Search Engine Compatibility vs. Search Engine Optimization

How Does "Search Engine Compatibility" Differ From "Search Engine Optimization"?

"Search Engine Optimization" (SEO) is the process of altering a website to effect a positive change in the search engine rankings of the effected website for specific keywords/phrases. These changes may involve rewriting body copy, altering the Title element, modifying the keyword meta tag, modifying the description meta tag and adding/modifying inbound links.

"Search Engine Compatibility" (SEC) is the process of designing a website in such a manner that search engines will be able to obtain an accurate assessment of the website's focus/theme.

Where SEO is concerned with focusing on a few selected terms and attempting to improve the site's ranking for those terms; search engine compatibility is concerned with making sure that the content of the site is arranged in such a manner that the search engine spiders will be able to fully understand the content you have provided.

There are many factors which effect a web page's overall search engine ranking. Every search engine has a unique set of ever-changing criteria for determining how a page is ranked against any particular search term. Factors such as: inbound links; internal links; the size of the website; the relevance of your page's content to the search term; the rankings of pages which contain inbound links; and numerous other factors all play a role in determining your page's overall ranking in any particular search engine's index.

The combined effects of each of these factors determines how "search engine friendly" your website is.

MSH Offers a free Search Engine Compatibility Report Card tool which will help you to identify the areas of any web page that require attention to ensure your site achieves its maximum potential. This tool provides information regarding some basic search engine compatibility "fundamentals" which have proven successful for MSH and our clients across a broad spectrum of search engine technologies. If you would like to learn more about how MSH can help with your search engine rankings - or to receive a full-site evaluation, please contact us immediately.