Optimizing for the Big Three

Scott Jemison
Contributing Editor

Most SEO concentrates on achieving top search rankings for Google, but what about the other search engines? Is optimizing for Google equally effective for Yahoo and MSN? And what about other search engines such as Ask or Dogpile?

Well, the quick answer is Yes and No. All search engines have their own distinct algorithm which gives differing weight to differing factors. So optimizing for Google does not emphasize the same factors which are important to other search engines. And, beyond that, the algorithms the search engines employee to establish search rankings are constantly changing.

When choosing which search engine to optimize for the key factor is your target audience. Google is the established leader. Whereas, Yahoo is considered to primarily appeal to home users; a prime audience for retail. MSN is considered more highly business users. A good SEO will offer strategies which will target your audience but still provide for traffic from all search engines.

However, strong content and ease of navigation are universally important. By providing strong relevant content on your site and making the site easy to navigate, your website becomes valuable to users and, ultimately, well ranking with the search engines. Content is, cliched as it is, king.