One of the most fascinating aspects of SEO is the dynamic and fluid nature of the art itself. By definition any legitimate search optimization methodology will be closely related to the search engines of the day. This relationship is also mutually reinforcing: The search engines will continue to evolve partially in response to advancing SEO methodologies. The cycle begins again.

The current direction of search technology is towards the improvement of core search quality, this has resulted in a very positive shift within much of the search optimization industry; as practitioners must now place increased emphasis on providing quality web pages. In the end everyone wins, so long as this course is maintained.

In regards to modern search engines, what constitutes a great SEO strategy? Yesterday's answer to this question was different from todays, and tomorrow promises greater changes still. For now we will leave tomorrow's answer in the hands of those who have time for such speculation. What we are concerned with right now is defining some concrete features of a killer SEO strategy for today.

What is SEO?

Today more than ever we are finding an increasingly difficult task in answering this question definitively. The border between optimization, marketing, design and usability are starting to fade in a very positive way. Good SEO, which once defined a very narrow body of (superficial) activity, is fast becoming a comprehensive, holistic strategy, with sights focused on long-term success. The search engines themselves deserve a large portion of the credit for this leap forward as they continue to develop algorithms that reward genuinely good web pages.

SEO is not the only industry that is benefiting from an expanding “big-picture”. Given the immense success of search engine medium, traditional marketing is now taking a serious interest in the leviathan of potential that search has become. We are also seeing a shift in the web design and development world, as programmers integrate search friendly design principles into their work. After all what use is an awesome website if no one is going to see it? This is becoming a common mantra in web design. None of this offers any assistance in our task of defining SEO; however it indicates that rewarding professional collaborations and continuing education are certain to be an essential aspect of these industries for a long time.

So are we ready to define search engine optimization yet?Perhaps not for the industry at large, but for the purposes of this work, I will bite the bullet and offer some boundaries for our discussion. We will define search engine optimization thusly:

SEO is both an art and a science which aims to secure strategic, targeted, organic search engine visibility.

(The purpose of securing this visibility will be dependent upon the individual case; common motivations being: targeted visitor traffic, sales, brand recognition and even competitive interference.)

Some explanation:

• SEO is both an art and a science in that it involves ( ideally):

i.Knowledge of search engine technologies and a practical understanding of how to apply that knowledge to develop highly relevant web pages.

ii.An appreciation of core quality and end-user needs as well as an intuitive understanding of how to leverage this awareness to create user-centric benefits.

• SEO is concerned with achieving opacity for very specific audiences (targeted search phrases) with the purpose of motivating that audience towards a specific action. That action can be highly variable depending upon the needs of the site owner.

Many will argue against this definition; however it suits the purposes of this discussion nicely and in next week’s article we will start laying out our killer SEO strategy.