I call it the "Google Juggle". Much has been written about the power and success of Google over recent years (including a monumentally successful IPO). Although Google is constantly attempting to re-invent itself through creative applications and corporate acquisitions, its core business remains Search. Search is its strength and Search is its largest revenue stream. Google is dominant in both Organic (free) and Pay-Per-Click searching.
Search marketing is widely recognized as a highly effective way of reaching customers online. The word Search Engine Optimization is a technical term used to describe online marketing through search engines. It is the process of analyzing and developing a site to enable search engines to read, comprehend, and index it correctly. If the content of your website is ignored by the search engines then the search engines can not index your site. What does this mean to you? If your site isn't indexed then no one will find your site by searching for it in any major search engine such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, etc. The consequence is that your website will experience less traffic resulting in less profit for your business.
As someone who runs a website I understand people's frustration when you work extremely hard to build a great site, add a lot of functionality to make it a hit with web surfers and no one visits. You could spend a ton of money on pay-per-click advertising, however more often than not, people who arrive at your website through pay-per-click advertising are nothing more than "tire kickers". In other words they really have no intention of buying or registering, they are just curious as to what you have to offer.
You have a wonderful web site built by your web design company with your products and services for sale. To get people to find your site it's got to be found on the major search engines, but without a nice position you will basically miss those all important web sales.
Search engine optimization is the newest trend among online marketers. Today, companies have recognized that one of the most effective ways of getting free advertising on the Internet is to show up first under relevant search terms in the various engines.