The Difference Between Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Manipulation

Anyone with an online business understands the importance of search engine rankings and that the best way to boost your ranking is to use search engine optimization (SEO) tactics. While you’re probably familiar with the idea of SEO, you may be hearing more and more about another, more worrisome, concept: search engine manipulation. Unfortunately, these two terms are sometimes confused and can make some reluctant to use any tactics to boost their ranking because they don’t want to risk being penalized by Google. But there is no reason to abandon SEO for your website. So, let’s clear up any confusion and separate myth from the real story. Optimization vs. Manipulation Search engine optimization can be defined as â€Å"the legitimatemarketing practice of building web pages that get more visitor referrals from search engines.† This set of accepted, white-hat practices includes: Researching common keyword phrases used to search for your products or services Writing optimized content Improving a website’s technology so that it performs better for users Adhering to these best practices won’t just bring more traffic to your website, it will also improve the quality of that traffic. Good SEO helps people find what they’re looking for and that leads to more sales and a better reputation for your business. Search engine manipulation, on the other hand, is the darker side of SEO. It involves tactics that add nothing to the user experience and frequently make it worse. Manipulative tactics include: Keyword stuffing Creating huge numbers of poor-quality pages Building artificial link networks Creating misleading web pages that appear differently to search engines and users SEO best practices and black-hat manipulation techniques seem to be worlds apart, so what’s all the confusion about? In real life, the differences between these two sets of tactics aren’t always so clear-cut. Let’s take keywords as an example. Used in moderation, keywords can be a powerful way to optimize your content so that the right users find your website. However, keyword stuffing is nothing more than a manipulative technique that ends up turning people away. Where’s the line drawn between optimizing with keywords and stuffing them? The fear of a possible Google penalty also fuels the confusion. Black-hat SEO has existed since the advent of search engines, but the definition of â€Å"search engine manipulation† has become a hot topic more recently due to a lawsuit involving Google. The suit was filed by e-ventures Worldwide, a company which has had multiple sites banned by Google and is now seeking damages. One document in the lawsuit includes a declaration by Brandon Falls, a search-quality analyst for Google. Falls makes a couple of statements that leave ample room for interpretation: â€Å"An important part of providing valuable search results to users is Google’s protection of the integrity of its search results from those who seek to manipulate them for their own gain.† â€Å"Accordingly,Google considers search engine manipulation to be extremely serious and expends substantial resources to try to identify and eliminate it.† These statements have had the SEO community buzzing: What does Google mean by manipulation? Is Google saying that accepted SEO tactics can get you penalized or even banned? A thorough reading of Falls’ full testimony makes it pretty obvious that the term â€Å"search engine manipulation† refers to spammy tactics and doesn’t include traditional SEO best practices. Still, the fear-mongering continues. Google could have been a little clearer in the wording of their declaration, but as long as you’re sticking to SEO best practices, there’s really no cause for alarm. So, what’s the final verdict on white-hat optimization techniques vs. black-hat manipulation tactics? The biggest difference is intent. Optimization focuses on improving the user experience and delivering the most valuable search results. Manipulation relies on deception – misleading both search engines and users in order to achieve success. If you stick with accepted SEO best practices and Google’s own guidelines for your website and your content, you can rise to the top of the search results without any fear of repercussions.

Cherbourg

Cherbourg CherbourgCherbourg is a city that lies in the northwestern part of France. It is part of Normandy, a region and former province. Cherbourg sits along the English Channel, on the northern point of the Cotentin peninsula, in the ?Manch department? of France. It has been settled since ancient times. It now has a population of about 27to 29 thousand people.If you were to travel by car to Cherbourg it would be a long and weary journey. Cherboug is sometimes said to be ?the end of the world?. But then it opens up to a beautiful open harbor with many ships.A naval base is stationed at Cherbourg. It is also a seaport. Some of the industries of the town include: timber, coal, and shipbuilding. Submarines, oil tankers, electronics, and metals are also manufactured here.There was a battle over the control of the city between France and England.Plaque commà ©morative, centre culturel de Cherbour...

