SEO

Search Engine Optimization

Misnomer: Search Engine Optimization

Sadly, this topic is one of the most abused and misunderstood buzzwords floating around the industry. Very few of us work for search engine companies, and therefore will never be able to optimize their engines for our web sites.

SEO "Expert" Exaggerations:

.. can get your site in the top position.

.. can get your site to be relevant.

.. visitors don't matter - only search results do.

.. can get you immediate results.

.. using Flash is a good idea for SEO.

.. meta tags are the most important consideration for SEO.

Don't believe the hype.

Reality: Web Site Optimizations

We endeavor to create web projects which search engines "like" to visit. With a decade of experience building successful web sites, we have learned a few things - most of all: how search engines "think".

Unfortunately, many of the sites on the web which have been "SEO enhanced" by "experts" show little sign of any quantifiable difference - in fact, many of them have shown drastic reduction. Some of these "SEO" web sites end up effectively banned from every major search engine.

Solution

This topic is so extensive, I wrote an entire chapter, in my MODX Revolution: Building the Web Your Way discussing the mentalities and actual effective techniques on optimizing a web site for search engines. I have over a decade of experience working within the "laws" of the search engine and have quantifiable results.

For some people to add SEO to their site, a simple restructuring will suffice.

For others, a complete rebuild is required. In effect, they will be starting over.