From Wendy Boswell,
Your Guide to Web Search.
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What Is Search Engine Optimization

In a very basic nutshell, search engine optimization, or SEO for short, is making your site and the site's individual pages visible and relevant to both search engines and search engine users. How is this accomplished?

The Basics of Good Search Engine Optimization

Good search engine optimization is very basic. A successful search engine optimization campaign will contain these essential components:

• Content. Content is what drives search engine rankings, content is what brings users to your site, and content, when sprinkled appropriately with keyword phrases, will feed search engine spiders. Rinse, repeat. Content is key in search engine optimization.
• Simple Site Design. Sites that are successful in the search engine results have this in common-they are all simply designed, with a minimum of bandwidth hogging graphics, slowly loading animations or other such frippery, and are easy to navigate. Simple, clean designs are what search engine spiders and search engine users like, because it enables them to get to what they're looking for; which is - you guessed it - content.
• Well-written Meta tags. Meta tags-keyword, description, and title- are important, but they won't make or break your site. Meta tags are merely part of the overall success strategy. They need to be written with compelling, keyword phrase-heavy content that will make the user click through from the search results page.

Search Engine Optimization-It's Not Rocket Science

Sure, you can get really complicated and technical with SEO, just like any other subject. However, search engine optimization at its heart is simple and clean. Don't worry so much about the scary technical stuff if you're just starting out. Start slow, read, learn, read some more. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most of all, be patient with yourself. Learning search engine optimization takes time, just like any other subject. Here are more resources that can help you with search engine optimization:

• Te Steps to a Well-Optimized Site:Want increased website traffic, higher search engine ranking, and increased customer satisfaction? Read these Ten Steps to a Well-Optimized Site and you'll be well on your way to accomplishing these goals.
• Top 5 Mistakes in Search Engine Optimization: Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the practice of making your site search-friendly both to search engines and searchers. There are five common mistakes that people tend to make when beginning to optimize their sites for search engines.
• Ten Search Engine Optimization Myths - Debunked!: If you're just getting started in search engine optimization for your Web site, you might (unfortunately) have been subjected to a few SEO whoppers. Before you start throwing away your time and money on search engine optimization wild goose chases, read these ten myths of search engine optimization.