The Definition of Optimize

Oxford English Dictionary Definition:

optimize (also optimise)

• verb - make the best or most effective use of (a situation or resource)

The world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is plagued by the most irritating people in web design. Day after day I read new material, whether on forums, articles, abused social networking sites or some crappy website loaded with hidden keywords, which claims to hold the ultimate secret to SEO, or claims that the best way to "do SEO" is to submit to directories, or the worst one, when somebody replies to a plea for advice with "Get more backlinks".

The reason that these people are such a problem in the area of SEO is usually because they don't belong there - many of them have simply misunderstood or never even contemplated the meaning of SEO. I believe the clue is in the 'O'...

Above is the Oxford English Dictionary definition of 'optimize' and it says pretty much what I expected it to say when I looked it up: "to make the best or most effective use of"

The fact is, that to 'optimize' your site for search engines is simply to modify it to the point that it will be in the best condition to be recognized by search engines for the terms that the user enters that are relevant to the subject matter of your site/page.

This definition automatically rules out artificial backlinking and all forms of spamming as having ANYTHING to do with optimization.

It's not wrong to advertise your site by, say, paying for a backlink from another site, but it is not optimization, it is more to do with publicizing your site.

promotion

• noun - 2 the publicizing of a product or celebrity. 3 the activity or business of organizing such publicity

Another dictionary definition. This is the category under which most of what the uneducated think is SEO comes under.

Bottom line - promote your site as you please but don't call it SEO. Remember that SEO has far more to do with what you do ON the page than what you do off of it. Learn what SEO is really about, which is optimizing your excellent content to be recognized by search engines as being excellent.