What is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website to achieve a high list ranking with leading search engines. More specifically, "organic" or unpaid list results, also known as organic traffic, accounts for the vast majority of web traffic. 

The benefit of a top listing is clear, a business listed on the first page will receive far more traffic than those beyond the third page of the list results. Studies show that 62% of clicks are done one the first page alone and 90% occur within the first three pages.

The success of a search engine relies on its ability to produce the most relevant results to the user. Google and Yahoo perform the vast majority of searches done on the web, estimated to account for as much as 97%. Leading search engines use complex algorithms to analyze a web page to determine its usefulness in connection with certain key words. These algorithms, often called web crawlers or spiders, consider a large number of factors to determine the relevancy and usefulness of a page. These factors vary greatly and are weighted differently. As companies like Google and Yahoo continue to improve their software, how a page ranks in a query will change.

SEO is a science in itself and sometimes a controversial topic, ethical SEO requires various skills and technical knowledge. Web crawlers evaluate a website using a wide array of variables. Key word usage and placement, quality of the page code, quality of back links, are just a few factors to consider.

Avoid unethical methods known as black hat tactics or spamdexing. Unethical SEO methods will eventually get your site banned from search engine indices. Web crawlers can easily detect many black hat tactics. However, for those they don't your competitors will certainly be watching who can and will report a deceptive site.