Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a way of tracking what terms, or words, people are using to search for on the Internet. For instance, if your website deals with selling the best potted Venus fly traps in the eastern hemisphere, you would want your site to be optimized so it comes up first when someone searches for “potted Venus fly traps.”
Using SEO is a great tool to get people to come to your site. Think about when you search on a specific word or phrase. How often do you scroll down to the bottom of the page and automatically go straight to page 15 without looking at the results on the first 14 pages?
Never, right? In general, a normal search will answer the intended question within the first ten web pages listed in the search.
The further up you are on the search engine totem pole the better traffic will be to your site. The best way to move up the ladder is to do it through search engine optimization.
Some people try to cheat the system, but this can be avoided with a little prior research or trusting in someone who knows how to write correct SEO copy.
Search engine optimization can also be a fun project to work on yourself, if you have the time. Between the words you want to key for and tracking how you are doing with those words it can be much like a game you get to play against your potential clients. You win when they start rolling through your links.
There are many tips and tricks on how to use SEO and how to properly optimize your site. Books, blog articles, videos, training tools, and even tutorials are being published daily on the right and wrong way to use SEO.
Please consult these training materials before attempting to optimize your own site. There is a very fine line between being able to get a better search result with your site and being permanently banned from search engines for good.