We live in an era where people actively use search engines to look for information, products and services. Online businesses therefore aspire to gain search engine visibility to be able to reach its prospective customers. Conquering the numero uno spot is every website's dream and your website can attain this coveted position, only if you knew what parameters search engines use to rank websites. There are many ingredients to making a search engine friendly website and knowing them is a great way of solving this jigsaw puzzle.

Website owners are responsible for the overall success of their website and work hard to accomplish the task at hand. However, many of us are not aware of the constituents of search engine optimization. This lack of knowledge coupled with the abundance of search engine optimization firms often lead to a precarious situation, wherein it becomes rather difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Knowing the ingredients that essentially constitute search engine optimization will give you the upper hand and assist you making the right choice.

Analysis and research forms the backbone of all Search engine optimization projects. Keyword research and selection is vital because improper choice of keywords would fail to attract the targeted audience. An in-depth competition analysis is also mandated to map the competitive landscape. This would help in formulating a strategy to effectively rival competition and out rank them on search engine results page. Also, a thorough website usability analysis is required to ensure enhanced customer experience.

The second phase is on page optimization to make the website search engine compliant. Title tag is an important ingredient of the recipe along with Meta and H1 tag. These tags are used by the search engine crawlers to ascertain the context of the webpage and are therefore the determining elements for high search engine rankings. Unique and effective website content which naturally entwines keywords is a must to achieve the requisite keyword density. Optimizing the navigational structure to boost website usability and xml sitemap for search engine crawlers is also integral to this phase. Besides this image optimization, HTML code validation and browser compatibility are important aspects which should not be overlooked. On page optimization is perceived by many as a one off activity, which is not entirely true. On page activities require periodic amendments as a measure for course correction.

Off page optimization phase succeeds the on page optimization stage. Building link popularity through one way thematic links occupies the center stage for this phase. Contrary to the general misconception of link building being a quantitative exercise, it is a qualitative process. Content syndication in the form of article, newsletters, press releases etc. is integral to this stage. It not only assists in building authority around the website but also helps in getting quality one way links. Thematic directory and search engine submission is also implemented to increase the online visibility of the website. Besides this, blog and forum postings provide the additional impetus required to build brand recognition.

The elements of analysis and research, on page, and off page optimization are the ingredients for a perfect SEO campaign. However it is worth noting that SEO is an iterative and ongoing process, and should not be treated as a one time fix.

Websites are designed and intended for human beings/end users and not for the search engines, a principle that should guide your search engine optimization endeavors.