Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility, importance and relevance of a website or web pages, as well as the quality and volume of web traffic, in order to gain the highest possible listing in search engine result rankings, thus making the website or web pages more appealing to users. This can be done through a variety of methods, including using certain keywords or keyword phrases that are relevant to the website or webpage, as well as cross-linking strategies to make your site ‘search-engine-friendly’ or easier to find.
Search engines, such Google, Bing and Yahoo –the three major commercial search engines on the Internet – are the primary method of navigation for most Internet users and the major drivers of most of the traffic on the web today. Whether a website provides content, services, products or information, search engines are the primary method by which businesses can advertise their wares, as well as target traffic that is searching for accurate information. This information can be found through search queries, the words that users type into the search box when seeking information and, with the correct application, are invaluable to the promotion of a website.
Search engines can be seen as ‘answer machines’. When a user is searching for specific information online, the search engine is required to scour the billions of documents that are stored online and do two things – firstly, retrieve and return only those results that are relevant to the searcher’s query and secondly, rank the results in order of perceived usefulness. Thus, the process of Search Engine Optimization can be seen as the influencing factor which determines that to be most relevant and important.
The many aspects that contribute towards the improvement and promotion of a website, such as the keywords and phrases that are used to attract traffic, to the ways that links are utilized to connect sites to each other are just a small part of the vast machine that is called Search Engine Optimization, an on-going and ever-growing process which has become vital to the everyday running and success of businesses worldwide.
