Search optimisation used to be the adaption of Web Content to better market your site on the Internet through Search engines like Google and Yahoo.

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is itself a very sought after and valuable skill for any web site owner. There are many web business providers who list in their armoury SEO skills and website optimisation, many of whom know what they are doing but there are more that do not.

Google and Yahoo/Bing constantly revise the way they review web sites to ensure that genuine listings and the best sites are accorded top positions on search terms, which isn't easy when you are dealing with a growing marketplace of billions of web sites. The problem they constantly come against is the constructed sites developed by SEO specialists who use their skills to get a web site to the top of a search engine request where that site is not relevant to the search.

Everyone who uses the web will come across this, you type in a search term and a site that is only vaguely relevant to what you were looking for appears in the top 3 positions. This is usually because it has been optimised and then incorrectly positioned by the search engine robots.

A common way of achieving this is to use 'Black Hat' techniques. These are techniques that go against the search engine code of conduct for websites - such as continuously repeating the key words or hiding the keywords on the page so that they are visible only by search engine robots. These are techniques also known as spamming.

It is precisely the kind of activity that should be avoided at all costs especially as it will now result in the search engines penalising the site if you are discovered. How would they find you? Well Google in particular has a great incentive in that they will give your competitors a way to report your site to them and then they in turn will evaluate the site and consider the issue of penalising it. Once penalised your site will not appear under any search engine terms for a period of up to 18 months.

A very high price to pay for poor SEO.

Our means of optimisation are called 'White Hat' techniques where we look to utilise best practice with Google's help to achieve the best position under the most relevant search terms for your website.

Another trick that other less scrupulous web developers may try to employ is the Search Engine Optimised Site routine, which is where they say your site is optimised upon completion in that it can be found and referenced by the search engines. Be absolutely assured that in itself that will not be enough.

Ask your web developer to detail exactly what they will do to optimise your site.

When a Cohere Internet web site is created we carry out a basic level keyword analysis and then apply the right search engine keyword tags to your site on publication, together with search engine friendly linking, site maps and meta descriptions to start you off. If you want more marketing help then Cohere offer the full marketing service including Google Webmaster tools, referential back linking, relevancy analysis and all important content adaption.

If in doubt - contact us.

Ryan.