A Guide to Making Websites More Popular

A website can work wonders for any kind of business that wants to attract clients online. A number of studies have shown that more and more people are spending time searching the Internet for various products and services. The problem is: with millions of other businesses trying to establish their online presence too, how can you ensure that your website stands out from the crowd?

Since you might be running up against other businesses that offer the same products and services as you (and in the same geographical area, to boot), the advantage can lie in a well thought-out SEO marketing strategy that will enable searchers to connect with your website first and remain there. SEO simply means search engine optimization, which provides the right keywords for searchers to easily find your website.

However, an SEO program does not just involve providing the most popular keywords, but other internet marketing tools as well. They are all designed to increase the number of people who visit your site and use your products and services. In the process, you attract more clients and increase your profits.

The good news is these SEO services can be outsourced from various internet marketing providers. Finding the right service provider can optimize your website and leave your competitors behind.

What Google and Search Engine Optimization Owe to Altavista

Altavista, one of a few pre-Google search engines, has announced its closure on July 8, 2013, thus ending an instrument of search engine technology long ignored. Despite being the lesser-known engine in the modern market, without Altavista, there wouldn't be any Google. Even the most popular search engine on the Internet needs something to stand on. Altavista was proud to provide that stand until its decline and, eventually, its demise.

Lessons learned from Altavista were put to practice in other search engines, namely Google and Bing. When Altavista first rolled out in 1995, it hardly knew keyword stuffing, link placement, and other search engine optimization (SEO) principles of today. As long as you use a certain keyword hundreds of times, Altavista will quickly put your website closer to the top. Times change; keyword frequency became less and less of a factor as novel SEO strategies were developed.

SEO won't forget the search engine that started it all; it deserves a place in history, probably as the mother of search engines. It's probably the Internet community's way of saying that Altavista has done its job and it's time for it to retire. Had it not been for the lessons learned from the search engines at the time of Altavista, Google and SEO wouldn't have come this far. Nevertheless, its legacy will live on in search engine updates and, as a response to these updates, newer SEO strategies.