Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

How do you write Search Engine Optimisation correct? Is it with a S or a Z? Let us give you some numbers and information about what people tend to use..

But first, let us explain what Optimisation / Optimization (SEO) is.
‘A process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (or “organic”) search results. (Quoted from Wikipedia)

Optimization or Optimisation?
Below follows a small discussion about American VS English spelling for -ize / ise words.

American English Spelling
American spelling accepts only -ize endings in most cases, such as organize, recognize, and realize.
British usage actually accepts both -ize and the more French-looking -ise (organise, recognise, realise) according to Wikipedia.

British English Spelling
As you probobly know, British English tend to use the ‘ise’ rather than ‘ize’. Spelling with -ize / ization are now rarely used in the UK in the mass media and newspapers. Many English people see the -ize (optimization) form as Americanism, still many famous British sources such as Oxford English Dictionary, only listed ‘optimization’ until recently.

In the origin the greek [-ιζειν] and latin [-izāre;] used the Z version.
So there is actually no reason why British English use the French spelling [optimise].

Interesting to know is that the ratio between -ise (optimisation) and -ize (optimization) stands at 3:2 in the British National Corpus. And did you know that the -ise form is preferred in Australian English? There you find a ratio of about 3:1 according to the Macquarie Dictionary.

How do people search in google (August 2007)?
When looking at google’s keyword tool  some interesting numbers came up.

Quite surprisingly perhaps, Search Engine Optimization was searched for more then Search Engine Optimisation last month. Other months when I’ve watched this statistics it seems like they were about equal.

Anyway, I don’t really belive in those statistics since American search results can be included in the UK searches.

Regarding another relevant keyword it seems to be much more searches for the ‘S’ version for last month. ‘Optimise’ rather than ‘optimize’. But when it comes to the last term the ‘Z’ word wins, many more search for optimizer instead of optimiser.
But those words are rather broad anyway, so it’s not sure if those people are looking for a Search Engine Optimisation company or something else!

What do optimisation companies in UK optimise for?
Given the facts above that there are similar amount of searches in google for ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ and ‘Search Engine Optimization’ it’s clear that any Internet Marketing Firm in UK should optimise for both keywords.

That can easiest be done by including words in both 1) the title and 2) the text. Several optimisers (optimizers) in UK seems to use to that as well, such as this company and this, while other companies purely rely on the ‘S’ form.

How do you write the discussed word yourself? Optimisation or optimization?