Search engine optimization is the art and science of making web pages appear attractive to the search engines. The better optimized a website is, the higher the ranking it will receive from a search engine's web crawlers. The higher your site ranks, the more traffic it will have and the more profit it will generate. The key is good Internet search engine optimization.

So what's the relevance between your emerging online business and ranking high with the search engines? If your site isn't listed within the first two pages of a search engine's search, the chances that your web page will be seen at all are very slim, according to studies. The difference between sites that receive traffic as a result of ranking on page two versus page three or later are very substantial. The traffic variable between a first and a second page rank is quite an eye opener as well. Needless to say, search engine optimization rules if your business lives and dies by the Internet.

At first, search engine optimization may feel like trying to rappel down the Grand Canyon into a scary world full of unknown phrases like web crawlers, page rank, Meta tags, and algorithms. Chances are that you've never heard of any of these terms. A quick Internet search of the world 'algorithm' doesn't help because all you'll get is a printout of strange symbols and numbers arranged in complex algebraic equations. Sit back, take a deep breath and try to relax. Search engine optimization is a lot simpler than you might think.

Algorithms look very complex for a reason: because they are. They're an exact group of defined codes. Precise algorithms are used in the creation of most computer programs. The program that the Google search engine created to search, index and rank its registered websites is known as page rank. Functioning on a link analysis algorithm, Google's search engine success is mainly due to page rank. When search engines surf the World Wide Web, they do so in an automatic and organized way by utilizing tools called web crawlers. As they surf web pages, web crawlers are seeking out algorithms. Meta tags, or HTML tags, reveal information to searchers about a web site. Inserted within the title tag, only search engines can see Meta tags.

The reality of search engine optimization is that you can start to optimize your website without any knowledge at all of the technical stuff involved. Granted, for those who plan to maintain their sites among the elite in terms of high rankings, a solid layman's concept of the ins and outs of optimization wouldn't hurt. But suffice it to say those who have their respective sites ranked on the first page of the search engines didn't get them there by scoring high on a search engine optimization aptitude exam. Among other things, the key to their success was that they were able to utilize the three basic steps of search engine optimization better than their competition.

The first step in search engine optimization is to produce a website that is rich in content. The more useful, informative, educational or entertaining your content is, the better. Your site will steadily grow in popularity as more traffic discovers that your site can be depended upon to always provide this rich content. Be careful only to use content from origins with the same general subject matter as your site. Fresh, new reviews, articles and editorials are great examples of rich content and you should be diligent in adding such content to your webpage often.

The next step in optimizing your page with the search engines is to get the web crawlers' attention by using as many keywords as you can. Words are what crawlers are after, so your graphics mean absolutely nothing to them. Purposefully select the right keywords to articulate what you're selling or what service you're providing. Don't be shy when listing keywords often within your pages, since this is sure to bring the web crawlers to your site. Your competition may have some tips for you, as far as keyword usage, on their sites. See what they are doing to be ranked so high and devise a plan to beat them at their own game.

Last but not least, you need to select the best search engine(s) to apply for your site's inclusion to ensure maximum optimization. You've done everything possible to produce the best website possible, now you want your potential customers to find it. Do your homework and find the search engines from which your target traffic is using to find the products and services similar to your own. This shouldn't be too hard, as chances are you'll find that search engines like MSN, Google Yahoo!, and AOL are getting the lion's share of web surfers. Together, people go to these four search engines 90% of the time to find what there are looking for. It doesn't take a scholar to conclude that it would be in your best interest to have your site listed at the top of the pile within these engines.