What Is Search Engine Optimization ?

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It is the process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” listings on search engines. All major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing have such results, where web pages and other content such as videos or local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the process of elevating the organic ranking of a site on the search engines. SEO is often times referred to as a digital marketing or inbound marketing process. Typically, sites that rank at the top of the search engines will be chosen by web users more frequently and will therefore receive more traffic.  SEO is crucial for the success of any business website!

Basic SEO Tips To Get You Started

According To Businessinsider.Com : Every business with a Web site should make Search Engine Optimization, trying to get your site as high up as possible on Google and Bing search-results pages, a part of their growth strategy.

At its most basic, "SEO" means finding ways to increase your site's appearance in web visitors' search results. This generally means more traffic to your site.

While intense SEO can involve complex site restructuring with a firm (or consultant) that specializes in this area, there are a few simple steps you can take yourself to increase your search engine ranking.

All it requires is a little effort, and some re-thinking of how you approach content on your site.

Monitor Where You Stand: You won't know if your SEO efforts are working unless you monitor your search standings. We suggest that you keep an eye on your page rank with tools like Alexa and the Google toolbar.

It's also important to check your referrer log regularly to track where your visitors are coming from and the search terms they're using to find your site.

Keywords: You should be conscious of placing appropriate keywords throughout every aspect of your site: your titles, content, URLs, and image names. Think about your keywords as search terms -- how would someone looking for information on this topic search for it?

The title tag and page header are the two most important spots to put keywords 

Beware: Putting ridiculous amounts of keywords on your site will get you labeled as a spammer, and search engine spiders are programmed to ignore sites guilty of "keyword-stuffing." Be strategic in your keyword use.

Link Back To Yourself: There is probably no more basic strategy for SEO than the integration of internal links into your site -- it is an easy way to boost traffic to individual pages, 

Create A Sitemap: Adding a site map -- a page listing and linking to all the other major pages on your site -- makes it easier for spiders to search your site.

Search-Friendly Urls: Make your URLs more search-engine-friendly by naming them with clear keywords.

Content: Your content needs to be fresh -- updating regularly and often is crucial for increasing traffic.

"The best sites for users, and consequently for search engines, are full of oft-updated, useful information about a given service, product, topic or discipline

Link To Others: An easy way to direct more traffic to your site is by developing relationships with other sites.

Search Engine Advertising

According To Pcworld.Com: If you don't like waiting months for SEO benefits to kick in, I recommend advertising on search engines for fast results. The paid approach might bring increased traffic to your site within as little as 24 hours.

The most popular type of search engine advertising--and the easiest to set up--is the pay-per-click (PPC) text ad. You write short text ads that display next to the search results for specific terms or keywords that people enter in a search engine. You pay for each visitor who clicks on your ad and is then directed to your Web site.

Google AdWords lets you create different pay-per-click (PPC) ads and track the results.According to Hitwise, the most popular search engines in the United States are Google (with an overwhelming search share of 66 percent), Yahoo (21 percent), and MSN (5 percent). Given Google's dominance, I recommend that you first consider PPC ads on Google AdWords, since it has the capability to deliver the greatest number of visitors to your site. Running PPC ads on Yahoo and Microsoft, however, will increase your advertising reach and may cost less for certain search keywords.

The cost spans a wide range, from a few cents to several dollars per click, depending on how much a certain keyword is in demand among advertisers. You can set a daily or monthly maximum charge to ensure that you don't outspend your budget.

Crafting your PPC ad is a little like writing a short two-line classified ad with a heading? Carefully consider your phrasing and the keywords you select to attract the visitor you want. Test several ads to determine which works best.

If you sell only locally, use the service's geo targeting capability to restrict ads to visitors from a limited area, such as your city or state. Don't waste money advertising nationwide.

Ad services provide code for conversion tracking, which I recommend you add to your site to measure your results. Just remember that "conversion" means different things to different people, depending on the nature of your business. If you sell $50 widgets online, you'll probably expect your ad to convert to an immediate sale of the widget (make sure you're set up for that on the back end before placing an ad). If you're selling something with an extended or more complex sales cycle, such as long-term consulting services, a successful conversion might mean the generation of a promising sales lead, including contact information for a follow-up call.

Both SEO and PPC advertising have a role to play in e-commerce site promotion. SEO, using a few select keywords, pays off over a longer term. PPC ads cost more but work quickly and can be tailored to target any number of specific market niches.