In order to understand what search engine optimization (SEO) marketing is and how it works, one must first have a rudimentary understanding of how search engines work. Basically, they send out bots called "crawlers" or "spiders." Those bots crawl all over the web and analyze information. The way a bot "reads" information and the way a human reads information are very different. Bots will also analyze the popularity a website. The theory is that popularity equals legitimacy, and the higher the legitimacy of a website, the more relevant it is to any given search; thus, the more popular a web page is, the higher it is in a page list. The freshness of a website also plays a role in ranking. The topic is rather complex, but it basically works on two major fronts: content and popularity.

Initially, SEO, or search engine positioning, was a way of tailoring content to make it easier for the crawlers to categorize the data on a site. This grew more refined and SEO marketing grew with it. Modern SEO balances content for bots and humans. In the most simplistic terms this type of advertising helps increase the likelihood of a given website to be at the top of a searching list.

For example: a customer needs winter clothing. He pulls up Google and types "winter clothing" into the empty box. Google then generates a list of websites that mention winter clothing. Marketing research indicates that most consumers will only look at the first page of hit results before trying a different word. A business wants to make sure they’re listed on the first page of results.

People who are well-versed with advanced Internet searching techniques recognize that "winter clothing" is a very broad term, but SEO research has revealed that most computer users do not use advanced techniques. Good marketing advertising and positioning online helps consumers find relevant information even if they aren’t well-versed in techniques.

A site that is properly optimized with solid techniques will be higher in the searching list. This helps Joe Consumer find a winter clothing merchant instead of a blog where someone is talking about her new winter clothing.

SEO tactics seed content with keywords without making it difficult for a human reader to read, and use inbound and outbound links to show popularity without using link farms. Search engines are starting to identify link farms and will sometimes downrank sites listed with them. Good SEO companies do not rely on link farms. SEO tactics also include the technical side of website building. Meta-tags, URL names and frequently updated content play a role in ensuring the consumer can find the information they need. An SEO marketing agency can help business owners with all of the facets of website marketing.