Search engine marketing is a contest and war of gaining top and higher ranking in search engine listing. Some search engine optimizers often pollute search engine results by introducing spam, which makes it harder to find relevant information when searching. These optimizers are called "black hat" optimizers who seek to achieve high ranking by any means possible. On the other hand, there are SEOs who seek to code the web pages in a way that is friendly to search engines; these SEOs are called "white-hat" SEOs. There are various factors, which can determine effective search engine marketing.
Accessibility is a crucial factor that influences the effectiveness of search engine marketing, as it aims at making the content accessible to as many as possible. All types of users should be able to access the website's content. For instance, not every one can read text in images, interpret JavaScript and Applet, and view other kinds of multimedia content. For good design and content, it is advisable to make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links, wherein every page should be reachable from at least one static link. The SEM effectiveness can be further enhanced if the site design provides the users a site map with links that point to the important parts of the site. Moreover, it is advisable to break the site map into separate pages if it is too large. Preferably, the site should be useful and rich with information that is very accurate and clear. To facilitate the users, it should be made sure that most of the keywords are used on the site. It is better to use text instead of images to display important names, content, and links, as most search engines do not recognize text-contained images. Using descriptive and accurate title and alt tags also influence the effectiveness of the site and SE marketing.
A website's accessibility greatly determines its search engine ranking. Similarly, a website that is easy to navigate encourages users to frequent re-visit.
