Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process you follow to ensure that, when someone searches for a specific phrase related to your website, your site will be displayed at or near the top of the search results.

SEO involves selecting appropriate keywords that relate to your site and using various strategies to let search engines know that your site is a resource for those keywords.  Keywords are simply the words and phrases that people enter into a search box in order to find what they’re looking for.

In order to be one of the top sites returned in the search engine’s results, your web page needs to considered relevant by the search engine.  Search engine companies use specific formulas to determine what sites are relevant, and they don’t share that information because some unscrupulous business owner might take advantage of the knowledge.
To be clear, it’s a good thing to implement strategies and tactics that make the search engines rank your site high if your web page meets the needs of their users.

The important thing to remember is that Google, Yahoo, and MSN don’t want to send people who are searching for something specific to sites that aren’t helpful to them.  Why?  Because they’ll start using another search engine, and advertisers who pay the search engine company will move right along with them.

Besides, what good will it do you as a business owner to get visits from people who couldn’t care less what you have to offer?  Focus on reaching your target market and genuinely providing service to them, and you’ll have taken the first giant step to optimizing your website for the search engines.

Search Engines use tools called spiders or crawlers to find relevant sites.  These tools crawl the web and create huge indexes of sites including all of the links associated with those sites.  Then when someone searches for a keyword associated with that site, the search engine can return relevant results very quickly.

There are many things you can do to demonstrate to the search engines that your site is valuable to their visitors.  Here are seven of the most effective:

1.    Ensure your site has fresh, valuable content.  Along those same lines, only offer products and services that are of the highest quality.

2.    Spend enough time doing keyword research that you have a very good feel for what your ideal client will be looking for.

3.    Set up your web pages so that keywords are used in the title, headers, and links.  It can also be helpful to use your main keywords in the first paragraph of a content item.

4.    Design your site so that it’s easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for.  Navigating through your content, signing up for your mailing list, and completing purchases should be smooth and easy.  If they get frustrated, they will leave.

5.    Monitor your placement in the search engine results so that you’re aware of any changes to how the search engines rank your web pages.  If you need to make modifications, do so.

6.    Use your knowledge and experience to write articles, then submit them to article directories.  This assures your sites visitors that you’re an expert in your field and provides added credibility to the search engine evaluation process.

7.    Place a link to your website everywhere.  Answer questions on forums?  Put a link in your signature file.  Make valuable comments on blog posts?  Attach a link to your name.  Anytime you post something on-line, make sure it’s something that will help people and add value, and create a link to your website.

If you design a website that’s main purpose is to provide value to your visitors, the search engines will find you.  Be sure to consistently add good content, and maintain an attitude of service.