If you are interested in starting an online business or taking your traditional brick and mortar business online, it is imperative to know the answer to the question, “What does SEO mean?”

If you are reading this, it is quite likely that you have already asked this question, or “What does SEO stand for?” You are not alone. There are many terms that pertain to online marketing endeavors, online businesses, and websites that you must become familiar with.

The lingo is not always easy to understand, but, understanding it is highly imperative to your overall success. To answer the question, “What does SEO mean?” takes a bit of explaining. So, we will start with the question, “What does SEO stand for?” In short, it stands for “Search Engine Optimization”.

In order to truly understand what SEO means, you must first understand the main functions of search engines. That is to “crawl” and to construct an “index”. This aids in providing internet users with a list of websites which are ranked by their relevancy. Now, in order to explain in the simplest terms, we will compare the internet to a city.

The World Wide Web provides search results, which we will compare to big city bus stops. Each of the “stops” online are webpages, documents, and similar types of files. In order for the search engine (such as Google) to move through our “city” (the internet) and discover all of the “stops“, it must use keywords, keyword phrases, and links. A “keyword” or a “keyword phrase” is the word or group of words that an internet user searches for in order to discover a “stop” that is relevant to that which they seek, or the virtual “place” they want to go. The virtual “place” is your website and/or blog. The better your search engine optimization, the better your discoverability.

Now that you know the answer to the question, “what does SEO stand for”, and you know the main functions of the internet, it is time to learn the answer to the question, “what does SEO mean?” This is really quite simple. Search engine optimization is the unique and popular process of obtaining traffic (internet users) from the search results from the online search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. SEO is also the basic practice of increasing the amount of high quality traffic through to your website. If you have a website, SEO is a critical component of your overall success. It’s critical enough that you may want to hire a professional SEO firm such as MadBeeTech in order to rank higher in Google searches.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a unique practice that involves developing content for websites that can be discovered easily by search engines, such as Bing, Google, and Yahoo. Adding content – such as blogs, images, and guides – can enhance the SEO of your site through the careful utilization of keywords and keyword phrases that your target audience would use when searching on the World Wide Web for the products and/or services that you offer.

Search engine optimization provides content to your audience that is considered to be both “relevant” and extremely “valuable”. As you add relevant, helpful content on your website, internet users are able to discover that content by conducting a search on a search engine, then, the user is able to discover your website, explore your website, and interact with it; therefore, increasing your customer base. In this brief guide, you will learn exactly how SEO helps in getting you more customers.

The first method that attracts more customers through SEO is online customer queries. If your website contains highly relevant information, the search engines will be more likely to display various links to your website in response to online customer questions. The website that you own and operate for your business is basically designed as a service to your target audience, not to your business. If a search engine locates relevant information on your site, and considers your site to be unbiased and trusted, the customers will be provided with links to it.

If you perform a Google search on your business (or personal) name and the first page results include negative information, then you’ll want to engage in something related to SEO — online reputation management, or ORM. You’ll want to use the services of a professional such as fixyoursearchresults.com to force those negative results down off the first page (out of sight) and replace that bad information with positive news, reviews and info about your business (or about you).

By utilizing and regularly adding certain keywords and keyword phrases into your website, it is easier for internet users to discover your business online. According to research, the first page in search engine results account for the highest level of clicks from internet users. In order to reach this page, you must regularly add content that includes industry-specific keywords and keyword phrases to your website. Blogging is the easiest and most effective way to succeed in this endeavor because regular blogging enhances search engine visibility and helps customers discover your website.

SEO is a highly productive means of providing valuable, educational, and helpful content to your readers. This type of content shows potential and current customers that you are highly knowledgeable and possess expert knowledge in your industry. In turn, this renders respect. Once an internet user discovers you to be knowledgeable, they are more likely to subscribe to your blog, take the time to follow you on social media platforms, and do business with you. Your brand will be considered trustworthy and you will be considered an “authority” in your industry.