Technology

Search engine optimization (SEO) is defined as the art, craft, and science of driving web traffic to web sites (Davis, 2006, p. 2). Google is one example of a search engine that involves a very complicated use of software. It has transformed into a big business, providing easy access to all kinds of information that computer users want to retrieve or search on the Internet (Davis, 2006). There are various ways that computer users can effectively utilize SEO, which include mastering how the Google works, learning how to utilize the paid Google programs, and understanding how to be included in Google search results (Davis, 2006).

Search engine optimization has been developed to incorporate several techniques of promoting traffic to web sites (Davis, 2006). The important factor that led to the emergence of SEO is learning to develop web pages and web sites in order to enhance their placement on the search engine. Search engine placement is defined as a way for web pages and web sites to appear in the list of search query results made by computer users (Davis, 2006). The appearance of web pages or web sites at the top of the list of results searched by users is the ultimate goal of every owner of web pages or web sites.
 
An effective SEO understands which queries are important to a particular web site. The use of SEO is rapidly growing in the field of advertising. Placement of advertising in the web is determined by utilizing the metrics of cost-effectiveness (Davis, 2006). The success and failure of advertisements are dependent on the traffic to a web page or a web site. Search engine optimization specialists consider not only the importance of search engine placement but also focus on the wider perspective of business and web innovations that help establish traffic to the web page or web site.

There are four key mechanisms that a search engine can implement, which include discovery, storage of links, ranking, and return of results (Davis, 2006). Discovery refers to searching web pages or web sites, which can be achieved by utilizing software that can access web links. Ranking refers to the order of stored web pages or web sites according to their importance while the return of results refers to the organization of search results based on the ranking as a response of search query made by computer users (Davis, 2006).

There are three key practices of effective SEO. These include understanding how the web pages or web sites are read by software, taking intelligent steps in ensuring the web pages are optimized from the perspective of the search engine, and trying to avoid over excessive use of SEO practices to prevent the blacklisting of the web pages or web sites by the search engine (Davis, 2006).

Computer users or web developers can take advantage of the effectiveness of SEO by developing a plan that integrates SEO into the web pages and web sites (Davis, 2006). The integration of SEO in web pages or web sites can help outperform properties of other web sites or web pages that do not incorporate SEO. The key advantage of using the core principles of SEO is to have a gradual increase in the ranking in search engine results (Davis, 2006).

Search engine optimization has several advantages. It can help influence the kind of traffic to the web pages or web sites. This is the reason why web developers must consider integrating SEO in the business plan and market research (Davis, 2006). Traffic to the web sites or web pages consists of consumers who are truly interested to the products offered by a company, who are willing to purchase the product, and who have all the means to purchase the product (Davis, 2006). In order to have a successful SEO, it is important to know the target customers and develop a detailed plan to attract potential visitors to the web site where they can become a regular customer. However, SEO would not help unscrupulous web sites to attract traffic because the search engine automatically removes them upon discovery of scams.