Our Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan War Term Paper

Our Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan War - Term Paper Example The wars have been compounded by the influence of Al Qaeda and foreign fighters who have infiltrated in the country. These have seriously complicated the war on terror as a result of suicide attacks and kidnappings they employ. These have dealt a big blow to the reconstruction efforts being undertaken in the two countries and also continue to pose a big threat to global security. This is due to extremist tendencies which they seem to have perfected the world over with adverse effects to mankind. Iraq woes started with the discovery of oil and the subsequent scramble for oil by the US and Great Britain in 1930s. Since her independence in 1931, the country's political arena has been characterized by a series of coups and other political upheavals that led to the coming to power of Saddam Hussein in 1979 (The Iraq crisis, n.d, Para 5). Saddam, on coming to power immediately embarked on consolidation of his dictatorial powers and an ambitious territorial expansion campaign that led to on e of the longest battles in Asia involving Iraq and Iran. Iraq later went on to invade Kuwait in 1990 and occupy it which led to its fierce confrontation with the US alongside its NATO allies. Iraq was defeated and withdrew from the country. Saddam later went on to develop nuclear weapon facilities, a move that set him at odds with the international community. Sanctions were imposed on the country after it refused to cooperate with the UN arms inspectors. This protracted competition eventually culminated into the US invasion of the country. The ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003 led to a stream of devastation in the country caused by widespread looting and civilian bombings by pro -Saddam militias. This caused adverse effects to the countries infrastructure and a serious humanitarian crisis that called for urgent remedies. A civilian government was later installed to replace the fallen Saddam government. The move was expected to instill calm but achieved modest success due to lack of acceptance by the Iraqi people. In its counterattacks, the Iraqi forces put up fierce resistance and also attacked bases in Kuwaiti according to Lee (2009, Para. 8). Both the new government and the coalition forces continue to face heavy casualties as a result of attacks by the remaining insurgents helped by al Qaeda fighters.   Afghanistan has also had a series of uprisings since independence the most difficult period being the mujahedeen war against Russian communist occupation in the 1980s. This formed the very foundation of Al Qaeda through the inspiration of then the US-backed Osama Bin Laden. This makes the renegades a creation of US blunders in their strategies. Taliban did not pose a serious threat until they embraced Osama as their financier in exchange of allowing him to set up a base in the country. O

Argumentative research paper Mandatory Military Service for all Males Essay

Argumentative research paper Mandatory Military Service for all Males 18+ in the US - Essay Example Nick Tallant, a Second Lieutenant who is currently the Battalion Operations Officer of the 2nd Infantry Division of the US Army strongly believes that mandatory military service be carried out by eighteen year old males (18) and above. In an interview with Officer Tallant said that he joined the military for its intensive training leadership aspect and his desire to serve the country. He further said that he believed in the conflict and that he could do a good job. He also expounded on the importance of the fact that the choice to serve is "free" and this brings out the best men in those who want to serve the country. He explained that military service shows the beauty of democracy. The Military also provides the opportunity to make people feel free and secure; hence, they do not have to worry about people hurting them. Officer Tallant wants to serve in an elite unit. For instance, the Infantry Division to which he is currently assigned has many elite forces in it. He also likes to b e deployed in the near future. Officer Tallant identified the positive influences of military service to his professional and personal life as follows: a.) it creates in him a dedication to discipline; b.) it gives him an attitude of service; and c.) it helps him assume a great responsibility. Finally, he points out that his military service shapes his future leadership role in American society by making him to always known for serving. As an officer, the people will have different expectations of him and that his ability to serve will never be questioned. He is also confident that his military experience will ultimately provide him with many opportunities down the road to have a leadership role in the near future. James Burk (2001) tackled the military obligation of citizens since Vietnam. He stated that there were changes in political culture regarding the obligation to perform military service. First, widespread doubt about the legitimacy of

