Most people have heard of search engine optimization, but they might not know exactly what this includes. Sure, there was a time when people with an entrepreneurial spirit would put up a quick website and throw some SEO at their site and reap huge rewards; however, search engine optimization has definitely evolved over the years and is much more complex and user focused. Gone are the days when you could simply utilize keyword stuffing or some other rather shady tactics to get a website to rank. Nowadays, search engine optimization is serious business, and if you fail to recognize that or you choose to try and game the system, chances are, you'll find your website at the bottom of the SERPs (search engine results pages). 

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There are companies that specialize in providing quality SEO for all types of businesses. Often times, this will mean making sure that a website is performing at its best. Today's SEO isn't so much about gaming the search engine algorithms, but rather, it's about the quality experience you can bring to a user. When a person types a query into the search engine, the results they receive are chosen based on the relevance to the searcher's query as well as the quality of the website. 

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The speed at which a site loads, whether it is mobile friendly, even whether other people have linked to the site -- an indication of approval by online users, will all play a significant role in how your website will rank with the major search engines.

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Of course, other factors, such as how fresh your content is or even if your website is easy to navigate can all help you rank better. Rather than trying to find a way around the search engines, you'll find that the best ranking comes from working hard to meet the needs of your customers. You should concentrate on the types of searches your customer base is doing as well as how you are able to meet their needs. The closer you meet the needs of your customers, the more likely your site will be found in their search results.