Term
Search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO is the practice of improving a website to help people find it through unpaid search results.
What it means
Search engine optimization helps search engines understand your pages and connect them with relevant searches. It includes technical work, useful content, internal links, and earning links from other websites.
Example
A local bakery creates a page about its wedding cakes, adds photos and ordering details, and links to it from the main menu. The page gives people searching for wedding cakes a useful place to land.
Keep in mind
SEO focuses on organic results. Paid search ads are a separate way to reach people, and buying ads does not buy higher organic rankings.