If you work in marketing, promotion or any part of the online world, you’ll have seen or heard the term SEO.

It’s short for Search Engine Optimization – and it describes a rocky path that’s a little different with every algorithm update and bot crawling session that search engines make in order to index the world wide web.

Bridge is great: It’s a great game, it’s a great pastime and it’s a damn great career.

What it’s not always great for is the world of SEO.

Here’s how the two relate.

SEO, Simply

SEO works with content and keywords.

Search engines do the searching for words that match what users type in.

While there are plenty of intricacies from one point to the next, this is what a search engine is and does.

If you’re looking for a locksmith in Florida, type it into your search engine and it will show you pages for locksmiths in Florida. (Or instead, it shows you pages that rank highly for these particular keywords – even though they might not always be the keywords you meant.)

SEO and Bridge

SEO is both simple and complex at the same time.

There are things search engines like and things search engines don’t. Bridge appears to be a topic that search engines can’t make up their mind about.

Just do a search for the word bridge.

You’ll see exactly what I mean: Results will appear for everything from Golden Gate Bridge through to bridge loans, but contract, auction and rubber are lower down on the list.

This leaves the question of how on earth anyone is supposed to search for bridge and find anything.

Navigating the Nightmare

If you’re as tired of coming up with searches for the wrong type of bridge as the rest of us, it’s time to change the way you search. Here are some tips for navigating the SEO nightmare.

• But What Kind of Bridge?

Adding words like contract, honeymoon, auction, Chicago or rubber to your search can match up websites that are meant for bridge players with your search terms.

• Add Defining Words

Defining words – any defining words – can make your searches easier and closer to what you’re looking for. Add words like “club” to distinguish between the type of bridge that has everything to do with architecture and nothing to do with cards. Again, this helps your search.

• Use “site:” Prefixes

Most search engines have text-based keywords that you can type in to achieve specific results. If you don’t feel like typing it in (or you would like to see what other refining search terms there are), check your search engine’s settings.

Adding the prefix “site:” together with your URL typed directly thereafter searches only through a specific website for what you need.

• Use the Minus Sign

Using the minus sign on your keyboard and then typing a search term will remove everything containing it from your search results. It can make looking for things a lot less frustrating, especially when you have unrelated things clogging up your results.

Adding “-Golden Gate” to your search as just one example can remove all types of Golden Gate bridges from your search about bridge.