Search engine optimization (SEO), is the process of getting traffic from the “free,” or “organic,” listings on search engines. All major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing have such results, where web pages and other content such as videos or local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. Payment IS NOT involved.
No matter what anyone tells you, SEO today is still the BEST best method to market your business and generate TARGETED TRAFFIC to your website. Targeted traffic means, people who are actually looking to buy from you or a minimal, looking for products or services you are offering.
Is SEO Complicated?
The basic concept of SEO is NOT complicated, you just have to understand what’s the best way, and most efficient way to SEO for your business.
Think of devices like a car, computer, or any type of machine. A lot of people know how to drive a car, but very few know how it really works. How does a car turn on? What are the step by step actions that happen from turning that ignition key to when that car start? Do you really care?
If you’re a car guy, then you probably know that process, but if you know the basics of a car’s operation, you know, turn the key the car starts. Put Gas, car runs. Keep the car maintenance, oil change, washed,…etc, the car will last and keep it’s value.
SEO is no different, DO NOT worry about truly understanding HOW SEO WORKS (that can take hours and days to understand), just make sure you do understand the basic concepts. And we’re going to give them to you.
Understanding SEO
SEO has ONLY TWO main components:
1) ON-Page SEO – All SEO components having to do withing your website.
2) OFF-Page SEO – All SEO components having to do OFF / AWAY from your website.
On-Page SEO
1. Website
Having a website is the basic component of SEO. Get a website, own your own website and domain and try to avoid FREE websites deals, unless you can buy your website and domain if you ever choose to end your services with that company.
2. Website Organization
How you organize your website is a KEY component to SEO for many reasons, for your customers, for search engines and for your sales. Part of Google’s criteria in evaluating websites has to do with how it’s organinzed.
Is is easy to follow?
Does it tell me where to go? , What to do?
Does it have what I’m looking for?
How is it structured? Does it have a navigation menu
Basic questions like these and need to be considered when creating your website, and NOT ONLY for Google, but for your customers. Put yourself in your customers shoes, if you went to your website, would you know what you’re offering or selling? Would you know where to click first or where to buy?
Website organization is a VERY IMPORTANT component to SEO that many business owners forget to implement when paying hundreds and thousand to SEO companies for “Top Rankings” then they wonder why their not getting those rankings or any sales.
3. Website Pages Tags & Descriptions (Title Tags | Meta Descriptions)
This is another component that is key to your website’s SEO, but again, it is a factor that is forgotten to misunderstood.
The basic understanding of Title Tags and Meta Descriptions is the description of each of your website’s pages. EACH PAGE on your website needs to have a UNIQUE Title & Descriptions. Think of this as a summary or intro to the page. If Google were to go you a single page on you’re site, before reading the page it should be able to read your Title Tags & Meta Description and know what the page name is, and what it will be about.
WARNING: Per Google’s criteria, each page and blog page on your website, MUST have a UNIQUE Title and Description. It CANNOT have the same Title or Description as any other page or it cannot be blank. This will hurt your SEO status. Contact your web manager or contact us to know if your website meets the crucial criteria’s Google review to evaluate your website.
4. Much more…
Now, there are other factors that On-Page SEO contains, such as Keywords, Website Speed, Blogs, Content, Links…etc., so feel free to contact us if you have any questions on these factors and how we can review your website to make sure you meet all of Google’s evaluation criteria and most importantly, how you can adjust or fix your website to make sure you are SEOing correctly.
Off-Page SEO
1. Links & Linking
Off-Page SEO is pretty easy to understand, but can be complicated to perform. The main component of Off-Page SEO has to do with LINKS on other websites that direct people to your your website.
This can be done using many platforms such as a distribution of blog, business directories, news wires, and many many more. This of this as the digital marketing of your website on the Internet. The more places your business is mentioned or talked about, the better is it for you.
The more Google sees that your business is, the better evaluation it will give you for keywords that you are after.
Now, as you can guess, this is where SPAMMING and many unethical practices can take place. After call, if you can spread your blog, business listing or anything to do with your business ALL over the Internet, you would think, “THE BETTER IS IS FOR YOU, RIGHT?” –Wrong!
This use to be an effective way to SEO many years ago, but in TODAY’S world of SEO, it just doesn’t work. Search Engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing have caught onto many unethical practices and NO LONGER condoned these methods. Worst of all, it can heavily penalize your website, to make it even harder for your to SEO, even after fixing your SEO.
In today’s Internet marketing, Search Engines are not the only ones that can spot SHADY methods of marketing, customers themselves are a lot more sophisticated when researching online. If the feel unconfortable or suspicious about your ads, emails, websites…etc., they not only will NOT BUY from you, but report your to search engines and social media.
There’s really NO SHORTCUTS to marketing, there never has been. The Internet may make it easier to market your business today than it did 10, 20 years ago, but it definitely requires ethical practices and honest strategies.
Lean More About SEO-ing For Your Business
As we mentioned above, SEO can be very complicated to get into, but again, you don’t need to. If you understand that SEO is the best method of marketing your business online, then you understand SEO.
Let the experts worry about how SEO works, your job is to understand the basics, and hire the best company to either consult you on your SEO or do your SEO for you.
Proper SEO can take anywhere from 3 to 6 to see tangible results. If you’re market is very competitive, it can take 6 to 12 months, but a good SEO company will go after low competitive market initially to build up your marketing, so you can begin generating traffic.
For a FREE CONSULTATION on your SEO or Web Presence, contact us today and we’ll be happy to talk to you. Click here to apply for the consultation.
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