Content Summary : Most marketers know that making the elevated ranks of search engine queries is much, much easier said than done. That’s why they spend money on “pay-per- click” services such as Google AdWords, LookSmart and Overture, and on online advertising. As opposed to a prospect finding your site in a search listing without your paying for the search result, pay-per-click services can put your site on the first page of a query report. But as the name implies, you pay each time a prospect clicks on your sponsored link on the search query page. Using pay-per- click services intelligently can substantially improve the business generation potential of your web site. But there’s another way to maximize the dollars you invest in Web advertising – and in your Website. It’s called Search Engine Optimization or SEO, and it should be a critical component of any organization’s Web marketing plan. With SEO, your goal is to get search results on the first page of a search query report, without paying for the listing.