Let's look at how crawler-based search engines work (both Google and Yahoo fall in this category). Each search engine has its own automated script called a "web spider" or "web crawler" that parses the web. The main goal of the spider is to access websites, read and catalog the content, and follow the links (both internal and external). The spider then inserts the information collected into the search engine’s database called the index.
When you enter a query in the search box of a search engine, the search engine’s task is to find the most relevant results to the query by matching the search query to the information in its index.
What decides the quality of a search engine is how well it responds to your query when you perform a search. That's based on the search engine algorithm which is basically a set of factors that the search engine uses to query it's index of websites. The higher your page ranks for these factors ( some factors are more important than others) than the higher your page will get displayed in the search engine result pages.
Search engine optimization(SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a website from search engines through natural ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Typically, the higher a website 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.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO contemplates 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 obstacles 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 work on optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search engine optimizers may offer SEO service as a stand-alone service or as a part of a marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a website, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design.
Search engines are used daily by four out of five internet users. Internet use increases proportionately with education and household income. Your website must be found within the first few search engine results pages, to be an effective advertising medium for your company. It is also absolutely necessary to drive traffic to your website.
The vast majority of all internet users say they stop looking for a site after 30 results, which is typically 3 pages of search engine results pages with 10 results on each page. Studies have shown, your best bet is to be 'above the fold' or on the top portion of the page, on the left.
It stands to reason that the higher your site is positioned within a search engine or directory, the more traffic your website gets. Optimizing your website for high search engine ranking is an important way of attracting customers.
