SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization". It is the process of analyzing your potential design and problems for search engines indexing and positioning. In other words, making your web site and its content attractive, relevant and visible to search engines and web searchers.

There is nothing worse than having a beautiful web site with excellent written content, though you still lose traffic or you even keep potential visitors away, while your site cannot be found.

Before you begin optimizing your pages for Search Engines, consider that the following search engine optimization techniques are SPAM!

    * automatically generated doorway pages;
    * cloaking and false redirects;
    * keyword stuffing;
    * hidden text or hidden links;
    * pages loaded with irrelevant words;
    * duplicated content on multiple pages;
    * misspelling of well-known web sites;
    * unrelated and centralized link farms;
    * other methods that try to trick search engines.

If you use one of the above techniques, you might get short term results, but it's most likely that your site will be banned from search engines, and therefore you will put your business at severe risk.

You will have more success, if you will optimize your site for humans, and not machines.

Good luck with Search Engine Optimization.

More about: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769

More about "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seo

Don't miss this article too! "Why SEO should be important to you".

An excellent SEO Analysis Tool!

VALUABLE RESOURCES & TOOLS
Please report broken links or other issues, as misleading information, etc.

Search Engine Optimization & Marketing Training
    * Search Engine College

SEO Code of Ethics
    * Search Engine Optimization Code of Ethics http://www.bruceclay.com/web_ethics.htm

Search Engines Guidelines for Webmasters
    * Google Webmaster Guidelines http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
    * Yahoo! Search Site Guidelines http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/basics/basics-18.html
    * MSN Guidelines for Webmasters  http://search.msn.com.my/webmasters/guidelines.aspx
    * Ask Jeeves Guidelines for Webmasters http://sp.ask.com/docs/about/policy.html
    * Open Directory Editorial Guidelines http://dmoz.org/guidelines/include.html
    * Zeal Guidelines Overview  http://www.zeal.com/guidelines/overview.jhtml
    * Overture's SiteMatch™ Content Guidelines http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ays/sm_gl.jhtml

    * Filing at Google a reinclusion request - howto http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/reinclusion-request-howto/
    * Remove content from Google's index http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35301

Search Engines Spammer Reporting
    * Overture, AllTheWeb feedback@Overture.com
    * AltaVista http://www.altavista.com/help/contact/search
    * Google, AOL http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html
    * Ask Jeeves http://sp.ask.com/docs/about/contact_tuwyt.php
    * DMOZ / ODP http://report-abuse.dmoz.org/
    * Lycos http://help.lycos.com/watchdog/watchdog_1_help.asp
    * Inktomi, MSN reportspam@inktomi.com
    * Teoma ask@teoma.com
    * Yahoo reportsearchspam@yahoo-inc.com

Sandbox & Banned Sites Checker Tools
    * Google Sandbox Checker Tool http://www.searchenginegenie.com/sandbox-checker.htm
    * Google Banned Site Checker http://www.searchenginegenie.com/google-banned-site-checker.php
    * Yahoo Banned Site Checker http://www.searchenginegenie.com/yahoo-banned-site-checker.php
    * MSN Banned Site Checker http://www.searchenginegenie.com/msn-banned-site-checker.php
    * Another Google Banned Tool http://www.123promotion.co.uk/tools/googlebanned.php

Search Engines Information for Webmasters
    * Google Information for Webmasters http://www.google.com/webmasters/bot.html

SEO Tutorials
    * SEOmoz | Beginner's Guide to Search Engine Optimization http://www.seomoz.org/beginners.php
    * Do It Yourself SEO, Where Do I Begin http://www.jaankanellis.com/seo-where-do-i-begin/  
    * Basics of search engine optimisation http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/2005...e_optimisation/
    * Website Promotion Tutorials by instantPROMOTION http://www.instantposition.com/website-promotion/
    * Google vs Yahoo! vs MSN Search: Defining Search Engine Relevancy http://www.seobook.com/relevancy/

SEO TIPS
    * Ten Tips to the Top of the Search Engines http://www.highrankings.com/tentips.htm
    * Bruce Clay Search Engine Optimization Technical Tips http://www.bruceclay.com/seo-tech-tips/techtips.htm  

SEO/SEM Books
    * Search Engine Marketing Book

SEO Desktop Software
    * GR Search Engine Optimizer

Free Online SEO Tools
    * Page Strength SEO Tool http://www.seomoz.org/tools/page-strength.php
    * instantPROMOTION SEO Tools http://www.instantposition.com/free_tools.cfm
    * Sitening SEO Analyzer - A Web Standards & SEO Web Design Page Analyzer http://www.sitening.com/tools/seo-analyzer/    
    * Reaction Engine Free Online SEO Analysis http://www.reactionengine.com/
    * Digitalpoint Keyword Ranking Monitor (Search Engine Positioning Tool) http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/keywords/  
    * SEOBook Free SEO Tools http://tools.seobook.com  
    * AbiLogic Page Keywords Analyzer http://www.abilogic.com/seo/    
    * SEO Scanner http://www.webmasterbrain.com/
    * Keyword Density & Prominence http://www.ranks.nl/tools/spider.html
    * Search Engine Keyword Tracker & Keyword Ranking Tool http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/keywords/
    * Web Site Analysis http://www.sitesolutions.com/analysis.asp
    * Free Robots.txt Generator http://www.mcanerin.com/search-engine/robots-txt.htm
    * Robots.txt syntax checker http://www.sxw.org.uk/computing/robots/check.html
    * Robots.txt Validator http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/robotcheck.cgi
    * Link Vendor SEO Tools http://www.linkvendor.com/seo-tools/
    * Bad Neighborhood Text Link Checker http://www.bad-neighborhood.com/
    * Free Site Map Generator http://www.freesitemapgenerator.com/

Free SEO Desktop Tools
    * WebCEO Download Web CEO for FREE
    * Good Keywords http://www.goodkeywords.com/
    * Free Monitor for Google http://www.cleverstat.com/google-monitor-query.htm
    * GSite Crawler Google Sitemap Generator for Windows http://gsitecrawler.com/

Web Site Submission at Major Search Engines
    * Google http://www.google.com/addurl/
    * Yahoo! https://login.yahoo.com/config/login?.src=s...om/free/request
    * MSN http://search.msn.com/docs/submit.aspx

Web Site Submission at Human-edited Directories
    * DMOZ http://www.dmoz.org/add.html
    * Webnauts Net Human and Search Engine Friendly Web Directory http://directory.webnauts.net/suggest-link.php

SEO Discussion Forums
    * SEO Workers http://www.seoworkers.net
    * Digitalpoint http://forums.digitalpoint.com
    * Google Community http://www.googlecommunity.com/
    * Search Engine Forums http://www.searchengineforums.com/

Social Bookmarking
    * Social Bookmarking (all in one) http://ekstreme.com/socializer/

SEO Joke
A declaration of the abbreviation SPAM:
      S = SITES
      P = PLACED
      A = ABOVE
      M = MINE

Turn on your loudspeakers to hear the spam hymn: http://www.mailmsg.com/sounds/spam-song.wav
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IMPORTANT NOTICE: This post will be from time to time updated. Stay tuned! Cool stuff coming.

Thanks Dave. I hope it will become a sticky.

great set of links Webnauts.  Thanks for posting.

and the links, oh the links

on site optimisation that's key yes on site optimisation

Getting everything in the right amount is a chore but can be done. So as Ash said, it is like baking a cake.

Just checking - What???

Welcome

Would of been nice if he was to post more of what he wanted to say. As is it looks just like spam.