Search engine optimization (SEO) is imperative to all websites, so that they can get organic traffic. Organic traffic is free, as opposed to traffic obtained through paid advertisement. In order to properly optimize a website for the search engines, business owners must research the keywords used by most internet users when they look for their business’ topics. This research must be based on keyword tools. Google Adwords provides a very efficient free keyword tool to the public. Market-Samurai and Wordtracker provide excellent paid keyword tools, after a free trial period.

Keyword tools enlighten business owners by showing them not only the most searched keywords online, but also their competition level. This way, they can discover the keywords that will attract a lot of traffic, while avoiding terms which are too competitive. By using the researched keywords in their website’s headlines and subheadlines, as well as in their website’s articles, business owners will send organic traffic to their websites whenever internet users type the keywords they have selected into the search engines.

Organic search engine marketing is also based on article submissions to top online article directories, like Ezinearticles. Internet users will visit business owners’ websites after reading their articles and clicking on the links contained in their resource box.

Thus, article marketing is the second promotional strategy business owners must use to get organic traffic. However, in order to attract a lot of readers and get top rankings, they must write articles that contain in-demand keywords, and which will pique their readers’ curiosity. This is why most internet marketers prefer to purchase appealing and well-optimized articles which have been written by ghostwriters.

A third traffic generating method that attracts a lot of organic traffic is video creation. Business owners must submit their videos to video websites like YouTube, where they will be exposed to a large audience. Many internet users use YouTube as if it was a search engine, looking directly for information which can be easily presented in videos. However, just a few videos won’t make an impact. Only a massive volume of video submissions will bring enough traffic to business owners’ websites.

A fourth very important promotional strategy for obtaining organic traffic is based on linkbuilding. Business owners must look for websites related to their topics and ask their owners for a reciprocal link. A reciprocal link is one that points to another website, and which also contains a link pointing to the website where its link is found. These links are very effective for website traffic exchanges. They also help all websites increase their link popularity.

The fifth promotional method that can be applied in search engine marketing is based on posting links at websites that give answers to public questions, or at forums and blogs. By answering questions at Yahoo Answers and Quora, business owners have the opportunity to send organic traffic to their websites whenever internet users find their answers interesting, and they click on their links. Forum posts and blog comments have the same effect whenever internet users feel attracted by intelligent observations in various conversations, clicking on the posters’ links, and visiting their websites.