Which of the following best defines Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is best defined as a technique to improve website visibility in search results. This involves various strategies and practices aimed at enhancing a website’s rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) for targeted keywords and phrases. When a website is optimized effectively, it increases its chances of attracting organic traffic, meaning visitors coming from search engines without paid advertising.

The focus of SEO is not just on making a website look appealing, but rather on ensuring that it aligns with how search engines operate and rank content. This includes optimizing page content, improving site structure, ensuring mobile-friendliness, and enhancing loading times, all of which contribute to a website’s visibility. Ultimately, the objective is to make a website more relevant and authoritative in the eyes of search engines like Google, resulting in higher placements for search queries related to the site's content.

Other options do include important aspects of web development or online presence but do not accurately encapsulate the essence of SEO. While increasing website loading speed is important for user experience and can affect rankings, it is not the defining characteristic of SEO. Security enhancements and content creation are also crucial but are distinct from the core function of optimizing a site’s visibility within search engine results.