In the present information age, the management of the website is a hot topic and the effects of a search engine over a website. This has forced a large number website owner to make effective efforts for search engine optimization. The positioning of a website in the first place of a search result of a search engine is a tedious job, and to make this possible one needs to understand the basics of search engine optimization. There are various techniques to help us to increase the ranking of our website such as the use of proper keywords, generating backlinks, use of proper tags, metadata etc. SEO is divided into two parts: On-Page and Off-Page SEO. In order to be successful, both the areas require equal attention. This paper aims to explain the functioning of the search engines along with the role and importance of search engine optimization.