Search Engine Optimization, or SEO to make it less of a mouthful, is all about making your site as friendly as possible to search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing.  The more you guys are buddies then the higher the ranking of your mutually loved website on their search engine pages.

It's a bit of a game, really.  But this is a serious game that can mean money.  Your money.

Does SEO really matter?

If you don't consider SEO then you obviously don't care if someone finds your website or not.  And if your website is one of the tools you are using to generate new clients then your lack of care is costing you money.

When someone types the words they have chosen to search with into Google or any of the popular search engines, certain websites will pop up at the top of the page and you really want one of them to be yours.

A key study has found that 62% of users click on a search result in the first page of search results and a full 90% click on a search result within the first three pages of search results.  So, basically, if your website isn't listed in the first three, you're toast.

Don't be discouraged, SEO is like a puzzle.  It's an interesting challenge (and I mean that)

It's okay if you don't really want to spend the time finding out about SEO and personally optimizing your site.  That's when I come in handy, but if you do then here are a few pointers to get you going.

Think about your keywords

The words that you use in your content and meta tags will tell the search engines what your website is about.  They will use this to classify your website and place it under certain banners so that when the 'searcher' types in their search words, if you have included these in you content and meta tags then you will be found.

Content matters (a lot!)

You want people to come to your website?  Then content matters.  The words that you choose are powerful and should be well thought out.  If your wording is dull or misleading then your audience will find it so and they won't come back.

Links also matter (a lot!)

Every time a person comes to your blog and leaves a comment, that provides a link.  If you join a directory, that provides a link.  If you create articles and place them on high traffic websites such as Article Dashboard then you are creating links - free links.   When the search engines crawl through your site, the more links and traffic to and from your site makes them think it is important and relevant.  This moves your site up the pages in the search engines, exactly what you are aiming for.

Start blogging

Oh how dull, how time-consuming, can't be bothered, too many already on the net...sound familiar?  The benefits of a blog are that if you provide relevant, informative content you just might get yourself an audience.  Do that and you have repeat visitors to your site and that can mean money.  If you are selling a product, you want people to keep coming back.  Perhaps you have something new, something you want your customers to know about.  Blogs that keep them revisiting your site on a regular basis will advertise your new products, for FREE!!!!!

Start optimizing now!

Don't just put a website on the Internet and forget SEO, it may mean that your website is never found and never read.  What a waste.