What is SEO? Why it matters
SEO is the means by which Search Engines and your customers find you via searches. By the relevancy, quality & "freshness" of the content you provide on your website, blog etc. And it is no longer merely a stand-alone thing.
SEO is in essence "a function of the rest of your Online Marketing efforts". The truth is - SEO matters! Done correctly, it can
go a long way in increasing your "search visibility"
to your potential customers via an Organic Search. Organic Searches
occur naturally so to speak meaning results that come up via a person's natural query rather than a "Sponsored Link"
at the top of the page or a "Paid Placement ad" (PPC) on the right hand side of the page.
Having a credible and professional Internet presence is so vitally important —especially now with Local Search and Social Media as game changers. However, if your site was created with little if any SEO integration during the initial design phases, then it could be having a negative impact on your business.
The reality is, having a website where no one can find you and the Search Engines never visit is like not having a website at all.
Courtesy of SearchEngine Land, an SEO basics video:
Want even more info?
Check out the The Periodic Table Of SEO Ranking Factors
"home" or "welcome" in your page title - not good!
At the top of each webpage lies an invaluable piece of information known as your Page Title Tags. Think this isn't important or these words go unnoticed? It is by far the most valuable piece of real estate to the Search Engines like Google as well as your customers who are perfoming a search. If yours still says "Home" or "Welcome" it's a serious waste of valuable real estate and a BIG SEO NO NO!!
keyword reserach & link building to your website
"Choosing the right keywords is often the difference between getting found in search and not getting found - keyword research is the foundation of an effective online marketing strategy"
Keyword research is so vital. You need to know what words & phrases people are searching for and how you may fill that need. Get to know your target market and how to reach them. Build trust. Focus on creating great, high-quality, fresh content around relevant topics NOT just around keywords.DO NOT merely write content for the Search Engines alone. Consider the type of content that your customers would be using to find you. People are looking for a product, service or knowledge and they want you to fill that need.
Installing some Analytics on your site can help to gauge your traffic — where it's coming from and the keywords folks are using to get there. Understand that SEO is ongoing. It's not a one time set-it and forget-it thing.
"On-page optimization creates relevance, while building inbound links generates authority"
While on-page optimization is a good first step with great content, title tags and meta descriptions, you will ultimately get much more leverage by having links from other sites to yours. They can reflect credibility and that you have valuable info to share. Inbound links used to just be a source of referral traffic. Now, they influence your search engine rankings as well.
Links have become an incredibly important factor in getting your pages to rank well in the search engines, and "each link to your page will pass some search authority along with it. In the search engines eyes, a link to a page on your website is a vote for that page."
"get social" - sharing buttons
Social Media is having more and more of an impact on SEO and this is likely to increase. People are sharing relevant, timely information at an alarming rate. With Twitter, Facebook and the new kind on the block Google+ with its +1 button authoring quality content will likely be in your favor from an SEO standpoint. You want to have great content to share and the means for people to have easy access to share it from your site.
local search: "geo-targeting" your business
Geo-targeting means including your actual city or cities that you serve within your local business listing. With more and more people utilizing mobile devices such as smart-phones for local searches — those who are in essence "ready to buy", geo-targeting can be a crucial element as part of an effective SEO strategy.
The caveat is: YOU MUST HAVE AN ACTUAL PHYSICAL BUSINESS LOCATION TO BE ON THESE LOCAL LISTINGS.
SEO is part of a strategy
SEO is part of a strategy and it is ongoing. Keep in mind a website is a "Living Project". Maintaining & updating your website with fresh content should not be overlooked either as it can reflect your credibility to customers as well as be appealling to the Search Engines. Understand that the combination of an effective strategy will likely deliver the business results you want to achieve!
Not sure if your site has been properly optimized? Future Primitive is here to help!
*Please note: SEO is an Art Not a Science. Many things can affect how appealing or unappealing your site may be to Search Engines and or customers. Poor site structure, navigation, long page load times, no new content or lack of quality, relevant content are to name a few. And Google's algorithms are constantly changing —
Future Primitive Graphics cannot be held responsible for search engine results!