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SEO expert or SEO specialist (Search Engine Optimizer) is a person who deals with website promotion and internal and external website optimization for search engines. An SEO specialist must understand the principles of search engines' operations and Internet protocols, be aware of the intricacies of optimizing for different search engines, know the types of links, link building features & strategies, be able to apply various optimization methods, have knowledge of CSS and HTML technologies, and learn the basics of copywriting and marketing.
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The history behind the need for SEO experts
With the advent of the first search engine, WebCrawler, in 1994, it became possible to search for information through queries.
In 1997, Sergey Brin and Larry Page created Google, the same year Yandex search engine was launched, creating the need for SEO experts.
In the late 90s, search engine algorithms evaluated the relevance of a page based on the presence of keywords in the text. The first SEO specialists actively used this factor. They started to staff keywords and phrases on the promoted sites, at the same time hiding the texts written for robots from the website visitors (for example, placing the texts so that they remain behind the pictures), which is currently considered a "black" method of SEO optimization. This led to the fact that sites that did not satisfy user requests began to appear in the first positions of search results, which in turn led to a need for the development of more complex ranking algorithms.
Today, due to the rapid development of search engines, the work of SEO optimizers has changed greatly. Buying external links and working with content is no longer enough for website ranking, search engines take into account many other factors, such as the user behavior for example & assessment of whether the website answered user’s queries in full.
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Responsibilities of an SEO optimizer
An SEO specialist first addresses the internal optimization or on-page optimization of the site, i.e.
• Makes the content attractive and understandable for the search engine, and the structure of the site such that the user can easily find the page important to him.
• Enhances the compatibility of the website code with the requirements of search engines,
• Tracks algorithm changes and adapts to them the website.
One can say that the work of an SEO expert is at the intersection of marketing and programming professions.
When the content and technical condition of the site are at a decent level, SEO expert can move on to external or off-page optimization and provide links to the site from various authoritative web resources.
Types of SEO optimizers
There are black, white and gray methods of website SEO optimization. Accordingly, we can distinguish different types of SEO specialists.
White Hat SEO Experts
SEO specialists involved in "white hat" optimization perform optimization of text, code and other parameters to push forward website's positions in search results according to the requirements of search algorithms. White hat SEOs do not violate the rules of search engines and ensure the site is of value for users. During white hat optimization, SEO specialists perform the following tasks:
• forming a semantic core (choosing keywords to promote the site);
• working on the structure of the site and its usability;
• carry out a technical audit of the website;
• optimizes the html code;
• creates new pages that provide semantic coverage of the site's topics;
• optimize the content;
• create the robots.txt file.
These types of optimizers do not always achieve a positive effect quickly, but they create solid conditions for a high and stable result.
Black Hat SEO Experts
SEOs who use "black" SEO methods are undertaking actions that is not approved or is banned by search engines. When performing black hat optimization, SEO specialists can use:
• text spamdexing – a special technique that involves oversaturation of text with keywords. Such content is sometimes not visible to the visitor. Since the text is filled with the background color, written in a small font and placed below the images, it is visible only to search robots
• creating doorways - specially designed pages that forcibly redirect the visitor to another page;
• cloaking - a method of hiding spam, in which the user sees one type of information, and the robot sees another
• replacement – SEO optimization technique aiming to achieve high positions of website and complete change of content after achieving results. Such optimizers provide high positions for a short time, then fall under search engine sanctions or exist under constant risk of being de-indexed, up to a complete removal from search results.
Grey Hat SEO Experts
Grey hat SEO specialists take some risks and alternate black & white SEO methods.
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