Search Engine Optimization, or “SEO”, is the process of improving a website’s ranking in the major search engines for important keyword searches. A variety of methods are used to achieve this goal. For the on-site portion of an SEO campaign, the focus is on making content accurate, usable, and rich in keyword phrases. In turn, the website immediately becomes more relevant for potential users, since it provides a higher concentration of information for a given keyword search phrase. For off-site SEO work, relevant website networks that complement the “main” website are built, links are exchanged with other webmasters who offer quality content, and website feed syndication and general “web exposure” is boosted. The main goal is to “get the word out” that your site is an important resource.

SEO is a long range building process that adjusts as search engine algorithms update, industry standards change, and customer needs evolve. In general, a quality SEO campaign will take 8-12 months before it matures. After that point, maintenance work and continual site “tuning” last indefinitely. Good rankings are no accident and do not happen overnight. It is important to understand that SEO is as much trial and error as it is a creative, methodical, and user focused process. Given time, the amount of traffic coming to a particular website will improve, lead generation will increase, and greater customer conversion rates will be seen.

Finally, it is important to understand that the web is constantly evolving. As a result, the major search engines must change to better meet their users’ needs. This also means that the SEO needs of a particular website are ever-changing and dynamic. What “works” one day may not be the “final” optimal solution.

SEO is not a definitive goal but instead a continual, steady, evolving process.