subject: Search Engine Visibility & Keyword Optimization [print this page] Keyword optimization has traditionally been considered the soul of SEO, and whilst this is true to some extend, Search engine Optimization for major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, requires more than just Keyword Optimization.
When it comes to search engine placement, then other factors come into play, there are usually two types of SEO factors to bear in mind when optimizing for major search engines. These factors are onpage and offpage SEO.
Onpage SEO
Onpage SEO refers to all the factors for search engine placement that are resident on the page itself. Majority of SEO fall into this group. The essentials of onpage SEO are URL's, Metatags, headings, keywords in text. internal link (links resident & crosslinking a site to itself), as well as outbound links are onpage SEO factors.
The one unique and very important onpage SEO factor is content freshness. The rule here is that frequently updated, unique and keywords rich web content is the one important recipe to success in SEO placement. Negative onpage SEO factors that can harm ranking include JavaScript, Flash, and keyword stuffing. These practices should be avoided at all costs.
Offpage SEO
Bearing in mind that the most common SEO factors are onpage, you might wonder what offpage has to offer. And while offpage SEO factors may not be as numerous as onpage, they still play a crucial role to attaining higher ranking in search engines. Offpage usually falls on backlinks.
Backlinks play a very important role in search engine visibility in both Google and other major search engines. It's not easy to find quality backlinks and especially dofollow backlinks, but a webmaster can be able to garner as many backlinks as he can from authority sites that fall in the same niche, and the links have sufficient keywords for anchor text, then this will definitely provide higher search engine placement.
Backlinks are very important but they are not the only offpage factor. Others include site age and the presence or absence of search engine readable site map.
Onpage versus Offpage SEO
Search engine algorithms are frequently updated and this makes it difficult to predict what they'll do in the future, currently though, there is a parity in the importance of offpage and onpage SEO. Keywords matter always but backlinks hold more weight. It's extremely difficult to achieve good search engine placement in the absence of quality backlinks.
Similarly, backlinks only (quality or not) can never guarantee you higher ranking in search engines, additional to backlinks, you need to have well placed keywords/ keyword phrases on the page (strategically placed in titles, headings, the first paragraph and so forth). Other offpage factors such as the age of the domain and reputation of the site also weight more than the best keyword density inclusive of other onpage factors.
The best SEO approach is to combine offpage as well as onpage factors in your SEO strategy. Just because you're bale to obtain good ranking with keyword optimization doesn't mean that you should focus solely on that method. Neither is it good to rely on backlinks only.
