Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of
improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site
from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or
"algorithmic") search results. Typically, the earlier a site
appears in the search results list, the more visitors it
will receive from the search engine. SEO may target
different kinds of search, including image search, local
search, and industry-specific vertical search engines. This
gives a web site web presence.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search
engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a
website primarily involves editing its content and HTML
coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords
and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search
engines.
The acronym "SEO" can also refer to "search engine
optimizers," a term 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
and shopping carts that are easy to optimize.
Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or
Spamdexing, use methods such as link farms and keyword
stuffing that degrade both the relevance of search results
and the user-experience of search engines. Search engines
look for sites that employ these techniques in order to
remove them from their indices.
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