Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your website over the search engines so that it achieves a high rank on the search result pages. Search engine marketing or SEM includes search engine optimization or SEO and pay per click or PPC. SEO is the combination of off-page optimization and on-page optimization. Increasing the importance of a webpage is off-page optimization and is popularly known as link building whereas, increasing the page relevancy is on-page optimization and is popularly known as SEO.
The process of SEO starts with website analysis, understanding the business and the target audience. The search terms or keywords are evaluated keeping the target audience in mind and terms relevant to the industry are selected for the search engine optimization purpose. After identifying keywords, similar keywords should be grouped together. Each group of keywords is used to optimize a related webpage. This includes creating meta tags, content creation or rewriting of content such that the keywords are included. The discussion of actual parameters of the webpage for optimization is beyond the scope of this article.
The on-page optimization process takes 2-3 weeks depending upon whether you need to create additional content or not. The results take another 3-4 weeks to show up depending on when the website is next indexed by respective search engines. The off-page optimization process differs from the above post keyword research. As the same suggests, it involves targeting the off-page parameters that affect rankings on search engines. This includes promoting your website through the internet and getting incoming links from qualified web pages. The process is time consuming and is an ongoing process. Depending on the keywords and competition, it may take 4-12 weeks before you can see the positive effect on rankings.
The process requires and asks for a lot of patience. Without the patience, you will head nowhere and will not cover any ground as far as optimizing the website is concerned. The search engines take their own time to check whether this process has been hurried up or done gradually. Gradual efforts result in positive dividends flowing in and with time, the only way the website goes is up.
It is possible for website owners to undertake implementing SEO themselves with the information available about SEO Services on the web. This may well be a good idea if you have the time and the resources.