What is search engine optimization: SEO?

1. Introduction
Internet is a wide community including millions of users and it is also named as one of today’s most important communication tools. This wide community is also known as an important customer potential for everyone who thinks about business works based on Internet environment. Internet has become new channel of the business area in the modern world in which it is not possible to reach such a wide volume by using traditional selling channels. The working method, which has changed with the Internet, has created some changes in other areas and it has also enabled companies to need Internet based marketing activities(Eren. 2009). As a result of increasing popularity of the Internet, a crowd, which is also named as “electronic community” was appeared. Marketers, who try to reach customers in a fast and effective way with direct marketing method and also reduce customer reaching – costs, aim to reach electronic communities that have big potentials. (Eren, 2009). According to companies, this crowd, which is also named as electronic community, is evaluated as a customer. Because of this, they try to introduce and market their companies via developed web sites. On the other hand, they also know that the most important and effective introduction and marketing way is taking part on top lists of search engines. Whereas Internet includes hundred thousands of web pages, it is better to use search engines in order to reach wanted data or information. According to Comscore World Metrix evaluation on April 2009, Turkey has 7th biggest Internet population in Europe and furthermore, it also has users who spend the most time on the Internet in Europe(Internet1,2009). According to the research study on July 2009, 81 percent of Internet users enter to the Internet environment via search engine web pages. For instance, 80 percent of people, who want to buy car, search for a car by using search engines. According to the research study on February 2009, Google is the most widely used search engine(Internet2,2009). It is too important for search engines to give response for lots of people, especially marketers. Companies, which are aware of this situation, aim to take part on the first page or first row of search engines by using Internet advertisement or more natural approach: search engine optimization (seo). Because of lower costs, “seo” is preferred rather than Internet advertisement. Because of this, such a study has been performed in order to make “seo” more popular and widespread. Search engines and their working mechanism were explained in the second section of this paper. In the third section, search engine optimization was explained and some information and tips about how “seo” can be performed was also given. Finally, an evaluation for the whole study was performed in the last section.

2. Search Engine and Its Features

Search engine is some kind of software, which collects data about web sites. At this point, the collected data includes the web site URL, some keywords or keyword groups that define the content of the web site, the code structure that forms the web page and also links provided on the web site. The related collected data is indexed and stored on a database. All of these operations are performed by the search engine software (crawler, spider, bot).Search engines use special programs, which are named as spider or bot. These programs move by using hyperlink structure of the Web. They navigate through web pages periodically and capture changes that have been made since last navigation (Spiders / Crawlers). Data obtained by the related programs are stored in a very wide database system. This database is called as the index of the search engine. On the other hand, the performed operation is called as “indexing”. When users perform a query in order to get some data or information, the related querry is transferred to the search engine index and results are shown to users(querry). Essential competition factor among search engines is appeared during “relevant result showing, sorting” process. After determining the related pages with the performed querry, they must be shown to users in a sorted list structure. At this point, search engine algorithms take an important role and they try to show the most relevant results for users (øyiler, 2009).Briefly, searching robots collect data about each URL and store the collected data in a database. When a user connects to the search engine for a search session, references in the related database are evalauted and obtained results are returned back to user(Atay and others, 2010).

3. Search Engine Optimization

Data or information about an unknown subject is usually searched on the first page of search engines. After examining first 5 result pages, other remaining pages are not evaluated by users. Because of this, it is important to move a web page to top lists of search engines in order to introduce it better. In order to achieve this, the search engine optimization must be used by web site developers. Because, it is possible to move a web page to the first page of a search engine by using only some necessary optimization rules. It is important to have an effective, well-structured and good-looking web page to introduce the related company, services or products better. But it is also too important for customers to search and find the related web page on a search engine easily. Furthermore, 80 percent of Internet users also search for products or services by using search engines mostly(interactive-advertisements)(Internet3,2010). It is an easy and effective way to introduce and market a company by using a web page. In order to achieve this, information related to the company is obtained by using search engines. In a competitive business environment, moving up to top lists can be achieved by using search engine optimization. Briefly, the search engine optimization (SEO) is enabling a web site to appear in top result lists of a search engine for some certain keywords. There are many different factors that enable a web site to move up top results. The most effective way to take attention of many users is connected with search engine optimization. Because the search engine optimization is basically based on keywords that are suitable to the web site and can be used to search with search engines. In order to optimize a web site according to search engines, it must be suitable to some technical conditions(Sezgin, 2009) A typical search engine optimization process that can be performed to move up a web site, is represented in Figure 1

Search engines must be taken into consideration while designing a web site. Some questions that must be

answered before starting to web site designing are listed as below:

- Is there any vital method or approach used on search engines to take users’ attention to the related web site?

