Search Engine Optimization: Effective SEO Techniques for Great Natural Rankings!

The whole online world is talking about search engine optimization (SEO). The content on your site needs to be SEO'd; the articles that you write or have written to create links needs to be SEO'd; even your social networking content, videos and blog entries need to be SEO'd. It's definitely true; they do. So, let's explore the concepts encapsulated by the terms "search engine optimization".

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

SEO is a generic term for the methods used to make your online content shine well with the major (and minor) search engines. You see, the vast majority of people surf online to gain information. Not for shopping, not for porn - for information. For that reason, major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN have algorithms which determine which of the hundreds of millions of webpages most closely present the information searched for by any given surfer at any given time.

For example, if you enter a search for "healthy plants for humans to eat" in the MSN search box, it is the job of the fine folks at MSN to give you back relevant search results. You wouldn't be pleased if when you entered "healthy plants for humans to eat", it came back with results about the Chinese mistreating the Tibetans. Displeased, you would use a different search engine. For that reason, MSN has to have a way to scan the entire Internet for relevant information every time any individual enters a given search.

The way that they do it is by sending out what are called "spiders". Search engine electronic spiders (algorithms) "crawl" the web at incredible speeds and present you as a searcher with fresh, accurate and concise information about what you are searching for.

When you employ search engine optimization techniques, you are putting out spider bait!

So, how do I create good spider bait?