SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Search Engine Optimization is the process of making your site appear at the top of search engine results for your domain-specific keywords and phrases. The higher your website ranks in the results of Google, Yahoo, MSN etc., the greater the chance that your site will be visited by many, which in turn would skyrocket your sales.

SEO can be divided into two distinct parts; onsite and offsite. On-page SEO concentrates on optimizing a website's individual page content. This includes readable content for visitors to the website, as well as the metadata and semantic elements for the search engines. 

Examples of a webpage's elements in need of optimization include:

Title Tag
The Title Tag is the MOST important coding element in SEO. Shown at the top of your web browser, as well as the link to your website on a page of search results, the Title Tag usually is the very first element the search engine spiders will scan. It should have the keyword or topic written about within the webpage's content and be about 65 characters in length.

Ex.1
We Sell Shiny Blue Widgets in Nevada

URL
In support of the Title Tag, the url (or webpage address) comes in at a close second in order of importance. Again, keyword inclusion is similar to the Title Tag and follows a hierarchical approach, or a structure that naturally flows from page to sub-page (or category to sub-category) the deeper one gets into the website.

Ex.2
www.mywebsite.com/widgets
www.mywebsite.com/widgets/blue-widgets
www.mywebsite.com/widgets/blue-widgets/large-blue-widgets

Header Tags (h1-h6)
Also in line with the previous two code elements, the H1 Tag, as well as the H2 through H6 "Header" Tags provide keyword importance indicators to the search engines within your content. Usually a variation on the Title Tag (though not required), the H1 Tag re-emphasizes the topic featured on the web page. The subsequent header tags are variations or sub titles related to the main title and contain relevant, supportive keywords as well.

Ex.3

(h1)Offering the Best in Shiny Blue Widgets

(h2)Our Widgets Provide Business Solutions

(h3)Customers Love Our Widgets

Offsite SEO includes such tactics like backlinking and local SEO. Backlinking is the process of earning links from other websites to your website. Local SEO is the process of creating or claiming your profiles on map (Google Maps, MapQuest), review (Yelp, Urban Spoon) and directory (Yellowpages, Merchant Circle) related websites. Offsite SEO takes longer to achieve results, as the search engines get suspicious of backlinks developed in bulk. It's usually a sign of Blackhat SEO, techniqued used to fool the search engines in gaining higher ranking.

Resources:

Are You Friendly with SEO?

Should You Write Content with SEO in Mind?

The Secret to SEO... Make It One Louder

Keyword Recomendation & Page Analyzer