What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
There are many different definitions of SEO. For the purposes of this article, SEO is a term used to describe the process of growing visibility in organic search results. SEO covers both the technical and non-technical elements required to improve your search rankings, drive organic traffic, and increase visibility in search engines.
Do I need to focus on SEO for my website?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important for all public-facing websites. It doesn’t matter if you're a product or a services company; most organic web traffic is driven by the 3 major search engines: Google, Bing and Yahoo!.
Search engines are like the highway of the internet. The connect users looking for something with information relevant to what they are looking for. In order for your information, products, and/or services to show up, search engines need to be able to find your site and index your content. If your website is not setup and optimized for this, you are missing out on the #1 driver of users to your website.
When a user types something into a search box, search engines run the query through a series of unique algorithms to generate a list of relevant results. Each search engine uses a slightly different algorithm or “secret sauce”. Being able to take advantage of the information you have and optimize your website for these algorithms can have an exceptional rate of return when compared to other types of marketing.
While search engines are smart, they still need help to return better results to users. The algorithms they use are always changing and improving to optimize and adjust for changing technology. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an art. The right SEO strategy can ensure success to an organization and ensure you have better visibility, while a bad strategy can bury your site deep in the search results and greatly hurt your search ranking.
One important thing to note about SEO is that making improvements won’t just help your search engine ranking, but it will also improve your content. The digital landscape continues to evolve and as competition continues to grow, companies who invest in SEO will have an advantage over companies who do not.
Can I do SEO for myself?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a complex topic, but most people can easily understand the basics. Even a small amount of knowledge can make a big difference. Depending on your time commitment, your willingness to learn, and the complexity of your website(s), you may decide you need an expert to handle things for you.
SEO isn't just about building search engine-friendly websites; it's about making your site better for people, too.