- Which search engines is the related web site wanted to appear on?

- Which row on the results page is satisfactory? (øyiler,2009)

Optimization of a search engine can be performed in two separate groups. One of them is internal web site

optimization. The other one is external web site optimization. Internal web site optimization includes web site

design, meta tags, keywords that are necessary for the web site, page names, pictures, links, content texts in each

page and styles that used for the related texts, site map, RSS feeds, pages in different languages…etc. On the other

hand, external web site optimization includes adding web site to the site guide, using social media factors, using

links from other optimized web sites to the related web page…etc.

3.1. How Search Engine Optimization Can Be Done?

First, the keyword analysis must be done for the web site, which the optimization operation will be performed

for. Keyword analysis of a web site must be done according to the following rules or tasks:

- A strong list, which includes potential keywords, must be formed via keyword analysis.

- By performing some search, web sites in top 5 list must be found out.

- Links must be counted and their target keywords must be found.

- Words, which were not tested in the keyword analysis, must be found and listed.

Some sites that are used during keyword defining analysis.

On the Internet, there are some web sites that show some information about searching words used in differentsearch engines:

- In the page title-tag, -In meta description tags, In keyword description tags, -In heading tags

- In lower description tags, -In graphics, -In link texts, -In plain texts, -In domain fields (if it is possible)

3.1.1. Some important points necessary for SEO

Web site design: Design of a web site is an important factor that must be taken into consideration during the

search engine optimization. For instance, whereas flash animations and other special, effective elements like

animated pictures are important to provide a good-looking web site, they must be used at a limited number to ensure

better evaluation results for SEO. Especially flash animations lower the loading time of web page and texts included

in flash animations can not be indexed easily by bots. A real, useful web site must have simple structured content

that can be indexed easily and preferably, web pages must be provided in HTML format.

Using frames: Frames in a web page is not a suitable approach and design method for search engines. At this

point, <noframes></noframes> tags must be added to the related web pages. Because frames may cause some

problems for indexing operations performed by spiders.

Using pictures: Texts provided on picture files can not be read by search engines. Because of this, using links in

text forms is more effective than using picture files for the related links. Nowadays, .PNG picture format is widely

used on the Internet because they provide both high quality and low size for provided pictures. At this point, “alt”

labels must be used to define these picture files in order to introduce them to search engines. Additionally, picture

names may also include the related keywords. For example;

Cheating: Some cheating methods like adding keywords to the background of a web page may be determined by

search engines and also evaluated as “spam”. For instance, adding keyword in a white font color to a white color

web page is evaluated as a spam by most of search engines.

Choosing domain field: While defining domain field of a web page, it is important to choose a suitable domain

according to the related keywords. It is also important that the hosting company, which includes the chosen domain,

must provide a 24 hour - continuous service. At this point, working with a qualified, competent hosting company is

important for SEO. Web site names must be short and suitable for objectives. Using special characters (like “-“ and

“_”) in the web site name lowers the page rank.

Using title labels: Title label defines title of a web page for both users and search engines. In a HTML code

structure, <title> label must be included in the <head> label. Additionally, it is also important to choose unique title

for each web page. A title with 50-80 characters is a suitable approach to be found easily by search engines.

Title content means short abstract that defines the web page in the related search engines. The title content is

usually displayed on the first row of the search result pages. It is important to use specific names that define the

performed job or produced product while determining the site name. Expressions like “Hoúgeldiniz/Welcome”,

“Anasayfa/Homepage” are inefficient to look effective within the search engines.

Using description labels: While defining a “description”, it must be typed in sentence form. It is also important

that the defined sentence must include 150-155 characters.

The “abstract” label, which summarizes the page content with a single sentence, can be used instead of

“description” label. For instance,

Using keyword label: A keyword must not be in a structure that can be repeated. In the label, there must not be

keywords more than 20. Keywords must be sorted from important ones to unimportant ones. For instance,