SEO, abbreviated as Search Engine Optimization, is the method of improvising the quality and quantity of the websites or web pages to gain good traffic from search engines. Unpaid websites and web pages are mostly targeted than the paid or directed websites and web pages. 

In marketing, SEO plays an important role in getting the pages ranked higher on the search engines like Google. People discover content they intend online usually. Search engine optimization is the way to optimize a piece of content or a website to increase the traffic and to be ranked higher. This way, people find your website or content piece on the top of the searches. 

Search engine optimization is the method of unpaid advertising, and it happens organically by increasing the quality of the content. For example, someone types “Risotto Alla Milanese” on the Google search engine space. He/she is probably looking for the recipe, ingredients, and instructions of the Italian dish. It's important to rank on the first page for “Risotto Alla Milanese” for someone to look at the recipe. It is difficult but important. 

The first search engine majority of people would be Google, like more than 75%. The majority of the searches happen here. SEO is broadly classified into on-page SEO and off-page SEO.

On-page SEO builds the content to improve the ranking of the website or the content. This is usually attained through means like incorporating keywords into the web pages and content, writing high-quality content, metatags, and titles that are done keyword-rich and are well-written. 

Off-page SEO is about optimization. It happens off the website, like in earning backlinks. It engages in building relationships and building content that people want to share. It takes a lot of effort, but it is an integral part of SEO success. 

SEO uses two different techniques to achieve its goal: black hat SEO and white hat SEO. 

Black hat SEO aims at achieving quick gains. Sneaky tactics like keyword stuffing and link scraping are used to implement black hat SEO. These are done to rank quickly. This works for a short-term to gain traffic on the website, but Google will recognize this and penalize the website. It may even blacklist the website. 

White hat SEO builds a sustainable online business. This is the way to attract a human audience. This method employs providing the best content possible. It makes sure to provide easy access and plays by the rules of the search engine. 

The SEO market basically focuses on the content. It requires a lot of action and time. The reader is satisfied when they find what they need. So content becomes important. Elements of good content include:

• High-quality writing.
• Well-described intent. 
• Freshness in the content.

The best content can be created by: 

• Understanding the user intent. The creator must know what the user wants to look into when he/she lands on the website. 
• Developing a customer avatar. Creators must know who their readers are, what they like, what they dislike, why are they on the website, etc. 
• Breaking-up the text. Nobody would like to read long paragraphs. People would just glance at the heading and images. So the content has to be precise. 
• Making it actionable. At the end of an article, the reader must be able to get what they are looking for. The content has to be thorough and must not leave the readers dissatisfied. 

Keyword research and selection play an important role in creating the content. Keywords determine how to build links, tactics to implement them. Keyword research is mainly done to increase the search number and to create relevant content. Choose the most apt keyword is done through continuous research and selection:

• Use tools to help research the keywords
• Understand the semantics to match the intent. 
• Learn the intent of the keywords in the content. 
• Know what your competitors are upto. 

The SEO course offered by Great Learning focuses on helping the subscribers with creating the best possible content. The course will teach you the basics and takes you through different strategies used to create high-quality content. You can build a website or websites with content that is ranking on the top of the search list after the completion of the course. The course is designed keeping in mind both the students and the working professionals. To learn in your free time, you can also enroll in a free SEO course. You will also gain a certificate after the completion of the course.