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Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of promoting a website via search engines with the aim of achieving top of first page rankings. This is the all important place to be for your business as high search engine rankings will generate more traffic to your website which in turn will generate more revenue.

There really is no point in having a great looking site if it is invisible to those searching the internet looking for your type of service or product. It is important that your website is listed prominently in Search Engine rankings.

So what exactly is SEO? SEO is part of what is called Search Engine Marketing (SEM). SEM involves on-page and off-page methods of promoting your website on the internet.

SEO specifically takes care of the on-page factors such as the research and analysis of keyword phrases, the optimisation of a website and submission to Search Engines.

Off-page factors include link building, domain name considerations, content-based marketing (via blogs and articles), online social marketing (via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.) and Pay Per Click campaigns such as Google Adwords.

It is often said that SEM is all smoke and mirrors. Far from it. SEM is a legitimate way of getting your site top of rankings however you must do your research. There are, as with most industries, some operators who use underhand and non-legitimate methods of marketing your website on the internet.

So, how do you find a legitimate SEM marketer? Here are some pointers.

- A good SEO marketer will insist on content changes to the website, and perhaps the structure of the site
- A good marketer will thoroughly research the keywords they are going to be targeting, making sure that the keywords or phrases are relevant to the people trying to find you They will provide you with regular ranking reports
- You will probably be charge an ongoing SEM maintenance fee. This is because the web is a growing, organic network, and web marketing is an ongoing process. It is definitely not a one-off exercise.
-A good SEO marketer should be able to provide client names & sites from a few years ago that you can look up online. If you are unsure, then feel free to contact the owners of the site for a reference.

SEM really is a powerful and effective way for businesses to generate more income and get ahead of their competitors online. It does involve an investment both in time and money but if carried out by experienced Search Engine marketers it will result in a return on investment that will increase as your website gains credibility and improves in popularity.

Suzanne Carter
http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/search-engine-optimisation-what-exactly-is-it-1276271.html