You might be wondering what the heck SEO is in the first place? It’s my hope that this page will explain everything. Let’s begin!

Basic SEO Definition

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is a fancy way of saying that, by these efforts of SEO, we hope to have your site rise in search engine rankings for specific key words, phrases or search terms that you have deemed valuable and worthwhile for your products and/or brand. There are a variety of ways to do this.

What Does SEO Usually Entail?

SEO, at its very basic, usually entails making changes to a website in order to make it more targeted for the key words or phrases I mentioned earlier. This usually involves manupulating things such as:

  • Title Tags – These are the words that show up in the tabs on your browser, and are one of the most important tags on the page. Think of this as the large sign along the highway trying to let drivers know your business exists.
  • Headings – For example, the title of this section is a heading. These have quite a bit of weight in the eyes of search engines. Think of these as the signs pointing to your business once you get off the freeway.
  • Content – There’s an old saying in SEO that “content is king.” This is as true today as it was when websites began. You might sell specific products or services, but the content you write about those products, and your business, and the poeple involved in your business, are what will help bring people to your products or services.
  • Site Speed – The more people use mobile to browse the web — in many cases, exclusively — the faster we want our websites to be. If a site doesn’t load in two seconds or less, it’s more likely people will leave and move on, so having a fast site is tremendously important.

These are just some of the many factors that go into a proper and successful SEO campaign. As you might surmise, doing these things takes a lot of time and effort, but the payoff in the end is usually worth it.

What is the Goal of SEO?

You might think, initially, that the goal of SEO is to sell more products or services, and yes, that is what we want to have happen, but it goes deeper than that. The ultimate goal of SEO is you make your site and your brand valuable, in the eyes not only of search engines, but of users. This means, if you sell blue widgets, you want your site to be the authority on blue widgets, the first place people will go when they think of blue widgets, or have questions about blue widgets. This goes beyond tags and content, but also social media, link generation, user engagement and so much more. SEO is more than tags and content, it’s about connecting with existing and new fans and turning them into customers.

Is there a downside to SEO?

Proper, above board SEO doesn’t really have a downside because you’re basically adding life to your brand through constant site improvements, content generation and user engagement. The only downside is that none of this happens overnight. Even if you make a boatload of changes to your site, it can take weeks or even months for the search engines to notice and begin giving your site the value and visibility it deserves. This is why any SEO is a long-term endeavor that requires constant vigilance and hard work. Again, it’s worth it in the end, you just won’t see results right away.

What Does This All Mean in the End for me and my brand?

Basically, if done right, consistently, honestly and passionately, SEO becomes as second nature as breathing. Creating new pages will always take title tags into account, content will be generated regularly, social media will always be engaged with and so on. It’s a constant campaign for the hearts and minds of new customers, but in the end, it will reap constant rewards, as your site and brand will be seen as a valuable authority on the products and services you provide, and will not only keep existing customers coming back, but will get those customers to share their experiences with others, and bring new customers and fans into the fold. This is, in the end, why SEO is so important not just to a website, but to an entire brand and business.

Conclusion

I hope this has sufficiently explained what SEO is, why it’s important, and how it can help you get eyes on your game, or other product or service. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, and thank you for reading.