AN INTRODUCTION TO SEO
WHAT IS SEO? If that’s not the million dollar question.
SEO, or “Search Engine Optimization” is essentially your ranking on Google and other major search engines. Now, while that is obviously the simple way of explaining things, SEO is actually much more complex than the definition we just gave you. But hey, if it was easy, wouldn’t everybody be doing it?
Our goal with this article is to give you a basic run down of SEO, also highlighting why it is imperative to incorporate an SEO strategy into your business.
SO. Let’s get started. Why is SEO important to your business? If you’re good at it, not only does SEO equal free traffic to your website, but also targeted traffic. Customers who are online seeking out the service that you provide… Ready to buy. Most entrepreneurs reading this likely have a website, so it’s plausible you already believe in the importance of an online presence. The next step is to optimize your website with SEO.
Now, how do we do this? We’ve broken down the most important steps for SEO in the content below. Remember, this just scratches the surface of SEO, but will serve as a useful resource for those who are just getting their feet wet.
KEYWORD PLANNING
SEO keywords are terms added to online content to improve search engine ranking for those terms. You need to put yourself into the shoes of your prospective audience. For example, “What would my customers search for if they were seeking out my service” is an excellent question to pose when conducting keyword research. There is a lot of different software out there to help with keyword planning. Uber Suggest created by Neil Patel is an affordable option that is great for beginners.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
It is important to analyze your competition and the terms they are ranking for on Google. This helps you decide what angle to take to generate the most traffic for your business. Especially when you are getting started, understanding your competition can make or break you when it comes to optimal SEO for your website.
ON SITE OPTIMIZATION
Now that you have done your research, it is time to implement the information you have harvested. Make sure to check that your website is frequently using the keyword terms that you would like to rank for. DO NOT implement strategies such as keyword stuffing and/or invisible text. These are black hat methods which we will cover in a different article that can get you penalized by Google and even get your website banned. The key here is to put the user first and make sure that you are creating content that ultimately provides an excellent user experience.
OFF SITE SEO
For most people with aspirations of becoming an SEO expert, this is where things get tricky. Off site SEO is made up of the links that are linking back to your website. In the SEO world, we call these acquisitions “backlinks”. The more credible the website linking to yours, the better results you will see from acquiring the link. The problem for most people is that link building does not come easy. Some SEO agencies automate their link building strategy which may provide returns in the short run, but in the long run again can harm your SEO. Both automated and manual outreach have pros and cons. Whichever route you take we advise you to do your research and go with the option that best suits your business model.
THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT COVER EVERYTHING ABOUT SEO. However, it does give you an inside glimpse at the fundamentals. Got a question about SEO? E-mail us at mail@roccityseo.com.