Google basics explained - on video

This short video gives a very brief explanation of the basics of Google's methods to index sites and what variables are most important for ranking high in the SERP's (Search Engine Results Pages' / positions).

three things that are most important for search engine are
1) how to craw the web most efficiently
2) index the pages, and sort according to some criteria
3) Rank all pages then serve the pages to searchers according to their needs

To ensure that your pages are indexed in search engines you need to ensure that  search engines find your pages through links from other sites, and that your pages have internal links so that all your pages can be found by any search engine that locates any one of your pages.

Once your pages are indexed by search engines they perform quite a few mathematical tricks useing a host of variables such as but not limited to the list below to give some kind of score to your page. Then the search engine will store this value along with a number of pre calculated variables that will be used to evaluate an end users search query and return a SERP (Search Engine Results Page) in their indexing system.
1) the specific words within your pages, and how they are used, where they are in relation to each other and other data on your page.
2) all inbound links form other websites including the anchor, text where the link is on the page, words near to the link, and words on the landing page which the link refers to.
3) all out bound links, including anchor text, words near the link, words on the landing page of the link, and the context of the link related to other onpage data.
4) all internal links linking to the specific page as well as all internal links linking to other pages within your site taking the page content and many related issues into account.

When an end user submits a search query this is search query is compared with the indexed words and some very  advanced mathematical algorithm is used to determine the end users intent and match this intent with the aboutness of your pages. Once the search engine has determined the best possible matches from its index with a searchers intent the search engine delivers a SERP (Search Engine Results page)

Undersatnding Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO or Search engine optimisation is a difficult thing to come to grips with because of the diverse opinions within the industry and many saying SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is DEAD.

Confusion starts when one looks for a definition of SEO (search Engine Optimisation) and does not get a clear concise definition.  I like to define SEO (search Engine Optimisation) to my customer base as follows:

SEO or Search engine optimisation is the collective online effort of your entire marketing team to ensure  that your pages are indexed in search engines in a manner that ensures that you get qualified visitors who are looking for your products, services or related information.

Most companies leave the SEO (search Engine Optimisation) of their pages up to the web design team and do not integrate SEO into their entire marketing policy, leaving no SEO (search Engine Optimisation)  policy specific directives for any other online work. This is purely because the management have not been correctly informed of what SEO (search Engine Optimisation) is and why they need to have a dedicated person in charge of their SEO (search Engine Optimisation) . Once you understand the definition above you will realise that SEO (search engine optimisation) is a complicated affair that requires team work with a clear set of policy directives that need to be enforced across a wide spectrum of disciplines within your advertising and marketing efforts. 

Defining the "ABOUTNESS"  of your pages and ensuring that this aboutness is translated into your page construction and the subsequent social media marketing  and related promotion of your web site is the key to ensuring that search engines send your site well qualified visitors which can be converted to customers.

To achieve this you will need to have some policy directives that need to be in place and followed by your entire marketing team. You will need to understand your target market groups and cater for each target market group separately, ensuring a common thread, with some common key words and a base set of pages that form a core from which you will expand the different target market groups in a coherent and logical manner that search engines will be able to understand and relate to the aboutness of your entire site, with out losing focus of your intent.

Remember that search engines are changing fast along with the social media influences that you will need to manage in ways that ensure that your page's aboutness can be related to the searchers intent. Search engines are taking more and more variables into account as the amount of data online increases. It is becoming very difficult for search engines  to manage these large data volumes and still supply an end user with relevant up to date information. Search engines are taking strain and are showing signs of frustration due to the large amounts of spam and irrelevant data that is on-page in the form of advertising as well as links to pages that do not discuss similar or related information. Sites that link to other sites just for the sake of generating links as in link farms are also of grave concern to search engines, as they have very little importance or value to the page in question. 

These 2 articles explain a little more  and offer a different view on some issues.

1)  the end of link building as we know it 
2) impact of the next penguin update