Search Engine Optimization- how your site is found on the internet

Domain - Buying a web domain (purchasing your .com name) only gives you the right to use that name. 

Hosting - Buying hosting gives your domain a place to reside on a computer server which puts it on the internet. 

In the case of our hosting, our sites are hosted in Chicago on Linux servers in a large building.  This same service hosts companies such as Johnson and Johnson and GE. They are very high speed, with high speed hubs, reliable and affordable.  The building is 4 stories high and has security guards.

When you first purchase hosting for your website,  It will take up to 48 hours for all the DNS (domain name service)  hubs all around the world to resolve your new location. In addition it can take up to 6 months for your site to show up on any web browser, or even longer if there are no links to it whatsoever.  If you change the location your site is hosted it is treated as if it is a new site and you must wait again for the internet to find your site.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of helping internet browsers find your site.  All internet browsers send out a program called a web bot or web worm, that roams the internet continuously.  It will travel to every link it finds on every site and catalogs the content on that site and stores the information in a database.  The more times the worm finds your site and travels to it the higher in importance your site becomes for search engines to list.  Also, the more content you have on your site the more boost your site will receive.

Getting links to you site. 

Reciprocal links - are often times easy and free.  You simply contact the owner of the site you wish to link with and each agrees to put up a link to each other sites on their own.  You can put the link anywhere on your site. One simple way to do this is to make a page where you list all the links.  The web worm will find this page and catalog all the links, travel to your partner’s page and catalog their site and then travel back again to your site because you are also linked on theirs.

Paid links- you simply pay other sites to have your link on their site.  This can be anywhere from $50.00 to thousands of dollars.  Contact the site you are interested in for more information.

Applied links – These are links on forums and blogs and anywhere where you can make a post on the internet.  Simply write up something that is relevant so that hopefully it is not deleted and include the link to your site.  On forums you would register on the forums as a user and include your web site link in your user profile.  You can post al these links yourself or you can do like most businesses and pay someone else to post links for you.

Content – The more interesting stories you have on your site the higher quality the web worms will rate your site to be. 

For example If you have a Bed and Break feast You will rate much higher if you have stories of how Dave while on vacation at your bed and breakfast went fishing to the timber stream and had a nice adventure while there and brought back many delicious fish. 

The web worm will then catalog vacations, fishing delicious fish and any other information you include in your story with your web site.  When people look for these things on the internet your site will pop up. 

This is much more dynamic than simply posting your bed and breakfast and your rates and location and phone.  You can write this information your self or pay a writer.  If you keep a blog and put up interesting stories often, some people will visit your site just to read your lovely fun stores and many will want to come stay at your place just to visit the place in the stories.

The more times a web bot or web worm finds your site linked on someone else's site and the More content it finds on your page the higher rating of importance and relevance your site will receive.