What exactly is search engine optimization? Search engine optimization is designing, writing and coding (in HTML) your entire web site so that there is a good chance that your web pages will appear at the top of queries in search engines for your chosen keywords and phrases key. Most of the time the search engine optimization specialist should be spent targeting the search engines will give you the most traffic. The following search engines and directories are:

AltaVista
AOL Search
Business.com
FAST Search
Google
HotBot
LookSmart
Lycos
MSN Search
Netscape Search
Open Directory
Overture
Yahoo

The best time to apply search engine optimization is before designing your website. As the web site designer creates page templates for you to approve may have a search engine optimization specialist take a look at them and they say it is the best design for optimal indexing. Once you select the best design for your website, search engine optimization specialist can tell your designer when and where to place keywords and phrases within HTML tags.

How can you tell a quality search engine optimization specialist from a scammer? A search engine optimization specialist should be able to get your site indexed and Google, Inktomi, and Yahoo. The two search engines and directory of a difference in the way they index sites. Google does not use meta tags relevant content. Currently uses Inktomi meta-tags. And Yahoo is a directory. Ask how your site will be designed and labeled for each of these. If you do not get three different answers, then you should move to a more experienced search engine optimization professionals.

If your site has been designed, search engine optimization specialist professionals often recommend layout and design changes. He / she is not telling you that you have a website bad. He / she is telling you that the design of the site not indexed and targeted keywords and phrases. For example, a site that has a triple frameset (on the top and side) is extremely difficult to index and search engines, even with a login page. However, a simple frameset can get indexed in search engines as well, with or without a login page. A search engine optimization specialist can design or tell your web designer to design a simple frameset to get the best results.

Search engine optimization and other marketing strategies (banner advertising, web copywriting, the presence on Yahoo, posting to discussion groups, etc) are no substitute for a website with high solids content and distribution. Search engine optimization is not a substitute for customer service, a sales pitch well or have a great product / service. It is not a substitute for a well-planned marketing plan online and offline. Search engine optimization is a way to help potential customers find your site. This is a highly specialized marketing tool.