Search Engine Optimization: Focus on Google? Should you optimize your site for every search engine? SEO SEO optimization is important; you don’t need anyone to tell you that. But have you just been optimizing for Google? If so, you may want to rethink your SEO strategy. According to 2012 comScore’s search engine usage reports, 67% of U.S. searches performed were through Google. However, 28% of the searches were though Yahoo and Bing. Over one fourth of all searches in the United States in 2012 were performed on Yahoo and Bing, which is more than reason enough to consider them when formulating your SEO strategy. Here are some tips to consider when optimizing for these top three search engines. SEO for Google Google is well known for using complicated algorithms to filter sites. Google is also known to change its algorithms when it sees fit. When performing a search, Google is more likely to show results that are newer, popular and socially relevant. If someone is searching for a business, Google will usually rank larger, more established businesses higher than small businesses. Google is very intuitive about keywords and can tell if your site and content is overstuffed with keywords. If it does deem your site as such, you will be penalized in your ranking. SEO for Bing and Yahoo Yahoo is actually powered by Bing, so if your company makes changes to its SEO strategy to optimize for Bing, you are optimizing for Yahoo as well. Bing and Yahoo’s algorithms are similar to Google’s in some ways in that they all place importance on keywords in domain names and quality backlinks. However, Yahoo and Bing favor older websites with factual information. When searching for business, Bing will bring up local businesses that are closer to customers even if they aren’t well known places. Bing and Yahoo also look for straightforward keywords in titles and tags which is simple to optimize for. Why Optimize for Bing and Yahoo too? While considerably fewer searches are performed on Bing and Yahoo than Google, it is still very important to optimize your website for them. Some of your most valuable potential customers may actually prefer to use Yahoo or Bing over Google. Some possible clients may only use Yahoo. If your site isn’t optimized for Yahoo, and is on the fifth page of their ranking, there is a very slim chance that they will ever view your site. Your business can greatly benefit from both Google searchers and Yahoo and Bing searchers which means it is imperative that your website is optimized for both. Clarity Can Help Do you need help with your SEO strategy? Our team at Clarity has decades of combined experience helping businesses optimize their websites for search engines. Our SEO experts are dedicated to staying on top of the latest SEO trends and techniques. We would love to help your company create an SEO package specific to your business. To find out more about how Clarity can help your business rank better on search engines or to request and consultation, call or click to contact us today!