Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of orienting your website to rank higher on a search engine results page (SERP) so that you receive more traffic. The aim is typically to rank on the first page of Google results for search terms that mean the most to your target audience.

1. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a
process designed to optimize a website for search
engines. It helps websites achieve a higher ranking in
search engine results when people search for
keywords related to their products and services. So,
it is a practice of increasing the quantity and quality
of traffic to a website through organic search engine
results. See the following image to understand the
basic activities involved in the SEO.

3. Search results are presented in the form of an ordered
list, and the sites which are higher on the list tend to
receive more traffic. For example, for a search query,
the result which is at number one will receive 40 to
60% of the total traffic generated for that query. Only 2
to 3% visitors go beyond the first page of search
results.

4. How Search Engine Optimization
Works:
 Search Engines such as Google have their own algorithm or rules to decide the
order of pages to show for a search query. These algorithms determine the
rankings of the SERPs based on various ranking factors. However, it gives more
emphasis on certain metrics to evaluate the quality of a page and accordingly to
decide its ranking.
 Key Metrics Used by Search Engines:
 Links: The links from other sites are called backlinks. These links help in
determining the ranking of a site in SERPs. A link is considered as a vote of
quality from other websites, as a website owner would not link to a site that is
of poor quality.
 Content: The quality of content is also a vital parameter in determining the
ranking of a site. The content should be unique, relevant for the given search
query.
 Page Structure: The web pages are written in HTML; the html coding of a
page is also used by search engines to evaluate a page. So include important
keywords in the title, URL, and other meta tags and also make sure the site is
crawlable.