Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a term used everywhere on the internet, but many people do not know exactly what the term means much less how to utilize it. After reading this article you will be able to explain what search engine optimization means, its importance and the key facts pertaining to it in reference to today’s society.

Many people do not understand what the word SEO means. SEO, or search engine optimization, can be defined as a process for getting more visibility to your website using search terms, HTML, links and META tags. SEO may seem like a foreign language at first, but once it is understood, it is relatively easy. However, SEO is a never-ending process that must be applied to your website daily.

Now that you know the definition to SEO, you may be asking yourself why you need SEO. The answer to that is easy: website visits and page ranking. Website traffic is very easy to understand; however, the term page rank may be confusing to a lot of people.

Page rank is where your page will be located if someone searches for one of your keywords. For example, there are thousands of websites associated with books; however, using proper SEO techniques will allow your website to show up in search results closer to the top than those websites who do not employ SEO techniques.

There are two types of SEO: on-page search engine optimization and off-page search engine optimization. On-page search engine optimization is anything done on your website such as internal links, sitemaps and internal tags. Off-page SEO is anything done outside of your website to increase its exposure such as gaining back links from other websites.

Another two terms you may hear are White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO. White Hat SEO is any SEO written specifically for the people searching the internet in mind. This technique involves keywords, and link building processes. Black Hat SEO is written primarily for search engines without considering visitors. This type of SEO is aggressive and uses keyword stuffing and link farms.

With today’s advanced search engines, the most beneficial type of SEO is White Hat SEO. Search engines normally lower page rank if Black Hat SEO techniques are employed because it is considered a form of spam. To build page rank, use honest SEO techniques with your visitor in mind.

Once you begin using SEO strategies, you will need to figure out if they are working and driving more traffic to your website. One way to measure is to have a visitor counter installed on your website. There are many sites which offer such services for free. All it takes is a little research on the internet to find the one most suited for you.

As this article has shown, there is a lot that goes into effective search engine optimization. However, with the proper knowledge anyone can successfully employ SEO tactics to improve their website’s page ranking and visits.