[MUSIC] Hello. My name is Rebekah May, and I'd like to introduce you to the Introduction to Search Engine Optimization. I've been in the SEO field now for nearly a decade, and I've worked in agency settings, in-house settings, and as a consultant. I feel like SEO is a very exciting career choice that never grows old. It's constantly evolving. It really fits well with a variety of backgrounds and interests. I've always had a strong interest in marketing and psychology and found that search engine optimization really bridged those two interests well. SEO has allowed me to understand how website visitors think and act when performing searches online. And I can use this knowledge when looking at keywords, creating content recommendations, and more. All of which you will learn in upcoming lessons. I'm excited to introduce you to the world of SEO and share upcoming information covered in these lessons. This course is intended to provide you with a fundamental understanding of search engine optimization or SEO By exploring the early days of the web all the way through discussion of search engines as we know them. Along the way, you will learn about the different careers available to SEO practitioners. As well as some of the influential minds that have shaped both the profession and the technology behind it. After you have completed this course, you'll be able to describe the process by which a search engine indexes and catalogs a site, and the underlying technology that allows it to do so. While we discuss those technological advancements, we'll be paying special attention to search engine algorithms, and how their evolution has shaped the way we search as well as the best practices we follow as SEO professionals. These best practices and the penalties that come from violating them are what help us ensure reliable, trustworthy search results. In addition to the current environment of SEO, you'll be asked to think about how technology might evolve in the future, and how this will impact search engines and the way we build websites. [MUSIC] During the later sections of the course, we'll discuss existing websites, and how they have successfully or unsuccessfully managed the changing SEO landscape. And when you finish the course, you should feel well equipped to create your own content strategy that will improve your site's visibility as well as being able to monitor website's health and optimize its content to improve traffic and search ranking. This course is open to all skill levels. So, some of this information may be a refresher for you. However, I hope you'll come away with a new appreciation for the art of SEO and feel prepared for other courses in the specialization as well as the potential career in search engine optimization. I'm excited to have the opportunity to present this material to such a broad audience. And I can't wait to hear from everyone as we move forward. Welcome to the course, now let's begin. [MUSIC]