Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the management of Web content so that it ranks high in results when users of search engines such as Google or Yahoo! look for information.

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Web publishers want to be high on the first page of results returned by search engines because that's where people are most likely to click. One of the main ways news sites can "optimize" their content is making headlines direct and straightforward. This means including in headlines the key words users are most likely to type when searching; not relying on the context provided in print by images and other display type; and avoiding vague or fanciful terms. Thus, "Britney Spears" beats "pop princess" in the world of SEO.