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Search engine optimization is a phrase that is bandied about every day on the Internet. In the decade since the Internet superhighway began to generate as much if not more business than hanging out a shingle, search engine optimization has become a vital and growing field.

So how does one make a web page compliant with search engine optimization? One method is search engine copywriting. The copy is generated based on the idea that it reads well for someone surfing the web. By reading well, it means the text reads enough to keep the reader scanning and clicking on the page.

Is there a downside to search engine optimization? An ethical SEO company will be straight about the following ups and downs in the search engine optimization business. The first downside of search engine optimization is related to the differences in search engines.

Google, Yahoo, MSN, Alta Vista, Starware and many more utilize different algorithms to produce their page rankings. In the early days of the Internet, Meta tags were the ideal behind search engine optimization. The Meta tags were embedded in the web design html, listing the 'searchable' terms that the web page was keyed to. For example, a web page on pets may have had cats, kitty, kittens, dogs, puppies, and litter in their Meta tags. Those words were the searchable terms that the page referred to.

Meta Tags were great, make no mistake, but they were infinitely abused. A designer could plop down any terms they wanted into the Meta tags and the search engines could deliver the page no matter the content. The sophisticated algorithms of today are designed to avoid those pitfalls and traps. Instead, by building the design and the content around search engine optimization, when a search engine delivers a page: it usually contains information that the searcher was looking for.

However, there is a cost and limitation to using copywriting for search engine optimization. First of all, it is very time consuming. Yes, anyone can just sit down and generate a page of copy. The average copywriter can probably type up 350 words in less than an hour. They can likely layer the search engine optimization terms in during that initial draft, no problem.

What happens when optimizing a site requires 100 pages of text? 800 pages? 1000 pages? That one-hour can become literally hundreds of hours of time and energy. Professional copywriters have made a science out of generating good, clean copy, but they are not cheap. The average copywriter will charge by the word, not the page. A lot of companies would prefer to pay by the page.

In most businesses, the higher the quantity would generate a lower price. However in search engine optimization copywriting, the larger the quantity, the more the work. Generating ten to twenty pages of copy surrounding similar search terms without plagiarizing or creating repetitive text is not only difficult, it's mind-numbing.

Quality counts and quality copywriters will generate quality search engine optimization text. When it comes to building a website based on search engine optimization and quality content, the professional copywriter is an invaluable resource. Be prepared for the investment. Be prepared for the day when the search engines alter their algorithms to tweak them and this process is repeated.

Keeping the surfer engaged is great, that is only part of the purpose of writing that is part of search engine optimization. The second, primary part of these types of articles is to target specific search terms. By building the articles around these specific types of terms, it is possible to elevate the page rank of the particular page and overall site in a search engine.

The nature of a search engine's algorithm is a zealously guarded secret. Search engine optimization copywriting works because it creates genuine content versus nonsense information interspersed by searchable terms. Building around these terms sounds simple, but the elements of the page are as important as the content itself.

Developing the copy for search engine optimization can often require a professional copywriter. They possess the skills to write interest-generating content that can be layered around searchable terms. The content that works best often features more than just one set of searchable phrases. By strategically placing searchable terms within the content, the copywriter will provide the website with page ranking on those key terms.

Ultimately, search engine optimization works because the number of searchable terms on the Internet is huge. However, search engine optimization works because while it may improve rankings on one search engine it does not work as well across all search engines. As the search engines tune their algorithms, so page ranks shift. This is a constant, evolving business and competitiveness involved in search engine optimization continues to grow.

Copyright 2006 Mark Nenadic