Exploring search engine optimization factors

A search engine is a system that allows users to enter queries to get information or find a result and lists the results according to these queries. It enables people who want to bridge between people and data to obtain information over the internet. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the activity of optimizing web pages or entire sites to make them search engine friendly and thus rank higher in search results. There are different methods for search engines to access effective information. In this study, first of all, the development process of search engines, search engine types and working principles are mentioned. The stages of search engine optimization are explained one by one. How web crawling, indexing and ranking is done are examined. Then, algorithms used in search engine optimization are mentioned. PageRank, TrustRank and HillTop algorithms, which are revolutionary algorithms in search engines, were compared. Important algorithm updates published by Google were reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses were compared. Ahrefs, Moz and Semrush, which are search engine optimization tools, were examined and their prominent features were compared. Finally, the performance of selected university websites in search engine optimization tools is shown. Domain views, organic search results, keyword analyzes, backlink analyzes were performed and the results were compared with graphics. Research and analysis results have shown that websites will have a high position in search engine results when they apply appropriate optimization techniques in line with their own needs. It has been determined that the appropriate keyword selection and the number of reliable backlinks are important search engine optimization factors. Since search engines have a dynamic structure, it is important for website owners to keep themselves updated.