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Search engine optimization (SEO)
is the process of improving the volume and
quality of traffic to a
web site from
search engines via "natural" ("organic"
or "algorithmic")
search results
for targeted keywords.
Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the
search results or the higher it "ranks", the
more searchers will visit that site. SEO can
also target different kinds of search, including
image search,
local search, and
industry-specific vertical
search engines.
As a marketing strategy for increasing a
site's relevance, SEO considers how search
algorithms work and what people search for. SEO
efforts may involve a site's coding,
presentation, and structure, as well as fixing
problems that could prevent search engine
indexing programs from fully
spidering a site.
Other, more noticeable efforts may include
adding unique content
to a site, ensuring that content is easily
indexed by search engine robots, and making the
site more appealing to users. Another class of
techniques, known as black hat SEO or
spamdexing, use
methods such as link farms and keyword stuffing
that tend to harm search engine user experience.
Search engines look for sites that employ these
techniques and may remove them from their
indices.
The initialism
"SEO" can also refer to "search engine
optimizers", terms adopted by an industry of
consultants who carry out optimization projects
on behalf of clients, and by employees who
perform SEO services in-house. Search engine
optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone
service or as a part of a broader marketing
campaign. Because effective SEO may require
changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO
tactics may be incorporated into web site
development and design. The term "search engine
friendly" may be used to describe web site
designs, menus, content management systems,
URLs, and shopping carts that are easy to
optimize.
This process is called web crawling or
spidering. Many sites, in particular
search engines, use
spidering as a means of providing up-to-date
data.
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