Research Projects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Projects - Essay Example The first is to attain a greater understanding of the world around us, with the assumption here being that new' knowledge facilitates that. The second is the reshaping of the world and reorganisation of the framework within which human activities unfold for the explicated purpose of bring the reality closer to the ideal (Sekaran, 2003). Although, at first glance, the second cited aim may sound unduly ambitious and somewhat arrogant, closer inspection proves otherwise. Were one to briefly consider the fact that medical research has led to the evolution of technologies which have significantly lengthened average human life spans, or that electronic communications research has led to the evolution of the internet, we find that the gap between the ideal and the real, although vast, has been somewhat reduced. Moreover, were we to momentarily reflect upon the fact that scientific research has led to the evolution of instruments and technologies as would give us better understanding of the health of our environment, s a strategy for forestalling crisis, we would again concede that research is fulfilling is articulated aims of explaining and reshaping the world. The research pr On the basis of the above, one may affirm that the aims of research are to uncover new knowledge with the purpose of doing so being to improve the world and human life. Research Process The research process varies in accordance with the research field and the selected research methodology. Hence, as noted by Jackson (1994) within the parameters of scientific research, the process is primarily framed by the collection of primary data and experimentation while, within the context of a humanities' based research, the process is framed by the examination of secondary data in light of new developments, generally tending towards the theoretical and the explanatory and involving little, if any, experimentation (Jackson, 1994). In other words, the research process, defined as the methodology pursued (Jackson, 1994) differs in accordance with subject matter and selected research method. Although the research process is variable, the fact is that the process comprises a number of steps which, if the research subscribes to accepted academic standards and criteria, is cross-disciplinary. All research, as argued by Creswell (2003) proceeds from a specified research problem, an articulated research question and a hypothesised solution to the problem and response to the question. These three steps, research problem, research question and hypothesis, frame the research itself whereby all succeeding research activity is founded upon, and guided by them (Creswell, 2003). In other words, irrespective of research discipline and methodology, the research process comprises the three steps outlined. Based on the above elucidation of the research process, one may not that the process is inextricably connected to the earlier mentioned research reasons. As earlier stated, a research is motivated by the compulsion to uncover new knowledge and to resolve existent problems. These general research aims are narrowed down to a specific problem, question and hypothesis during the research process. Therefore, one may safely assert that the reasons for research and

