In a nutshell, SEO covers the following aspects: respect for search engines and their rules, design of a web site, various components of internet marketing (pay-per-click ads, promotions, for more detail go to: www.thesearchengineprimer.com. blogs, newsletters, catalogs), article submission (fresh content is imperative), reciprocal links, keyword purchase, and if you're selling a product or service on a large scale basis, your internet marketing should also have affiliates.

Other services that go under search engine optimization are web site design, payment facilities, e-mail campaigns and advertising banners.

Given these multiple services, you need a company that offers one-stop shopping. About 10 years ago, SEO companies focused on only a few core activities of internet marketing, obliging web site owners and retailers to contact different companies for web site design, advertising, and payment facilities. Today, successful SEO companies are offering complete packages, providing extra services that will make the e-commerce experience of a web site owner smoother and more efficient. In addition to web site design and domain registration, SEO companies also offer copywriting and article submission services; they realize that when surfers are looking to buy a particular product or service, they need to feel that they are buying from a company that knows their product and shares useful, practical information.

Instead of defining search engine optimization in an academic way which is rather limiting, we will mention some elements that constitute good SEO practice:

Using of appropriate keywords in individual web pages

Getting your site listed in the indexes and lists of search engines and directories

Creating web pages that search engines like Google and MSN can read and won't penalize

Avoid search engine penalties by adhering to guidelines provided by major search engines.

Building pages that will attract more traffic

Monitoring how your web site is doing vs. your competitors

Encouraging other web sites to link to your web site

Now someone might argue, "I know what I want to sell and know how to sell it, so why should I even bother about search engine optimization when I have a nice web site and a catalog that people can look at?"

This statement is an accurate reflection of a "newbie" in internet marketing. Just because one has a web site and a product to sell does not mean he will sell that product and start making money.

First he needs customers. Where does he get customers? Sure, his family and friends can help by announcing to their network of contacts that he has a web site. But there are millions of web sites vying for the same traffic. The reason SEO should be our # 1 concern is that we won't be able to do any effective advertising online if there are no people. Second, search engines are the greatest single source of people; your potential customers.