SEO or Search Engine Optimization is what it takes to get you found in a search for your products or services. Here is the official definition from Wikipedia:
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural" or un-paid ("organic") search results.[jargon] In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.
Here is a movie from SEOMoz.org that is very enlightening:
"How SEO Works"
Here is a small bit of the first page on Google Webmaster Tools under 'SEO'.
It will get you started on your quest for some basic knowledge of the importance of considering the effects that properly implemented SEO can have on your web presence.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Check out Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide! This is a PDF file that you can save to your computer if you like, and view it later. When you first view it, please scroll down as it appears to be a blank page.
Here is some content from Google Webmaster tools page. It is really good information to get you started.
SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization" or "search engine optimizer." Deciding to hire an SEO is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time, but you can also risk damage to your site and reputation. Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site. Many SEOs and other agencies and consultants provide useful services for website owners, including:
Review of your site content or structure
Technical advice on website development: for example, hosting, redirects, error pages, use of JavaScript
Content development
Management of online business development campaigns
Keyword research
SEO training
Expertise in specific markets and geographies.
Keep in mind that the Google search results page includes organic search results and often paid advertisement (denoted by the heading "Sponsored Links") as well. Advertising with Google won't have any effect on your site's presence in our search results. Google never accepts money to include or rank sites in our search results, and it costs nothing to appear in our organic search results. Free resources such as Webmaster Tools(you'll need to sign up to use these tools), the official Webmaster Central blog, and ourdiscussion forum can provide you with a great deal of information about how to optimize your site for organic search.
Click here to visit the Webmaster page if you would like more information.
Google is, after all, the best source for information on how to work closely with them to provide the content on the page that will look best to them.
There are many things to take into consideration when contemplating whether or not to use an SEO partner. As is ppointed out in this article there can be many benefits but also many ppotential pitfalls to take into accoutn as well.
Hope this information proves heklpful to you.
The Team at Big Sky SEO Services Inc.
What Members Are Saying
Guy Howie
from Fargo, ND has this to say about his new web site.
Hi Barry,
Just a thought on the web site as it evolves: I've noticed that the downfall of most web sites is the difficulty in navigating from page to page
without having to return to the home page each time. This is not the case with your site Barry.
It is very user friendly and easy to navigate from the home page or any other page I chose to explore.
Also, by identifying my three main profit centers, these will appear to the viewer no matter what page
he goes to. The framework of the site is solid & can be duplicated for everyone else. Each site can be
easily modified to suit the particular market focus to suit the business. Looks like this should work well.
More than a dozen ATD Premiere Charter Members from coast to coast are benefiting from their new web sites developed by 'Big Sky SEO Services, Inc'.
See what some of them have to say about their experience so far.
You may call or contact them using the web contact form on their site to chat or get more details from the 'Horse's Mouth' so to speak.