These are the words or short phrases that you would like people using a search engine to find you with.
Search Engine Optimisaton is the evaluation and improvement of your website so that search engines will place it higher in the search results, which in turn will give you more visitors.
In a word, yes. Very much so. The chances are that you, as an internet user have searched on Google or Yahoo to find a the product, service or information you need. In fact you probably turn to the internet more often than ever before to search for an assortment of different things. The message is simple, if you want to be easily found, appearing on the first page of the search engines is undoubtedly the best way to achieve this. Printed directories, advertisements and mail shots all have limited time spans of effectiveness and are limited by distance. The internet offers you a 24 hour global audience who is actively searching for the service you offer.
Google and Bing are the two major search engine forces.
Search engines use programs called Robots to visit websites and assess the content and then feed it back into their database of websites. Using many different factors and algorithms these programs decide which sites are most relevant. Directories are maintained and developed with human intervention who review website and decide on a category for a website before it is listed. The two most popular and biggest directories are DMOZ and Yahoo Directory.