Search Engine Optimization
SEO Made Easy For Everyone

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it "ranks," the more searchers will visit that site.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.
(Definition from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

There are two methods of search engine optimization.

Natural or Organic Ranking

SEO seeks to create and improve a website so that it will rank high in the search engines and help potential customers or clients find the website.  The search engines rank websites by using a perpetually changing proprietary algorithm.  This means continuously reviewing and tweaking your website content to meet the then current methodology of a particular search engine.  There are software programs to help in evaluating your website pages. 

Pay per Click

Pay per click (PPC) is an Internet advertising model used on search engines, advertising networks, and content websites, such as blogs, where advertisers only pay when a user actually clicks on an advertisement to visit the advertisers' website. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market. When a user types a keyword query matching an advertiser's keyword list, or views a webpage with relevant content, the advertisements may be displayed. Such advertisements are called sponsored links or sponsored ads, and appear adjacent to or above the "natural" or organic results on search engine results pages.

A pay per click search engine allows you to open an account and deposit some money as a starting balance. With this, you enter your site's URL, title and description, and bid on relevant keywords.

This is the quickest way to obtain and keep your website description on page one of a search engine.  In Google, a PPC account is managed with Google AdWords.

A site selling widgets would bid on keywords such as, "widgets," "small widgets," "blue widgets" etc.  When someone searches for "widgets" the details of your site appear, in the form of a search result with the URL, title and description entered. If they then click on your listing, your account is debited the amount you have bid on that keyword.

What makes PPC so good for the advertiser is that someone who has searched for your product or service is already qualified when they come to your website, which is selling the product or service they are looking for.

Good article on how PPC is done: How to Begin Your Keyword Research