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Welcome To SEO: Seeing Inside The Algorithm

SEOwrit is a website dedicated to bulding a model search algorithm for the purpose of providing insight to those who wish to improve the ranking of their own websites via search engine optimization.  The model algorithm is built using a systematic approach of analyzing every possible ranking factor an actual search engine might use. We'll look at every component of a website that may indicate quality and relevance to a user's search query and apply a measurable value to those components to determine a site's rank. The variables within every site component can be extracted and input to a ranking function which in turn contributes to the model algorithm as a whole, which determines the site's rank when a user submits a search query.

This is not a series of blog articles speculating what Google's latest trends are, or a guide full of tricks and gimmicks to get you at the #1 spot in the SERPS. In fact, much of what is discussed in this "writ" are simply ways to improve the quality of your website through better content and a better user experience, not by using hidden spam techniques, link manipulations and achieving the "perfect keyword density". Of course, there are still things a webmaster must consider that does not directly correlate with user experience and quality content. We may refer to these concepts as "Back-End SEO" and includes things like sitemap management, mark-up data, and crawlability. Many SEOs use the terms "Off-Page SEO" and "On-Page SEO", but we feel that "Back-End" and "Front-End" are more acute in their meanings and relates more to a developers typical jargon.

Page Content
Metadata and Page Details
Metadata and Page Details
Creator: Devin Peterson
Date: Created 01/13/2014 - (Updated 05/24/2014)
Subject: SEO, Marketing, Search Algorithms, Data Analysis
Publisher: DNM Int'l
Contributors:
Peer Review:
Resources:
Citation: Peterson, D. (2014), "SEO Writ: Getting Inside the Algorithm", Retrieved , from http://seowrit.com

Site Tutorial

Purpose

The whole of this website is a process of developing a model search algorithm that is intended to be used for SEO purposes. The model algorithm will provide a unique insight to how actual search engines rank webpages in response to a user's query. With a better understanding of how search engine's really work, webmasters can implement a better SEO strategy for improving their website's rank, and more importantly, improve the quality of their site as a whole.

Site Structure

Navigation

The left navigation bar consists of a list of every factor considered by our model algorithm. Many Google followers are aware that there are over 200 ranking factors in the world's leading search engine, however you might not see over 200 factors listed. This is because many of the ranking factors discussed are clumped together when computing an analysis. For example, one factor listed is "Inbound Links". There are obviously many sub-components to an inbound link such as the quality of linking page or prominence of the link . All in all, there are well over 200 variables discussed and implemented in this model algorithm, perhaps more than Google themselves.

This site will discuss logical and practical methods of ranking web pages based on query data, and in this process, I will conform the very content of this site to perfectly optimize it for it's own model algorithm. In doing so, I hope to gather insight about how to optimize for an actual search engine like Bing or Yahoo... or Google, I guess.

Page Abstracts

Each page consists of an Abstract (entitled "A Brief Introduction") at the top of the page declaring the basic premise of the content within. You might also call it an overview or short summary. This is then followed up by a page content navigation list which allows you to skim the content provided on the page and skip to any section simply by clicking the link.

Footer (Additional Information)

The footer contains links that provide a number of resources including useful SEO tools, a glossary, sitemaps and much more. We welcome guest blogs and contributions in any way. You can contact us by following the links below. We do offer SEO services as well, more details can be found in the footer.

Finally, fellow SEOers are encouraged to contribute to this process anyway possible. Even the biggest search monsters in the market (who have been at it for over 20 years and have billions of dollars at their disposal) aren't finished improving their algorithm.

"Please be assured that we're continually working to improve our algorithms to provide the most relevant results for your query." - Google

Summary

This website is an ongoing project with the goal of developing a model search algorithm that can then be used to provide insight to those who want to increase the ranking of their own websites via SEO. It is not a system of tricks and gimmicks. In fact, much of what is discussed are simply ways to improve the quality of your website by providing better content and a better user experience, not by manipulating links and achieving the "perfect keyword density".

About the Author

Devin Peterson -

"At the moment of writing this book, I am a search engine optimizer. I am also a web developer, internet marketer, and an aspiring web designer (although you wouldn't know it from this overly simple website design).

Apart from this book, I am a theoretical physicist with a particular interest in statistical and quantum mechanics. I am also highly involved in the fields of philosophy, game theory, statistics and Freakonomics.

I intend to use a cross-discipline approach to the study of SEO, in that by using the same principles applied to my previous fields of interest, I can develop a deep understanding of what SEO truly entails. I can tell you right now that developing a ranking algorithm as sophisticated as Google's requires many specialized fields of interest apart from mathematics and computer science. Linguistics, physics, art, architecture, business and engineering are just a few disciplines that can contribute to the development of the best search engine in the world."

Introduction to SEO

No site about search engine optimization would be complete without at least a brief intro to SEO. SEO is a complicated system which entails a number of components coming together for any given webpage. How webmasters optimize their site is usually based on webmaster guidelines (Bing's Webmaster Guide) provided by the search engines themselves. Other factors are based on speculation and analysis by professional SEO experts.

The method of SEO discussed in this site entails developing a model algorithm and conforming your site to fit the guidelines of this algorithm. The approach to developing this algorithm is similar to the process that an established search engine might use. We will utilize mathematical models to assign value to components of a webpage that may indicate various levels of quality and relevance to a particular search query.

Math and Algorithms

The process of creating any algorithm is often very math intensive. Before getting into too many details on the proceeding sections, it may be helpful to at least have a cursory knowledge and understanding of the following mathematical concepts: