Differences Between the Major Search Engines

      Although the basic principle of operation of all search engines is the same, the minor differences between them lead to major changes in results relevancy. For different search engines different factors are important. There were times, when SEO experts joked that the algorithms of Bing are intentionally made just the opposite of those of Google. While this might have a grain of truth, it is a matter a fact that the major search engines like different stuff and if you plan to conquer more than one of them, you need to optimize carefully.
   

      There are many examples of the differences between search engines. For instance, for Yahoo! and Bing, on-page keyword factors are of primary importance, while for Google links are very, very important. Also, for Google sites are like wine – the older, the better, while Yahoo! generally has no expressed preference towards sites and domains with tradition (i.e. older ones). Thus you might need more time till your site gets mature to be admitted to the top in Google, than in Yahoo!.

How search engines operate

Imagine the World Wide Web as a network of stops in a big city subway system.

Each stop is its own unique document (usually a web page, but sometimes a PDF, JPG or other file). The search engines need a way to “crawl” the entire city and find all the stops along the way, so they use the best path available – links.

“The link structure of the web serves to bind all of the pages together.”

Through links, search engines’ automated robots, called “crawlers,” or “spiders” can reach the many billions of interconnected documents.

Once the engines find these pages, they next decipher the code from them and store selected pieces in massive hard drives, to be recalled later when needed for a search query. To accomplish the monumental task of holding billions of pages that can be accessed in a fraction of a second, the search engines have constructed datacenters all over the world.

These monstrous storage facilities hold thousands of machines processing large quantities of information. After all, when a person performs a search at any of the major engines, they demand results instantaneously – even a 1 or 2 second delay can cause dissatisfaction, so the engines work hard to provide answers as fast as possible.


Search engines are answer machines. When a person looks for something online, it requires the search engines to scour their corpus of billions of documents and do two things – first, return only those results that are relevant or useful to the searcher’s query, and second, rank those results in order of perceived usefulness. It is both “relevance” and “importance” that the process of SEO is meant to influence.

To a search engine, relevance means more than simply finding a page with the right words. In the early days of the web, search engines didn’t go much further than this simplistic step, and their results suffered as a consequence. Thus, through evolution, smart engineers at the engines devised better ways to find valuable results that searchers would appreciate and enjoy. Today, 100s of factors influence relevance, many of which we’ll discuss throughout this guide.

How Do Search Engines Determine Importance?

Currently, the major engines typically interpret importance as popularity – the more popular a site, page or document, the more valuable the information contained therein must be. This assumption has proven fairly successful in practice, as the engines have continued to increase users’ satisfaction by using metrics that interpret popularity.

Popularity and relevance aren’t determined manually. Instead, the engines craft careful, mathematical equations – algorithms – to sort the wheat from the chaff and to then rank the wheat in order of tastiness (or however it is that farmers determine wheat’s value).

These algorithms are often comprised of hundreds of components. In the search marketing field, we often refer to them as “ranking factors” SEOmoz crafted a resource specifically on this subject 

12 Best Free Online Resources for Learning SEO

It’s easy to forget sometimes, when you hang around the cool SEO blogs, that there are those of us who are just starting out – learning for the first time the ways your website code and inbound links effect the likelihood that your pages will rank.

Like most of us I stumbled into SEO. I was working at a web development company, and the president asked me to look into this "SEO stuff."

It’s been a long and exciting (though sometimes painful) learning experience since then.

One of the most important things I learned: don’t believe everything you read.

But there are a few resources I’ve found over the years to be deep wells of actionable knowledge.

The 12 resources below are, I feel, the best places to learn about SEO.

1. SEOmoz

This was one of the first websites I frequented when I started learning SEO. The open spirit of the community combined with the consistent publication of thorough educational content makes this one of the first places I send those looking to learn more about SEO.

To get the real meat and potatoes you need a PRO Membership, but via the blog and the free SEM guides there is a ton of free information for most SEO’s, beginner or otherwise.

2. Webmaster World

Most SEO bloggers are guilty of writing too much theory and too little in the way of concrete examples. As a result we’re often left thinking, "sounds good, but how do I know this really works?"

Webmaster World is one of the oldest and most trusted forums on topics related to web development and marketing online as a whole. These are real webmasters sharing their thoughts and issues in an environment conducive to open discussion. As a result the threads often involve specific issues, a variety of voices and, most importantly, no-holds-barred discussion of the issue at hand.

Of course, you have to subscribe to Webmaster World to participate – but that’s not free.

Two other forums worth checking out:

Cre8asite
High Rankings
3. SEO by the Sea

Bill Slawski’s blog is the #1 place to learn about search engine patents. Period.

Kudos to Bill for being <strikethrough>insane</strikethrough> determined enough to read through every search engine patent he can get his hands on and then translate them for the rest of us.

Keeping up with patented search technology helps you keep abreast of what search engines are capable of – and where they may be going in the near future.

4. SEO Book

Aaron Wall is widely considered one of the true papa’s of search. He’s been at it a long time.

Aaron is one of the few bloggers online whose posts I never miss. Not only does he share actionable insights on SEO, but Aaron’s writing often highlights the transcendental issues that link SEO to other aspects of the online world – and understanding the big picture is crucial to surviving online competition.

5. The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Search Engine

This the legendary paper submitted by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin during their Ph D work at Stanford. It is a blueprint of sorts of the original working model for Google.

While in its current form Google in many ways dwarfs the original concept, the original Google concept was truly an engineering work of art – and reading the paper above will take you a long way in understanding the processes that are at the core of the search engines we know today.

6. Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land was founded by Danny Sullivan who is perhaps the most recognized face and name in SEO. Danny is frequently on the cusp of the latest developments in search – with unprecedented contacts at the search engines and a huge network of experienced SEO’s and developers.

