Search engine optimisation (SEO) describes several different activities carried out to try to improve the ranking of a site in response to a search engine query for a particular phrase.. The main factors that can affect a site's rankings in search engines such as Google are: changes to site content;changes to site structure; backward links to a site, and domain issues.

Adjustments to content involve repeated (but sensible) use of the (exact) words in the page content and, importantly, in the page title. Hidden keywords (meta tags) are less important than they used to be though the description is still used by some search engines to summrise the site. Site structure is optimised to ensure that all pages can be accessed from a single point and that pages are not buried deep within nested directories. Ideally pages should be accessible with mypage.html links rather than of the type mypage.asp?id=73874&sess=hjuyjollk&time.

Backwards, or inward, links to a site are monitored by Google to assess the 'importance' of a site, to arrive at a page rank figure. The more good quality inward links a site has the higher its page rank. The link text is also significant and should ideally contain the key phrase.

Finally, the site should only be available on a single domain. Other domains can be used, but they should all forward in a proper manner to the main domain.

All pretty straightforward, particularly with systems such as Accent-on-Business which satisfy all these requirements. The problem is that it is so easy to be blacklisted by search engines if they perceive that a site is being artificially distorted to improve its rankings. Google's advice is: "Make pages for users, not for search engines." (For more information on what is acceptable and what is not see Google's advice for webmasters).