SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the practice of improving a website to increase its visibility and organic (unpaid) traffic on search engines like Google.
How Search Engines Work
Search engines use automated programs to process web pages. This happens in three main steps:
- Crawling: Spiders browse the web and follow links to discover new or updated pages.
- Indexing: The search engine stores and organizes the content of those pages in a massive database.
- Ranking: Algorithms sort the indexed pages to show the most relevant and helpful results for a user’s search query.