Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical to the success of any website because it helps to improve a website's visibility in the natural search results - the end result of which should be that the optimized website experiences a sustainable boost in search referral traffic. And yet in spite of the obvious importance of SEO, the reality is that the vast majority of websites have never been exposed to even a bare-minimum level of SEO effort, meaning that they are potentially forfeiting top rankings - and the traffic that top rankings virtually guarantee - to their competitors Why do so few people bother with SEO when it is so essential to a website's success?