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search engine optimization (optimizer) - SEO

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By Vangie Beal

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SEO is short for search engine optimization or search engine optimizer.

Search engine optimization is a methodology of strategies, techniques and tactics used to increase the amount of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine (SERP) -- including Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines.

SEO helps to ensure that a site is accessible to a search engine and improves the chances that the site will be found by the search engine.

It is common practice for Internet users to not click through pages and pages of search results, so where a site ranks in a search is essential for directing more traffic toward the site. The higher a website naturally ranks in organic results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be visited by a user.

SEO is typically a set of "white hat" best practices that webmasters and Web content producers follow to help them achieve a better ranking in search engine results. Search Engine Land's Guide To SEO explains the ranking factors in more depth, in a tutorial providing tips and advice on implementing them.

See Five tips for Driving Search Engine Traffic and How Do Web Search Engines Work.

Webopedia's Top 5 Related Questions

1. What is Organic SEO?
2. What is White Hat SEO?
3. What is Black Hat SEO?
4. What is SEO Services?
5. What is Search Engine Results Page (SERP)?

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