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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving a website’s content to increase its likelihood of appearing in relevant search engine results. SEO aims to increase website traffic by helping the website organically appear more often in relevant online searches. SEO strategies for improving a website are based on the factors that popular search engines (such as Google) assess when determining which websites to display in search results. SEO practices involve optimizing the quantity of written content across webpages, elevating the quality of content to ensure it offers clear value to audiences, and improving website performance and technical settings to make it easier for search engines to find the site. SEO is a practice for increasing organic web traffic as opposed to paid web traffic, meaning SEO strategies are designed to help a website rank in search engine results without paying for placement.

While both terms refer to promoting websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results, the main difference between Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is that SEO focuses solely on strategies to help a website rank in organic (unpaid) search results. SEO practices include improving the quantity and quality of content on websites to offer more value to audiences, with the goal to be recognized by search engines as a valuable resource and placed in relevant search results. In the digital marketing community, SEM is often used as an umbrella term for organic and paid strategies that help a website gain more visibility in search engine results. Therefore, SEM may include SEO strategies and paid digital advertising tactics to improve a website’s placement in search engine results.

SEO professionals need a basic understanding of technical website items — such as HTML tags, META tags, page speed, lazy loading, and server-side redirects — and their importance to search engines. Other useful skills include applying best practices and assessing websites to make recommendations for improving these factors. While you don’t need technical skills to succeed in SEO, it helps to know how to do the technical work to improve factors that help a website load, render, and redirect smoothly. SEO professionals also need research skills, critical thinking skills, an understanding of what makes website content high quality, and the ability to incorporate keywords into informative and creative written content. While you don’t need advanced writing skills to succeed in SEO, it helps to know how to strategically write content for a specific goal and audience and make recommendations for improving content.

There are free and paid SEO tools available for tasks like conducting keyword research, tracking keywords, measuring and analyzing website traffic, and assessing site performance. Popular SEO tools for keyword research include SpyFu, Ahrefs, KWFinder, Ubersuggest, and Answer The Public. SEO tools for measuring and improving site performance include Google PageSpeed Insights, SEO Web Page Analyzer, SimilarWeb, and SEO Site Checkup. Tools like Browseo and SERP Simulator allow you to view your website how a search engine would see it and preview how your site would appear in search results. SEO professionals also use tools like Schema Creator to customize how a website appears in search results. Popular platforms for SEO management (which often feature a combination of keyword research and wider analysis tools) include SEMrush, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Moz Pro, Yoast, and BuzzSumo, among others.

A wide range of jobs utilizes knowledge of search engine optimization or SEO. Social media managers use SEO to build a following on social media and increase brand awareness and website traffic. SEO specialists create keyword strategies for website content like blog posts or product descriptions to help drive traffic to the site. Copywriters and content writers need an understanding of SEO to produce optimized assets for companies according to the SEO guidelines laid out in the content brief. Marketing positions, like consultants, directors, and managers, require a solid understanding of SEO and its role in helping organizations compete in the digital marketplace. Even for positions that don't require expertise in SEO, a general understanding of it may open up new opportunities within a company.