SEO EXPLAINED -- A NOTE FROM YOUR WEB SITE DEVELOPER:      

As web site developers we often field questions about search engines and search engine optimization (the task of getting your site to appear in the various search engines.)
This simple analogy will help define our work as a web site developing and hosting company as opposed to a search engine optimization company: Buying a telephone (your web site) along with telephone service (your hosting package) does not mean that your phone will ring off the hook with new business. You must still promote your business through various means. After purchasing a business phone and phone service, you will likely invest in a yellow page ad. Similarly, after purchasing a web site, you may choose to invest in search engine optimization. Many web site owners are of the opinion that their web sites will automatically appear in the major search engines even without an investment in search engine optimization. Sometimes that is possible, but not always. Generally it's a matter of seeing whether the search engine will place you, and if not, pay someone to help you get the search engine's attention.

Building a web site, hosting a web site and getting it on a search engine are 3 different projects sometimes done by 3 different companies. Because we are not search engine optimizers it would be unfair to you to comment extensively on a subject that is beyond the scope of our expertise. However, we have explored the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Netscape etc.) for information that may be useful to you. Below are excerpts copied directly from Yahoo.com We thought it best to allow the people that actually build the engines to explain how they work and how you can best use their product. You will be happy to know that we have already published your web site and cared for all of the Meta Tag issues mentioned below.

Excerpts from Yahoo - All about Search Engines
Search Engines
Search engines generally rank their results based on a complex formula that considers page contents, keywords, number of links, site size, and other details, and they change their formulas regularly to ensure that web sites can't artificially elevate their rankings by manipulating one or more of these elements. Although you can never guarantee that your site will appear at the top of their search results, there are some strategies you can use to raise your profile.

What can you do to optimize your rankings? Start by creating a great site! A well-organized, professional-looking web site loaded with useful information will naturally attract and retain visitors and referrals, and ultimately raise your rankings. Adding meta tags to your pages and focusing on keywords in your text can help with some search engines. Larger web sites and those with frequently updated content also tend to rank more highly.

Web Address
The right web address can help potential visitors find your site. If customers are already familiar with your company or organization, they may simply enter its name in their browser's navigation bar, like this: http://www.widgetdesigns.com. They may also look for your company using a search engine — and they're more likely to find your site at the top of the search results when your web address matches your name.

Creating a customized web address can help you develop your web site identity and brand. If your business name is already taken, try picking a domain name that describes your group or the products you sell. Choose a name that's easy to spell and remember. Not happy with the address you already chose? Don't worry: You can register as many as you like and use them all with your current web site. In fact, you may want to register not only your ideal name but also its variants (for example, widgetdesigns.net and widgetdesigns.org in addition to widgetdesigns.com) before your competitors can!

How do I submit my site to search engines?
Search engines scour the Web for new content.
Submitting your site means simply bringing your web site to the search engines' attention — so to get started, make sure you have published your site!
After your site is submitted, be patient: It can sometimes take weeks for search engines to review your site. Remember, too, that submission doesn't guarantee your site's placement in search results — or that it will be included at all!

When you make changes and improvements to your web site, you'll want to make sure the search engines come back to take a look, and consider your changes as they rank your site in their search results. Submitting your site too often can earn you disfavor from the search engines.

How can I get my site listed in search engines?
After you publish, you'll want potential customers to be able to find you — and search engines are one way many Internet users find the products and services they want.

Unfortunately, there's no fail-safe way to ensure that your site will appear in search results on any of the major search engines, but there are some things you can do to help your site get noticed.

Important: Please note that while Yahoo! can help you put your best foot forward to search engines, we cannot guarantee your site's placement in search results — or that it will be listed (indexed) at all.

The tips below will help you get started.

Add Meta Tags
Meta tags are little bits of HTML code that provide information about a page but are not viewable by the user in a browser. Most search engines examine a page's meta tags, which usually include a page title, description, and keywords, to index the page and help determine its ranking in relevant search results. Although not the only way to elevate your site's search engine rankings, judiciously adding meta tags to your pages can help.

Learn how to add meta tags to your site.

Hint: Don't use your keywords only as a tag! Include your keywords in your page titles, descriptions, headings, and content. Search engines like when your keywords appear more than once on a page (though be careful not to overuse keywords — if they appear too many times, you could be penalized for trying to spam the search engines).

Cultivate Links to Your Site
The more quality sites link to yours, the more relevant your site will look to search engines, which can improve your site's ranking in search engine results.

How can you get other sites to link to yours? Contact businesses related (but not competitive) to your own, and ask for a link exchange. Read and participate in popular forums that match your site's focus or interests — many will let you include links to a web site in your forum signature. Request that local organizations like your Chamber of Commerce include links to your business on their web sites.

Build a Quality Site
This may seem obvious, but a site that looks professional and offers a good experience for visitors will get more traffic, more referrals, and, in the end, higher rankings.

Keep Your Site Fresh
Sites with frequently updated content typically rank higher in search engines. Update your site with recent news about your business, articles or tips related to your products or services, and anything else that will make your site a destination for readers who could become customers. Publish testimonials from your customers or positive reviews of your business in other publications (with links to those reviews!).

Above all, be sure your content is clear, every word is spelled correctly, and all your links work. The more professional your site appears, the more likely potential customers are to choose your business over your competitors.

Try Other Promotion Tools
As a Small Business customer, you can take advantage of special offers and discounts on a variety of promotional tools that may help you increase traffic to your site, such as submission to web directories and paid online advertising.

How can I add meta tags to my pages?
You can add meta tags in different ways, depending on the tool you use to create and update your site.

Hint: Before you begin, learn more about writing effective keywords and descriptions.