Search engine optimization is a term that evolved with the search engines themselves. In the 1990s, the biggest search engines were Lycos and AltaVista. Today, the biggest traffic engines are Google, MSN, Yahoo, and Ask. Each engine uses its own "rules" to determine how to rank sites when a search takes place.

       When you perform a search on a search engine, the engine looks across it's vast library of Web pages (called their "index"), and delivers back a report that lists specific Web pages that should meet the needs of the person initiating that search. That report list is often called the "free" search results.

       Note that the free search results are often surrounded by sponsored, paid links. The "sponsored links" sections are sold to the highest bidder, but the free search results are supposed to reflect the most relevant results, untainted by sponsorship considerations.

       Of course, earning a good ranking in the free search results on an particular search engine for a particular search term, such as "New York Real Estate", can be very lucrative. So people have tried to "reverse engineer" the search engines and use that information to purposely build Websites and pages that earn good rankings. That is, they "optimize" their pages for the search engines. Thus, the term search engine optimization (SEO) came to describe this process.

       Search engines don't divulge their ranking processes. Their process is often referred to as the "ranking algorithm", which is a fancy math term for a series of calculations that takes place using a set of rules. A search engine is just a very large and sophisticated machine. By reviewing the attributes of the sites and pages that rank well, we can make educated guesses as to what works best with a particular search engine.

       In de-constructing these algorithms, all manner of speculation takes place, and that speculation leads to a wide variety of strategies and tactics. It can get mind numbing trying to keep up with it, and some people actually do spend much of their time doing just that. Fortunately, you don't have to!

       Over the years, certain basics have emerged. Sites that cover the basics well often do well. This is work not rocket science, and if you apply yourself to it, that will go a long way to helping your site rank well. So we're here to make it understandable.

       You can do this work yourself, or you can hire someone to do it for you, but now you will be armed with the information to make informed choices.

       There's Gold in Them Pages

       We're going to take a look at how search engines work when a search takes place, and we'll do it in a way that strips away the technical jargon.

       Once we have looked at how they work, we'll look at ways to make your own site more attractive to the search engines. We'll also look at ways to expand your scope to compete for search terms that your competitors may overlook.

       This SEO work should be fundamental to a smart marketer. As more consumers gravitate to online methods of research and buying, it becomes more important every day. Ranking well for search terms that are relevant to your business can result in substantial traffic, at no incremental cost for each site visitor that you get from it.

       Please note that SEO work is not free. You have to make an investment of time and money in order to rank well, and that investment tends to increase over time, as more and more competitors take these necessary steps. Time is of the essence here, since established sites tend to have a competitive advantage over newer sites.

       Nor are there any guarantees. The search engines can be fickle, and there are a limited number of results (usually 10 or 15) shown on the coveted first page of the search results. Earning one of those first page positions for a particular term can be elusive.

       You can really only position yourself to compete, and have some faith. Investing in this process can be both frustrating and rewarding, all at the same time.

       Beware of people that claim to "guarantee" top rankings. There is often a lot of fine print involved in those guarantees. Quite often, they choose terms that nobody is competing for, and nobody is searching for, either. If they could do that well, for any term, they'd make a lot more money selling ads on high-ranking sites than by selling SEO services. It does not add up.

       It is possible to just ignore this aspect of your marketing mix, but in the current environment, doing nothing will most certainly guarantee negligible results from free search results. You cannot just luck into it anymore, as was the case in the early days.

       From what we see in 2006 and going forward, there are still a lot of opportunities in the real estate market that can be optimized and turned to your advantage. It could be you, or it will be someone else. We hope it's you.

       Choices Must be Made

       Of course, you can always "pay for placement" with all of the major search engines, by simply purchasing "sponsored listings" for your particular search terms, but the cost of this can be prohibitive, and it tends to increase over time. It's an online auction environment, and the more people that want to pay, the higher the cost.

       One dollar per click is not uncommon for the large metro-area terms. Wouldn't it be much better to get that same traffic, without paying that dollar?

       So, the time to start this process is now, and it should become a managed component of your online marketing efforts from today forward, with you being personally engaged in that process. Again, you can be certain that some of your competitors will do just that.

       Fortunately, the cost of SEO is manageable, even marginal in some cases, depending upon your own competitive circumstances. When this process works well, the return on investment can be right up there with a well-established referral network of friends and associates. It just continues to work, bringing in leads to your site unabated, with very little additional investment.

       We're here to provide you with the knowledge to move forward confidently. Let's get started!