Optimising for Search Engines, Not Just Google
Sometimes, even as professionals in the field, we all have to step back and remind ourselves that it is called Search Engine Optimisation, not simply Google Optimisation. What works for Google might not work as well for Bing or Yahoo, which is why it is so important to become too focussed on just the one.
Okay, we are all well aware of the fact that 90% of all the searches performed in the UK are done so using a Google site. Therefore, it makes a good degree of sense to go after this vastly superior market. In fact it would be somewhat churlish and a little foolhardy to instead focus on one of the competitors.
Fortunately, by and large the optimisation processes are very similar across the board. If you do things right and you do them well, you ought to be rewarded by the full quota of search engines. To be sure though you might want to install the Webmaster Tools from each and see how the search engines perceive your site.
Often it will be the smallest issues that can cause you to lose rankings. So by implementing just a few small changes – changing a few broken links, implementing permanent redirects or adding some copy – you can be boosting your Bing ranking in no time.
As I’ve said before, you can’t ignore the 10% of other potential search traffic providers; however, with the complexity of modern algorithms and the tendency for them all to focus on the quality of links and content, this is a good place to start if you are broadening your horizons. You certainly don’t want to be doing anything to appease a lesser search engine, say Yahoo, which will undermine your Google presence – unless of course you are convinced that this will be the best source targeted traffic.
Open up your horizons by making sure you are getting plenty of decent links and all of your pages are full of excellent, unique content. Keep an eye on how the other search engines view your site and make sure that nothing could be ruining your rankings elsewhere. But always remember that Google is just one of many search engines; granted, it is by far the biggest, but that doesn’t give anybody license to simply forget the others.
