a day. In fact, recent studies show that purchasers are about 12 times more likely to buy your products or services after finding your site through a search engine than all other traditional advertising methods combined (including trade shows, print ads, direct mail, radio, and even television)... at a fraction of the cost! Why? Simply put, when a consumer finds you through a search engine they are ready to buy. With traditional forms of media, you are broadcasting a message hoping to reach the right consumer at the right time. As searchers generally only explore the first two pages in the search results, achieving high rankings on the search engines will make an enormous difference in the amount of visitor traffic your site receives.
  Why doesn't my Web site rank very well in the search engines?
  
  Having your web site rank high in the search engines is a science and the rules for search engine optimisation (SEO) are always changing.
  
  Here are some reasons why you may be having poor ranking
  
  Incorrect usage of the TITLE tag or no TITLE tag content.
  Too many occurrences of the same word in a page (spamming)
  Missing H1 and H2 heading tag content.
  Missing ALT tag content in your graphic links.
  No meaningful content in the first 250 characters on each page.
  Less than 200 words per page.
  Very few pages on your website.
  No links from other websites to your website (link popularity)
  How does the Search Engine find websites?
  
  There are two ways a search engine can find a website to add to its database. The first and most direct method is to accept submissions from website designers and optimisers. Most search engines have a "submit your URL" section inviting submissions from Internet users.
  
  The second, and least obvious method of finding websites is to send a "spider" to follow each and every link on, off, and through a website. New URLs encountered by the spider will be added to the database. In this way, some search engines will grow very rapidly.
  Why might I need to have extra elements added to my website?
  
  A search engine spider is an automated program that electronically probes every URL submitted to its database. As the spider is a computer program, it is designed to look for and rank very specific items on each page it probes. If those elements are present, the spider computes a higher ranking than it would if those elements were not present. Our SEO website audit is designed to identify any spidering issues in websites and correct them.
  If these elements are so important, why didn't they get added when my site was originally designed?
  
  Most website designers haven't learned the importance of search engine friendly website design. In almost every case we've encountered, the site designer is a highly skilled and creative person whose job is to put your ideas on the web. More often than not, the designers have not received any training in search engine optimisation and don't think about it while pursuing a cool looking design. Search engines are also constantly changing their ranking criteria. They do this to prevent gross manipulation of their search tools. Often, website designers are not fully up to date with changes to search engines.
  Does every page of my website really need to be optimised?
  
  Yes. Every page of a website can be a potential entry point or ‘landing page’ for visitors. You can't predict which page or pages will be ranked the best for specific keywords. As such, each page must be individually optimised for optimal ranking. Collectively, all pages of your website reinforce the common "theme" of the site, which also can help boost ranking. Don't assume that your home page is the only important page on your site.
  Isn't This Something We Can Do Ourselves?
  
  Large amounts of time, attention and expertise are needed to achieve the desired results in such a constantly changing niche industry. The expense of adding personnel and necessary resources alone would quickly outweigh the cost of hiring our company, which is why outsourcing SEO is by far the most popular method.