Making the commitment to improving online visibility in business can be exciting, but also a tad daunting, especially when terms like “SEO” are thrown around. Whether you are a startup, are in the process of building your own website, or simply want to improve your existing one, a basic understanding of SEO will go a long way. In this article I will uncomplicate your digital business life with an easy-to-follow guide to not only understanding, but putting into practice some of the principles of SEO. The best part: you don’t even to leave your comfy couch to read, OR take this advice!
If you are new to SEO and online marketing in general, you might want to first check out my article Basics of Social Analytics. This will ensure you have a general understanding of some of the language used in the digital world.
What is SEO anyway?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Much like a vast public library, the internet hosts an unimaginable amount of information. If the internet is the library, then SEO is the librarian there to help you find the book you’re looking for. Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing use complex algorithms to talk to that librarian and deliver the most relevant results to their users–your potential customers! Implementing a SEO strategy is the process of optimizing your website’s content and structure so that search engines can not only better understand it–what it is and what purpose it serves–but who to share it with and how frequently to share it.
Why should I care about optimizing?
The internet is crowded–very, VERY crowded! Society today is so inter-connected, that even if your business is local to one specific town, with one specific niche, your website must behave like a separate department competing for visibility not just with your town or niche, but with the entire world. That’s a lot to ask of one little ol’ website! BUT, it’s also part of why search engines first came into existence.
To stand out amongst the millions of digital voices out there, SEO is your best bet. A well-designed SEO strategy can:
- Increase your site’s visibility on search engines, driving more traffic
- Improve user experience, ensuring visitors stay longer
- Lend credibility to your brand
- Give you an edge over competitors who are not utilizing SEO
If the internet is the library, then SEO is the librarian there to help you find the book you’re looking for.
SEO Basics Checklist
Let’s break it down into an easy-to-follow checklist:
- Research keywords: Think about the words and phrases potential customers might type into a search engine when looking for products or services like yours. Use keyword research tools (such as Google Keyword Planner and MOZ Keyword Explorer) to collect a list of relevant keywords.
- Use those keywords strategically: Incorporate these keywords into your website content, your page URLs, titles & headings, meta descriptions, and alt text for images. But remember, they should feel natural within the context, not forced. If they don’t make sense within your content or services, it’s not going to help bring in the clientele you need.
- Create quality content: Search engines love fresh, relevant content! Regularly update your site with interesting, valuable content like blogs, articles, infographics, and videos that your audience will appreciate. If you’re having trouble getting started, take a look at some of your own favorite websites. Note what sort of content they produce, how often, the reactions and engagement they receive, etc. What is it that draws you, personally, to their content? Follow up by doing a similar audit of your competitors’ web presence, and you may be able to discover trends that drive interaction and engagement from customers, or better yet, content gaps that need to be filled (by you!) Once you have an idea of what content to produce, you can take advantage of free AI tools if you’re having difficulty. While AI is still in its infancy and can certainly be helpful for writer’s block, it’s important to remember to closely review the information it generates.
- Prioritize user experience: This one’s a biggie! Make sure your website loads quickly, navigates smoothly, and is mobile-friendly. Bounce rate (users leaving soon after they arrive on your site) impacts SEO too. Think about how to organize your pages, your menus, your contact forms, etc. and cull anything that isn’t absolutely necessary to protect both loading speed and potential user frustration.
- Promote backlinks: Encourage other reputable (and hopefully relevant) websites to link to your content. This is called backlinking and can be viewed as a sort of website to website testimonial. It helps increase your site’s reputation and favorability in the eyes of search engines, and can also let you also take advantage of other websites’ traffic. It’s important to keep tabs on your backlinks–if misfortune, a PR issue, etc. hits that website, there could be spillover effects to yours depending on the situation!
- Stay patient and persistent: This is extremely important and I’ve seen many businesses give up on their SEO plans because they did not see immediate results. SEO is NOT a one-time fix but a long-term strategy and commitment to continuing action. Search engines often take time to acknowledge changes, so it’s crucial to be patient and consistent with your efforts. Beginning the process of implementing SEO best practices may leave you in what author James Clear calls “The Valley of Disappointment.” But with enough time, and enough persistence, you will eventually make it through!
Just like cooking a new recipe, the first attempts may not be perfect. But that’s okay! With time, the process will seem less intimidating and more like a routine. This guide is intended to be a starting point. As always, you can reach out to us here at Cinderhawk if you have questions related to anything marketing, design, or printing and we’ll be happy to help you out!