There is a constant stream of relevant and well-written posts at SearchEngineLand.com from some of the best SEO’s in the business. Subscribing to this one is a no-brainer.

7. Google’s SEO Guidelines

While I wouldn’t tell anyone to do "whatever Google says" to do to get your website to rank, it’s important to know what Google’s public position is on a variety of tactics/techniques you might employ.

8. Search Engine Guide

This self-billed "small business guide to search marketing" is not just for small businesses – the posts here are written by a community of experienced SEO’s who have experience getting websites to rank when there isn’t a wealth of resources at your disposal.

9. Search Engine Journal

The blog you’re reading now has been around for some time. Loren Baker, who started it, is one of those other papa’s of SEO.

Maybe I don’t need to tell you about this one since you’re already reading it – but in case you were thinking you need to look elsewhere, you’ve got years worth of tremendously helpful blog posts right here.

10. SEO Black Hat

There’s power in the dark side.

QuadsZilla doesn’t mince words when it comes to where he stands on the "White Hat vs Black Hat" issue. He’s black hat all the way – and proud.

I don’t necessarily condone some of the tactics black hat SEO’s employ to boost their rankings, but there is plenty to learn about automation and how ranking algorithms can be exploited. Even if you plan to be an angel it’s worth knowing what the dark side is up to.

11. Sphinn

This website was also started by Danny Sullivan. It’s essentially a social bookmarking website dedicated to Search Engine Marketing (with some laterally-related topics).

Sphinn is a great place to go when you’re looking to sift through the SEO blogosphere and find those posts that are picking up steam (as well as some classics that are worth going back to read).

12. SEO Fast Start

This eBook from Dan Thies, a veteran of SEO, has been around for quite a few years now. That doesn’t mean it’s outdated – Dan updates every edition with the latest in search engine updates and tactics. Dan’s writing style is straightforward, and he offers plenty of great SEO advice for beginners as well as some tips seasoned folks might not have thought of (or just need a refresher on).

A Guide to Using Facebook for your Business

This guide will help maximize your business use of Facebook, the most popular social networking site online. Explore the tips, tools and resources provided in this guide to develop a powerful and effective Facebook presence.

1. The Difference Between Facebook Profiles, Pages and Groups

There is often a great deal of confusion among new Facebook users about the difference between Facebook profiles, pages and groups. The most important point to keep in mind is that profiles are meant to be for individuals only, not businesses. Creating a profile for a business is against Facebook's terms of use, and it can be deleted at any time.

Small business owners should always create a Facebook page for public promotion of their businesses. It's also worth exploring a Facebook group that can facilitate a discussion among members and loosely promote your business, but a page should always be the first step for a business.

2. Why You Need a Facebook Page

Saying that you need to create a Facebook page because everyone else is doing it isn't on its own enough of a reason to get your business on Facebook, but it is one of the top six reasons.

The reasons for creating a Facebook page for your business are plentiful, from having an opportunity to build a community around your business, to discovering more about your target audience, to adding a public face to your brand. If you are marketing your business online, you can't afford not to have a Facebook page for your business.

Click here to read the top 6 reasons you need a Facebook page.

3. How to Create a Facebook Page

You already know that your business needs a page, not a profile, on Facebook. But in order to create a page, YOU need a profile. Each page on Facebook is attached to a personal account, so to get started with your business page, you will need to sign up for a personal profile on Facebook first. 

Once you have a personal profile, the process of creating a Facebook page for your business isn't too difficult or time consuming, but it's even easier if you have an easy-to-follow list of steps that guide you through the process.

4. How to Create a Custom Welcome Tab on Your Facebook Page

There is a lot you can do with your Facebook page, aside from simply uploading your logo as your profile graphic. In fact, the more you customize your page and the easier you make it for new visitors to get involved, the more your Facebook page will thrive.

One of the first steps in building an active and engaging Facebook presence for your business is creating a customized welcome tab. This will be the first thing new visitors will see when they visit your page, and it's an excellent opportunity to talk right to your audience, get them involved and guide their actions on your page.

5. Must-Have Business Apps for Your Facebook Page

Once your page is created and your welcome tab has been customized, you can do even more to enhance the user experience for your fans. Adding applications can not only make it easier for you to manage your page, but also make your page an interactive and fun place for your fans.

There are an endless supply of Facebook apps that let you do things like create polls, add ecommerce, set up blog feeds and even use Facebook for teleconferences and meetings.

6. How to Grow Your Community on Facebook

A lot of things change on the social media scene every day, but one thing is certain. It takes a lot of work and consistency to take a Facebook page and develop it into a community. It all starts with creating a customized and useful page, but then it comes down to the every day interaction that makes the difference.

While your type of business, your customers or clients, and your industry can play a role in how you use your Facebook page, there are some universal things you can do to make your business page memorable, relevant and a favorite place for your fans.

7. Facebook Advertising 101

Advertising on Facebook is one of the best ways to get the word out about your business and your business page. Facebook's Marketplace Ads allow you to promote your page right within Facebook, and Facebook provides a number of tools to help you do this effectively.

In fact, Facebook's own "Guide to Facebook Ads" walks you through the entire advertising process, including planning, creating ads, testing and understanding insight statistics. It's a great starting place for any small business owner interested in trying Facebook advertising.

8. Using Facebook for Professional Networking

Using Facebook to promote your business can go beyond your page and promotion of your page. You can also use your personal account to make connections with colleagues and prospects, start conversations and network online.

The biggest challenge here is managing the personal/business line and taking care to make sure all of your interactions remain professional. With clear objectives and plan for managing your connections, you can use Facebook to network and develop great business relationships.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

      Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural" or un-paid ("organic") search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines.

      As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.