What Is SEO?

According to Wikipedia, Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results (as opposed to paid results, which are those "Sponsored Links" you see at the top of search engine rankings.)   Why is that important to Jane Doe, business owner in Columbia MO?

Because usually, the earlier a site appears in the search results list - the higher it ranks - the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. And if Jane Doe has been paying any attention at all to where prospective customers look for information about local businesses, she knows a well-done website is absolutely critical.

So how does SEO work?  What's involved?

Search Engine Optimization is the marriage of the science of website design and the art of marketing. 

It's not guaranteed... it's not exact... and it's fluid. (Partly because Google - the "big Kahuna" among search engines - is always changing its search algorithms.  And partly because your competitors, and their websites, change too.)

Generally speaking, the more a search engine such as Google deems your site to be RELEVANT to the search term entered, the higher you'll rank.  Their goal is to give searchers the best match for what a user is trying to find. 

How do they determine what website (web page, actually) is the most relevant?  By looking at the site itself (its coding and content) and by looking to see if the website is referenced by OTHER websites as some sort of authority on that term.  (That's a really basic explanation - but it gets complicated.)

So SEO includes things such as keyword research, meta tags, optimized website content, backlinks and more.  As I mentioned earlier, some search engine optimization strategies are implemented "on site" - meaning that they're built into the coding and content of your website itself.  Other techniques are "off site" - they usually involve getting other websites to link to your site through articles, video, blogs, and so on.

Both are important, although the less competitive your search terms are, the less important most "off site" strategies become.

Because it is such a hassle to keep up with Google's changes, a lot of web designers simply ignore SEO and fail to include even the most basic "on site" optimization strategies when they build websites.  Which is why you can have an absolutely gorgeous website that your prospects never see because it's on page 15 of Google search results. 

Optimizing websites for the search engines is my specialty.

Call me crazy, but I think SEO is fun - bringing someone's site from oblivion to the first page of Google's search results gives me a thrill.  I've been doing it successfully for years, with my own websites.  And when I build anew website for someone, I make sure that effective "onsite" SEO is built in.

Contact me today to find out how SEO can get more targeted prospects coming to your website.

Hurry - before your competitor does!

Bookmark & Share