In a great video about what Google knows about spam, Matt Cutts explained that optimizing a website for search engines is not the same as spamming them. This inspired me to elaborate on this theme by explaining the difference between search engine optimization and spam for three top optimization techniques.

1. Adding keywords to the page:

a. SEO:

b. Spam:

2. Cultivate inbound links to your site:

a. SEO:

b. Spam:

3. Add content and pages to increase keyword reach in search engines:

a. SEO:

b. Spam:

Ultimately, any technique that provides benefit and clarity to your visitors about the topic of your site is likely to do the same for search engines. Not only that but as you build trust with your visitors, you build trust with search engines too. Over time, that translates into long term rankings and consistent traffic and isn’t that what we all want in the end?

While thinking about what to write, I realized that I had an experience this weekend that is a perfect testimony of why having a presence within the major search engines is so important.

I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I was going to get my mom for Mother’s Day (yes, a little last minute) and the first thing that I did was hop onto Google and search for “Mothers Day Gifts, Raleigh, NC”. Within about 5 minutes I had purchased a gift card from a spa just down the road from my mom’s house and ordered a bouquet of flowers to be delivered to her the very next day. After my sigh of relief that it was taken care of and I could go about enjoying the rest of my weekend, I sat back and realized just how important Search Engine Optimization (SEO) really is. If it wasn’t for that particular spa and florist taking the time to effectively optimize their sites using the keywords that I had searched for (including local keywords), I wouldn’t have stumbled across their site and would have been forced to find another gift. But because both of these links appeared within Google’s organic search results, I found them easily. In addition, my entire shopping experience (a total of about 5 minutes) was quite painless. The ease of making purchases through these websites was almost effortless and very user-friendly.

Having just moved to Florida, I truly appreciated the ability to find something so easily near my hometown. So keep in mind when optimizing your site that you can take advantage of last minute shoppers. I also highly recommend including local keywords as these can help searchers from out of state, like myself, find your products or services.

Despite the fact that Microsoft finally walked away from its takeover bid for Yahoo (a subject we’ve touched upon previously… not to worry, we’ll talk about the fallout as well), Yahoo continued with their “business as usual” approach. Yahoo Search partnered with McAfee, a leading web security company, to scan search results for dangerous websites.

While this step is new for Yahoo, it’s not new to the world of web search – Google introduced a similar protection in 2006, though the Google SafeSearch feature was aimed at screening for sites that contain explicit (i.e. adult-oriented) material, removing such sites from search results. Yahoo’s SearchScan feature takes safety to the next level.

Yahoo SearchScan uses McAfee’s SiteAdvisor technology to warn users about “potentially risky sites”. The service, which is switched “on” by default within the Yahoo Search page, warns users if they are about to click on a website that hosts viruses, spyware and spam. The warning appears as an on-screen alert, as shown here:

The service is currently available as a free beta for Yahoo Search users in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Spain

Yahoo’s SearchScan alerts users to the following security concerns:

• Browser Exploits / Hacking Risks – These types of sites can harm a user’s computer or install malware simply with a visit to the site. Such sites may use methods like browser hacks to infect a computer without any action on the user’s part.
• Dangerous Downloads – These sites may offer downloads with dangerous software like viruses or spyware embedded in them. This often comes bundled with other free downloads like screensavers, ringtones, games, or other software. SearchScan will display warnings next to search results for sites that offer such potentially dangerous software.
• Unsolicited Email – Users sharing email addresses with these types of sites may result in unsolicited or spammy emails. These sites may request users for their email address but then either send them unsolicited email, or in some cases, make users email addresses available to multiple domains to send users email. SearchScan will alert users to scanned sites that send unsolicited e-mails or inappropriately share e-mail addresses with third parties

Industry analysts at research firm IDC estimate that 67% of all computers have some form of spyware installed without a user’s knowledge . As viruses, spyware, adware, and other types of malware programs are often “hidden” inside innocuous-looking programs such as screensavers and toolbars, the Yahoo SearchScan feature helps to educate search engine users and web surfers in general to sites that may expose their computers to a security threat or may flood their inbox with spam. This enhancement to the Yahoo search engine, along with the dust settling from the Microsoft takeover falling through, can help Yahoo Search users surf the web a little more easily.