In an Internet savvy world, acronyms have taken the place of the written word in many cases. As a webmaster you understand the language of acronyms that many may not. But do you fully understand SEO, SEM and SMO and their effects on your Web site's traffic? A successful webmaster knows and understands the importance of META tags in the header section of their Web site's html. This area is where browsers and search engines look for the key words that are used to index and rank your Web site on search engines. Properly used META tags and keywords can mean the difference between effectively or poorly indexed Web sites.



SEO, or search engine optimization, is the utilization of precise keywords configured on your Web site in such a way that they will be easily found, read and indexed by search engines in a manner that will drive traffic to your Web site. The key words used in your META tag should be used appropriately in the text on your Web site. If you are unfamiliar with indexing and ranking, you may consider hiring a professional to write content for you. Individual pages of your Web site must target key words and phrases in order to be indexed and ranked properly.

SEM, or search engine marketing, includes researching, submitting and marketing the Web site to achieve maximum exposure and traffic. SEM usually includes banner ads, link building campaigns, affiliate programs and article marketing. Well-planned and well-placed banner ads will help draw attention to your Web site. Affiliate programs also can be very beneficial for all parties involved. Link building is the act of placing links to your Web site in strategic places on forums, blogs and other related Web sites.

SMO, or social media optimization, is a set of methods used for generating traffic through social and community Web sites. The utilization of social networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Yuwie and others could give you the edge you need. With hundreds of thousands of visitors per day to some social networking sites, your Web site could get a very large boost in traffic if properly optimized.

If your site is not performing as well as you had expected, maybe you need to work on your SEO, SEM or SMO. You may do the work yourself or hire professionals to do it for you.

SEO might be better achieved by someone who is familiar with HTML, PHP and writing content for Web sites. SEM could be the trickier. How many keywords should you have on your Web site? What would be considered SPAM? If you copy someone else's work could you get in trouble for plagiarism or be penalized by search engines? Can you write appropriate content to draw traffic to your site? If you aren't 100 percent sure you can provide what your Web site needs, it is highly recommended that you hire someone. Many small writing businesses and freelance professionals have emerged over the last few years. Hiring someone to write for you could be the best move you could make. Some writers and businesses will include search engine or article submission with their price. Shop around until you find the best deal to suit your needs.

SMO is the newest of optimization opportunities, but is quite possibly the best for burst traffic. As social networks take off, potential for free advertising soars along with it. Social networks have become a virtual necessity for webmasters around the Web. SMO is potentially the easiest form of marketing, simply because all that is required of you is to join a wide variety of friends' lists and comment on friends' blogs from time to time. The more active you are in the social networks, the more links there will be to your Web site. The more links you establish, the greater the potential for visitors to view your site and take advantage of your product or service.