tactics are typically grouped together under the auspices of \u201csearch,\u201d they are unique and understanding their fundamental differences is the key to de\ue000ning a winning strategy in both areas.

Search Engine Optimization should be thought of as a function of web design and engineering. It is about gaining ground in the highly coveted organic listings \u2014 the non-sponsored listings that appear in the main search results area (typically in the middle or left side of the page depending on the search engine). The reason these results are so sought-after is quite simple: Not only do they perform better, but they\u2019re also not for sale to advertisers, so they\u2019re perceived as being unbiased. According to a recent study on MarketingProfs.com, search engine users click on organic listings over paid listings at a rate of approximately 2:1 because most Internet users respect an unbiased search result over a paid or sponsored result. So what should businesses do to improve their organic listings? There are endless supplies of books, articles and resources available offering insights and direction on how to optimize for search engine success \u2014 the process can seem overwhelming. At Mov\u00e9o, we believe that in order to improve organic listings, a site needs a smart dose of TLC \u2014 Tags, Links and Content.

Tagged content comes in a variety of types, but for the purposes of optimizing for search engines, the focus should be on Meta tags and the Alt tag. Meta tags give search engine spiders (programs that \u201ccrawl\u201d through a site and index its content to generate organic listings) insight into what a page\u2019s content is about. In recent years, some marketers and web developers have questioned the validity of using Meta tags, since most search engines, in response to abuse by marketers, have begun putting less weight on them in their site/ page ranking algorithms. That said, spiders can\u2019t interpret what a page\u2019s content is really about just

by crawling it. But with Meta tags, they\u2019ll have a better chance \u2014 provided of course the tags are re\ue001ective of what\u2019s actually on the page. There are many different types of Meta and Alt tags to choose from, but there are four that we (and many others) feel are most critical \u2014 the Title tag, the Keyword tag, the Description tag and the Alt tag.

tag is the only tag that users actually \u201csee.\u201d The content of the Title tag appears in the bar along the top of a browser. It also usually appears as the clickable title in the search engine results, which is why it holds the most power. It is essential that a Title tag use keywords re\ue001ective of the focus of the page, and companies should make sure they have different titles for each page of their site.

one of the more abused tags, with marketers and webmasters jamming it full of keywords in the hope of improving rankings. Alas this is a wasted effort. They \u201ckey\u201d to the Keyword tag is to make sure that all the keywords are on the page (including plurals). There is no bene\ue000t to \ue000lling it up with unrelated junk.

another tag that has often been misunderstood, and there is some question whether or not it is a waste of time. Google recently con\ue000rmed that unique Meta Description tags for each web page help the engine determine the uniqueness of a page. In Google\u2019s case, the Meta Description tags are used to create the text snippets that are displayed in Google search results underneath the page heading. While this method is particular to Google, it\u2019s important to remember that Meta Description tags can be used by other search engines to describe a site (and since Google maintains a 50+% share of the search market, they should not be ignored).

in an image, logo or graphic. This gives search engines additional content to index, which they might not otherwise have had. They also support accessibility so users with visual impairments who rely on text-to-voice utilities will be able to understand what\u2019s being shown on a page \u2014 but that is another matter.

While content is king, many experts would say linking is queen. Research shows that linking improves rankings, and it\u2019s no surprise that link building has become an increasingly critical tactic/area of focus for many SEO initiatives. Links are the connecting ramps of the Internet; they are what makes the Web a web. For a company to improve its organic rankings, they must improve the quality of their links \u2014 both the inbound (referring) links and the links within the site.

The former can be a complex and time-consuming process, but the latter is too often overlooked, so we\u2019ll start there. Perhaps the most critical role of links is providing the search engines with access to your content. If the search engines can\u2019t get to your content, then they can\u2019t index it. An ef\ue000cient and effective way to ensure accessibility is to create a sitemap. Sitemaps ensure that search engines can access and index all of a site\u2019s content \u2013\u2013 including \u201chard to index\u201d items such as dynamic content generated by a content management system. Creating a sitemap \ue000le also allows companies to leverage powerful search engine products, like Google\u2019s webmaster tools, which provide diagnostics that allow a company to understand how the Google robot \u201csees\u201d their site. You can learn when and how often the search engine indexed the site, what pages were indexed, which pages were not and why, top content, inbound links and more.

Links within a site should be descriptive/relevant. According to Advertising Age\u2019s \u201c2006 Website Optimization Strategies \u2018Fact Pack,\u2019\u201d links within a site should use descriptive text because search engines pay attention to links and their anchor

extraordinary B2B brands. The agency\u2019s integrated services\u2013research, brand strategy and marketing communications\u2013have helped global leaders such as Siemens, Motorola, US Robotics and CareerBuilder align their brands with their overall business strategy to produce bottom-line results. For more in\ue000ormation on Mov\u00e9o visitw w w. m ove o.c o m /b 2 b