Search Engine Optimisation's (SEO) reputation is a spectrum, from essential for website effectiveness to an unparalleled method of wasting money. As usual, neither extreme is totally right nor totally wrong.

A search engine's core business is providing online searches that return relevant results. Any trick or technique to artificially influence search engine results is seen as negatively impacting on the relevance of search engine results. So to protect their business, search engines constantly revise their systems to defeat 'optimizations' it believes are being abused. Any SEO service is therefore likely to be an ongoing cost rather than a single expense.

• The title of your page
• The content of your page (text, pictures and other media)
• Links to your page from elsewhere on the internet. This is open to abuse so it's importance to search engine ranking seems to be slipping.
• Meta-tags. Meta-tags are is hidden text designed to give extra information about your page. Since they are invisible in browsers they are open to abuse and so search engines these days mostly seem to ignore them.

As a website owner the single best thing you can do is think about the keywords you'd like to be found with and include them in your site's title and content. The more unique and specific your keywords are the better your chance that your website will be found. For example, if you sold lawnmowers in Richmond, at the very least your site should contain “lawnmowers” and “Richmond” several times, both in the title and text. A customer searching for “lawnmowers in Richmond” thus has a chance of finding your website.

SEO is also not a replacement for marketing, remember there are other ways to get your website noticed. A search on your keywords may reveal directories in which you can get a free listing. Publicising your website to interested groups will help, especially if they are willing to link from their site to yours. Many search engines will allow you to pay for high ranking on particular search terms.

For our part, Managed Content Webs enforces a consistent layout to your site ensuring that your title (with relevant keywords) appears on every page. Your website is designed to be easily indexed by search engines. Every page on every site that we build links back to our homepage which in turn includes a link to your site. Software allowing you to analyse the keywords that people use to find you can be added to the service, allowing you to refine your content and receive feedback on your success.