The internet is the most powerful tool for the dissemination of information ever created. It is not a fad, and it is not going away. Whether or not you think it is important for your business right now, understand that it will only ever increase in relevance as:

• The place where potential clients find information about you and determine how much they trust your business
• The vehicle for increased exposure to both general and specific audiences

There is a common misconception that internet marketing only results in general leads that are not usually the kind of clientele you are looking for. Getting found by specific, desirable segments of the population is what Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing are all about.

SEO comprises a number of techniques that make a website more semantically relevant and structurally enticing to a search engine. Think of SEO as vitamins for your website; it builds health and appeal but doesn't guarantee a second date with Google or Bing.

Successful SEO has three major components:

1. Content: The originality and frequency of updates for your written content helps bring the search engines back for repeat visits. Your content can be manipulated to create more attractive landing pages for search engine spiders.
2. Quality of Code: The quality of your website code is important for keeping your content as accessible as possible for search engine spiders. There are also chunks of code called "meta data" that go along with links, pictures, and pages that are not displayed but give search engines additional information.
3. Links: Search engines find sites by following links. So it is very important to have links both to and from your website to other relevant websites. Directories, social networking sites, and popular blogs are good places to try and get links, since they are already frequently visited by search engines.

Successful SEO starts with research. Using search volume analysis tools (such as Google Keyword Tool, Google Trends, and Google Insights), we start by investigating the average search volumes of phrases across the United States over a year and then look at local San Diego trends. It also helpful to examine what your competition is doing and what visitors to your site in particular are searching for (through a traffic analysis tool such as Google Analytics)