Search engine optimized
"Search engine optimized" is the big buzzword of SEO (an abbreviation that ultimately means nothing other than Search-Engine-Optimization – search engine optimization). For laypeople, however, this term is initially meaningless. So what is meant by "search engine optimized"?
Search engine optimized: Google must like it
No matter how you look at it: When it comes to search engines, there is no way around the American giant. Google has a dominant position in the field of internet search engines, and this is unlikely to change in the near future. So if websites are to be optimized for search engines, this means nothing other than that they must be optimized for Google's requirements.
And despite all the negative press about Google's "data collection frenzy" and the extensive exploitation of its dominance: Google knows that its search engine must deliver good results, otherwise, the company would be leaving the door wide open to competitors. Anyone who enters a search term on Google wants to find useful results at first glance and not have to sift through questionable link collections and dubious providers. Therefore, Google places great importance on ensuring that truly high-quality websites are displayed at the top of the search results. For the operators of websites, portals, and online shops, this means: They must convince Google that THEIR page is worth landing at the top of the search results.
What does a search engine optimized page look like?
Google guards the exact algorithms that determine the ranking in search results better than Fort Knox protects its gold reserve. Nonetheless, there are numerous guidelines and aids that help make a website optimized for search engines. Shelves of specialized literature on this topic, degree programs, and continuing education courses are now devoted exclusively to SEO, and numerous professionals offer their services on the internet.
Precise descriptions would therefore go too far here. Some of the most important elements of a search engine-optimized page include clear user navigation with few sublevels and original, unique content. In this case, "unique" does not mean that the content is worthy of a Nobel Prize in literature, but simply that it is only available once on the internet and has not been simply copied from other sources.
Another important element is carefully selected keywords, through which Google knows what is truly important on the displayed page and can match the page to the corresponding inputs in the search engine. If someone searches for "flight tickets to New York," they will see pages where flight tickets to New York are sold and not model trains. Finally, links also play a significant role, as Google knows that users like to place links to pages they consider valuable: if a page is often and cleanly linked, it must be very good.