Analysis of Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea

Analysis of Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea A Five-Point Plan Analysis + Theme Description The novel The Old Man and the Sea was written by Ernest Hemingway. It focuses on Santiago, an ageing and skilled fisherman who battles with a colossal marlin in the GulfofMexico. The motifs in the story include: the lions on the beach and crucifixion. In the novel, Santiago frequently dreams about lions on the beach: The first time is on the eve of his fishing expedition, the second one happens when he sleeps amidst his tussle with the marlin, while the third occurs at end of the novel. The lions appear as cubs, symbolizing his youth. When they later appear as adults, they signify great nobility and strength. This provides Santiago with motivation, ambition and vitality that lead him toward accomplishing his purpose. These dreams suggest life’s circular nature: The harmony between opposing forces of nature, which are love and hate, life and death, and destruction and regeneration. The crucifixion imagery is an evident way in which Santiago is equated to Christ.Similar to Christ, Santiago is patient and humble. Moreover, the illustration of the old man struggling uphill with his mast on his shoulders resembles Christ’s walk toward Calvary. There is a clear reflection of Christ on the cross when Santiago eventually lies down on his bed, with his bleeding arms stretched out. The author employs the crucifixion of Christ to exemplify transcendence by reversing defeat into triumph, loss into gain, and death into renewed life. The main theme of the story is heroism. Santiago makes up for his age with his endurance to withstand hunger, pain and isolation. He does not blame the sharks for snatching the marlin, but he acknowledges that it is his mistake to have ventured far inward into the sea. As a fisher who has caught no fish in 84 days, Santiago is fighting against defeat. However, he does not yield because he moves further into the sea than he has ever sailed before. He struggles with the marlin despite his exhaustion and pain. After catching it, he hopelessly fights off the sharks. Whenever the situation gets difficult and he is threatened with despair, he uses various tactics to stimulate his opposition to defeat: He recollects memories of his strength while he was young through dreams, and sometimes prays to God. Santiago has unlimited potentialities in the presence of danger. His potential is realized when he manages to get the giant marlin. However, the outcome is less significant than the struggle as he also chooses to battle with the sharks. As a result, it is not really important that he brings the marlin home; the important thing is he wins the battle, and after the struggle he becomes a hero. The story’s black hole is â€Å"a man can be destroyed but not defeated†. Santiago symbolizes every mans battle to survive. Just like Santiagos attempt to take the marlin to the mainland intact is unsuccessful, no man can escape death. However, through Santiagos struggle, the author illustrates that escaping from death is not the major concern. Santiago sees the words, a man can be destroyed but not defeated† close to the end of his tussle with the marlin. That is to say, victory over the unavoidable does not define a man. Rather, it is his struggle against the inevitable that defines him. Annotated Bibliography Melling, Philip. Cultural Imperialism, Afro-Cuban Religion, and Santiagos Failure in Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea.† Hemingway Review 26.1 (2006): 6-24. According to the Melling, the struggle with the sharks is a significant moment, as Santiago uses a wrecked oar to beat them. Santiagos wish to use a baseball bat instead is crucially important. This source is resourceful, because instead of dramatizing the symbolic and sacred wooden tool of the Afro-Cuban culture, the author uses Santiago to relive the actions of Joe DiMaggio who was an American baseball hero. DiMaggio was a fisherman’s son, and as a child he used to sneak from home to practice with a broken oar at nearby sandlots. Although Santiago does not possess DiMaggios skills, his mind works like that of a baseball player. DiMaggio was popular during the World War II, and his importance was reminded to Americans through a song sung by Lee Browns band. Santiagos interest in DiMaggio was deep, and was the outcome of numerous media coverage during the post-war period. Burhans Clinton S. The Old Man and the Sea: Hemingways Tragic Vision of Man. American Literature 31.4 (1960): 446. According to this source, out at sea, Santiago as a fisherman gains deep insight of himself and of his relationship with the world around him. He views the sea as a woman who gives or withholds great favors. He develops friendship and love for all creatures around him who share dangerous and unpredictable lives. His deepest love for the marlin arises when he recognizes that he must capture it for his profession and pride, and not for his physical need. The author is comprehensive and uses vivid imagery to show that unlike any other fish, the marlin was more of a spiritual entity in Santiagos eyes than a mere physical necessity. He shows that the marlin is Santiago’s worthy opponent. Santiago ultimately kills the marlin because he feels that they are now equals and that the marlin is his brother. The author claims Santiago has a sense of guilt and loneliness for sailing inwards into the sea, only to kill fish that he loved dearly. He believes he betrayed the fish and goes home with an empty sense of victory. Baskett, Sam S. Toward a Fifth Dimension in The Old Man and the Sea. The Centennial Review 19.4 (1975): 269-286. Baskett gives a detailed analysis of The Old Man and the Sea starting from biblical allusions to the aura of strangeness possessed by Santiago, which he claims contributes to Hemingway’s fifth dimensional prose. Baskett lists several examples of how Hemingway uses fifth dimensional prose, such as how Santiago is rarely referred to as â€Å"Santiago† but often referred to as â€Å"the old man†. This source is detailed because he begins to explain the biblical allusions found in Hemingway’s novel. Many comparisons made are between passages in the bible and the Santiago’s dreams about the lions are clear. Psychoanalytic Critical Theory Analysis The Old Man and the Sea is a simple story, but has a deeper message. It speaks of a man’s existence, where tenacity, pride, respect and dreams drive his mission to prosper in the presence of struggle. It is about Santiago’s unconquerable spirit because he stands as a representation of a mind-set toward life, and his expedition offers many lessons. Firstly, a man is not made for defeat. The old man has nothing but a dilapidated shed and a feeble skiff. His skin illustrates his hardships as it is marked with scars, wrinkles and blotches from the sun. Instead of giving up after 84 days of not catching any fish, he sails farther into the Gulf. A man continues to do whatever he must do to the best of his ability, no matter what tribulations befall him. While challenges and setbacks can strip a man of all outward signs of success, still his spirit can remain undefeated. For it can will a man to never give up and to keep on trying. Secondly, a man should not depend on luck. In Santiago’s small Cuban fishing village, he is called salao, which is the worst kind of bad luck. This makes him an outsider and it costs him his partner, Manolin, whose parents prevent him from fishing with him. While Santiago suffers from hunger and poverty, other fishermen successfully have good fish harvests every day. The story shows that anyone can have luck, but not everybody can have perseverance, skill and determination. Santiago knows this and he believes in his ability and not chance. Santiago believed that it was better to be lucky, but he preferred to exact. Thirdly, a man must bear hardship and pain without complaint. At sea, Santiago is faced with the greatest challenge that comes in the form of a huge marlin. Near the edge of his fatigue, his left hand is deeply cut. He washes the cut using the sea’s salt water and lets it dry in the sun. However, the hand refuses to heal and he is compelled to only use his right hand, against the marlin that is longer than his skiff. Santiago simplytakes his suffering as it comes. He is comfortable but suffering, even thoughhe does not acknowledge the suffering at all. Finally, a man seeks inspiration from others. For Santiago, Joe DiMaggio is the person who motivates him. He has traits that Santiago admires and he reminds him that to be successful one has to put all of oneself into a task and endure under difficulty. Review The Old Man and the Sea is a quick and easy read, with outstanding characters and excellent plot.Written in 1952, it is one of Hemingway’s most interesting works. Written in a language of great simplicity, it is the tale of an old Cuban fisherman, who is down on luck and in great suffering in a relentless and agonizing battle with an enormous marlin in the Gulf of Mexico. The author, Ernest Hemingway, recasts in a strikingly modern approach, the classic theme of courage in the presence of defeat. While it is impressive that the entire book tells a story that would usually just take a chapter in an ordinary book, it is also a great way to move the reader who wants something to take place outside of the boat. I would recommend this novel to my peers because of it is enjoyable to read. Pop Culture Connection Old Man and the Sea, is a rich showpiece of literature that is full of intended and assumed symbolism. It is a resource of pop culture: The novel reflects a universal pattern of socioeconomic transformation familiar even today amongst developing countries. In rural Cuba during the 1930s and 1940s, the customary fishing culture that was isolated from the developed world and bound to extended families and closely knit communities started shifting to the material advancement of a fishing industry that was reliant on the modern world for its livelihood. This modern fishing industry was dependent on mechanized methods to guarantee profit, and was less bound to local communities and extended families.Inthe novel, the author depicts Santiago as a devoted fisherman whose expertise is fundamental to his identity, code of conduct, and natures order. However, Hemingway presents the younger fishermen as suppliers of shark livers for America’s cod liver oil industry, who utilize their prof its to buy motorized boats and mechanized equipment, and approach their fishing as a way to progress their material circumstances.

