SEO is abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization. There are two parts to SEO Services.

On Page Optimization:

The site structure, navigation, code and copy are looked at and changed to best help your site be indexed and found by search engines and customers who are looking for your products and services. It also includes content development and recently the wildly popular trend of site blogs for content as well as market/niche branding. This is a passive method of getting links. You will often hear ‘Content is King” . It means make a great site with interesting info or tools and people will link to it. This will also garner PASSIVE links ( sometimes called organic or natural links)

Off-Site Optimization

When a site is structural sound and well optimized other techniques are used to increase targeted traffic and increase ranking results in search engine pages. This strategy simply put is to get other sites to link to you. This is often called linkbait or link love. Aggressively asking other sites to link to you- by asking for a link, paying for a link or offering tools or info to use on other sites in exchange for a link back is aggressive link building.

Both are part of SEO and both have their place.