SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a series of methods to improve the position of a website in search engine listings. The term also refers to an industry of consultants to facilitate the implementation of optimization projects on behalf of clients' sites.

The use of search engines, visitors can search to sites in different ways: via paid-for ads in the search engine results pages (SERPs), through third parties that have been included in the search engines, or via "organic" listings, which runs the results the current search engines users. SEO is primarily concerned with improving the visibility of a site in the organic search results.

High rankings in the organic search results can be targeted traffic to a site. Obtaining that traffic in a different way can be expensive. For particularly competitive terms, the cost per click can run several dollars, or more if pay per click advertising or banner advertising. For even moderately competitive terms the costs can vary from a few cents to several tens of dollars per visitor. Given these high costs and often makes sense for site owners to optimize their sites for organic search.

Not all sites have identical goals in mind when they optimize for search engines. Some sites are looking for any movement, and can be optimized for high scores for the common search phrase. This can be a bad marketing strategy for a company, because it can lead to a large volume of the low quality of research that costs money to handle, even limited success in business. The "shotgun approach" to optimize searches might work well for a site that has a broad interest, such as a periodical, a folder or a site that displays advertising revenue with a CPM model.

Other sites target a specific population groups with special needs or interests. Many companies try to optimize their sites for a large number of very specific keywords that indicate that a potential customer who is willing to their product. Focusing on the desired movement can generate more high sales leads, and less time-consuming research.