[...]... xix xx Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition Introduction W elcome to Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition What on earth would you want this book for? After all, can’t you just build a Web site, and then pay someone $25 to register the site with thousands of search engines? I’m sure you’ve seen the advertising: “We guarantee top-ten placement in a gazillion search engines!”... provide search results to hundreds of search sites In fact, most of the world’s search sites get their search results from elsewhere; see Figure 1-3 ߜ Search term: This is the word, or words, that someone types into a search engine when looking for information ߜ Search results: Results are the information returned to you (the results of your search term) when you go to a search site and search for something... predominant term for search system or search site, but before reading any further, you need to understand the different types of search, um, thingies, you’re going to run across Basically, you need to know about four thingies Search indexes or search engines Search indexes or engines are the predominant type of search tools you’ll run across Originally, the term search engine referred to some kind of search. .. do a few quick fixes to your site Part II: Building Search- Engine- Friendly Sites Do you have any idea how many sites are invisible to the search engines? Or that, if they’re not invisible, are built such that search engines won’t see the information they need to index the site in the way the site owners would like? 3 4 Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition Well, I don’t know an exact number,... site with the search engines, but if your pages aren’t optimized for the search engines, you may be wasting your time! You can create pages the search engines can read, but if you don’t pick the right keywords, it’s a total waste of time So I recommend that you read everything in this book; it will make a huge difference in how well your pages are ranked in the search engines Part I: Search Engine Basics... 108 Creating headers: CSS versus tags 109 Formatting text 111 Creating links 111 Using other company and product names 112 Creating navigation structures that search engines can read 114 Blocking searchbots 114 xiii xiv Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition Chapter 7: Avoiding Things That Search Engines Hate 117 Dealing with Frames ... Don’t forget to visit the Web sites associated with this book At www.dummies com/go/searchoptimization, you find all the links in this book (so you don’t have to type them!), as well as a Bonus Chapter on how to power up your search engine skills At www.SearchEngineBulletin.com, you find the aforementioned links along with additional useful information that didn’t make it into the book 5 6 Search Engine. .. book 5 6 Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition Part I Search Engine Basics T In this part he basics of search engine optimization are surprisingly, um, basic In fact, you may be able to make small changes to your Web site that make a huge difference in your site’s ranking in the search results This part starts with the basics I begin by explaining which search engines are important... Search Engine Landscape 9 Investigating Search Engines and Directories 10 Search indexes or search engines 10 Search directories 11 Non-spidered indexes 12 Pay-per-click systems 13 Keeping the terms straight 13 Why bother with search engines? 14 Where Do People Search? 15 Search Engine Magic 19 How do they do it? ... 5,000 search engines today!” Well, unfortunately, it’s not that simple (Okay, fortunately for me, because if it were simple, Wiley wouldn’t pay me to write this book.) The fact is that search engine optimization is a little complicated Not brain surgery complicated, but not as easy as “Give us 50 bucks and we’ll handle it for you.” The vast majority of Web sites don’t have a chance in the search engines . alt="" by Peter Kent Search Engine Optimization FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2 ND EDITION 01_979988 ffirs.qxp 3/31/06 6:27 PM Page iii 01_979988 ffirs.qxp 3/31/06 6:27 PM Page ii Search Engine Optimization FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2 ND. 3/31/06 6:27 PM Page ii by Peter Kent Search Engine Optimization FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2 ND EDITION 01_979988 ffirs.qxp 3/31/06 6:27 PM Page iii Search Engine Optimization For Dummies ® , 2 nd Edition Published. I: Search Engine Basics 7 Chapter 1: Surveying the Search Engine Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Investigating Search Engines and Directories 10 Search indexes or search engines 10 Search