S.E.O stands for Search Engine Optimization. But what does that mean? Well to put it simply, it is the process of making your site more noticeable to search engines like Google or Yahoo, with the ultimate goal to be ranked #1 for desired keywords on a search engines listings. Today, Search engines are sophisticated programs that use complex mathematical algorithms to find and index pretty much everything on the internet. But to really understand S.E.O, you have to understand the relationship between the terms typed into a search engine, the content on your website and the words linked to your website from other websites.

As I see it SEO internet marketing can be Separated into two efforts, On-site optimization, and Off Site optimization...

On-site Optimization is first and foremost, It is "planting your roots" so to speak. During the On-site Optimization process the website creator or editor would tailor the content on the website so that certain keywords and phrases are more likely to be indexed and ranked by a search engine spider (the robotic programs that Google sends to your site to collect data). This is best done by altering Title tags, meta keywords, and meta descriptions on your website. However, in the actual body content of the website it is also important to implement your desired keywords and keyword phrases. The best practice of on-site optimization however is to just have something people will want to come to your site for. Other key components to focus on when doing on-site optimization is your websites navigation, and your URL name.

It is possible to rank for certain term by only doing on-site optimization, It is especially effective when targeting long tailed search terms. "Long tailed search terms" refers to keyword phrases usually 4 or more words. On-site optimization is effective when targeting long keywords phrases because there is usually less competition to be ranked for these term, at least compared to short tailed terms (terms 1-3 words). For example, It's much more likely to be ranked on a term like "Hoover Bagless Upright Vacuum" then a term like "Vacuums". You may be asking yourself, "OK then, how do i rank for short tailed keyword phrases" That's where off-site optimization comes in to play.

Off-site optimization is the process of building in-bound links from relevant third-party websites. The links are packaged with anchor text (the visible text of a hyper link, not to be mistaken with the url), which tells a search engine spider what the website the link is pointing to is about in single word or phrase. It is a wide belief that link building is a numbers game, this is false. Not all links are created equal, websites with higher page rank and are more relevant tend to give more effective links then others. There are two kinds of links you can obtain when performing off-site optimization, one-way text links, and reciprocal links. One way text links are sites from other sites that point to you without you ever having to point back. Whereas reciprocal links are obtained based on the agreement that you link back.

Search engine optimization for many website is what determines the amount of traffic a website receives. If you are truly interested in seeing results for your website, the best advice I can give to you is Google everything you want to know. There are tons of free articles from experts out there who can tell you everything you need to know, which is a lot. The more you know, the better off you'll be.