SEO CheckList

Due to the recent Google de-ranking of web sites, many people are suddenly aware that only should they not judge a web site’s popularity on its PageRank but they should also look to other means of traffic as well — just in case. Hence, I’ve been hearing (or rather, reading) some people talk about optimizing their web sites for each different search engine. Let’s see…the different search engines are, well, different. They have different algorithms, they value different aspects of your web sites, they weigh your optimization efforts differently. In essence what I want to say is, your web site might rank first in Google but be in Yahoo third page and MSN’s fourth — it’s inevitable.

On June 13, 2006, Aaron Wall of SEO Book published a long and detailed article on the differences (and similarities) of Yahoo and Google. I think it’s a reference meant for generations to come unless either of the search engines change their algorithms drastically. Now, what does this article tell us? Basically that each search engine has its own “personality,” if I may call it as such, and that you’d be hard-pressed to find a way to optimize your web site for all known search engines.

Does this mean I advocate for creating separate web sites for each search engine? Of course not. In my eyes, that’s a waste of your time and efforts. As was said, although search engines differ, they also have similarities. Think of it this way, choose which search engine you want to rank first in and optimize most for that search engine. However, don’t neglect optimization for other SEs too. I believe that after you rank well for one search engine, the rest would follow through — you just have to work for it.