Shakedown :: essays research papers

Worry over security played a big role in the presidential campaign -- and plays it still. For persisting in of D.C. is the naive if popular opinion that government is "on our side" -- that it is an impartial protector even seeing to it that we shall not want. Sure. In "Shakedownà ¾" Robert A. Levy, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute, says su opinion leaks. Our Framers were far above such leakiness. Thus did their constitutional checks and balan to stem abuse of power. They knew that Brutus still lurks about, that as Thomas Jefferson noted in 1788, natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." That gain is tracked by the author. He sees Washington, D.C.'s leading industry as not tourism but spe interests milking a giant, most cooperative cash cow, with consumers and taxpayers getting hit by many "baseless lawsuits." Apart from antitrust, the extortion lobby works three routes: one, through victimizing smokers and a b socked tobacco industry; two, through anti-gun advocates circumventing the Second Amendment and sta legislatures by suing in court and in the process victimizing gun manufacturers and potential gun owners three, through seductive tort liability and antitrust systems hobbling our economy via perverse "regulatio through litigation." Mr. Levy titles part one of his two-part book "Tort Law as Litigation Tyranny" and part two "Antitrust Corporate Welfare for Market Losers." This libertarian pulls no punches. But what about the rising tide of tort cases that push up, among other things, medical malpractice insu premiums to six-figure heights and force many doctors, such as gynecologists and obstreticians, out of bu Up go the costs of of office and hospital visits, hurting many family budgets. The author supplies a neat reply. As a federalist as well as a libertarian, he believes in states' rights, in Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to t States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." He adds, "There is no constitutional right to health care." He sees state medical malpractice reform as ubiquitous. He cites more than three dozen states with damage caps, with all 50 states passing or conside some kind of malpractice reform. Mr. Levy decries the fact that many congressional Republicans as well as liberal Democrats milk an ex lobby. The author would invoke the 14th Amendment to check state tort laws which deny both procedura Page 1 of 2 Washington's extortion lobby -- The Washington Times 2/22/2005 http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20050219-110442-5649r substantive protection against quasi-criminal punishment.