Once thought of as a buzz term, search engine operation is now one of the major pillars of online marketing. In fact, it might just be the most vital pillar since how well a website does in cyberspace can make or break a business in today’s online world. So, those who ignore the importance of SEO do so at their own peril. But there’s nothing to fear, as even those businesses and companies without a robust online marketing strategy can dive right in. All it takes is learning the basics. Here are three key things to know about SEO:
Search Engine Optimization Defined
Cutting through all the tech jargon, SEO is simply the pursuit of high online rankings in the major search engines. Now, since Google enjoys a search engine market share of around 70%, most businesses, companies and advertisers tend to focus on the big boy. There are a number of elements to modern SEO, and businesses that want their site or content ranked highly in Google (and Bing and Yahoo!), need to factor in everything from the text (keywords and tagging) to how other sites link back to the website in question (backlinks).
The fundamental thing to remember in today’s SEO landscape is that high rankings are not achieved merely by having a sleek website. Google’s bots scan content looking for how popular said content is with organic search queries. These crawlers index the information on the page and the higher the matches, the higher the ranking. Therefore, crafting a website or piece of content that is popular with audiences will always take precedent.
Autonomous SEO
Most frugal business owners without much interest in this area will likely wonder if they can craft solid SEO on their own. Certainly, anything is possible. But crafting a solid SEO strategy these days is a subtle and complex art that requires a deft and seasoned hand. Anyone can learn the basics of search engine optimization, but to apply it effectively requires a focus and time commitment most business owner don’t have, as they are likely running every other aspect of their operation as well. If this is the case, businesses can find the requisite help via a reputable SEO company, such as those listed at LocalSEOCompanies.com.
Reaching an Audience
As in any advertising strategy, the point of good SEO is to reach a target audience. Businesses that achieve this via their website and content will find they appear near the top of online searches in their area. As mentioned above, it’s vital to tailor web content to the audience and not to the search engines themselves. That means crafting unique, original content that is helpful to Internet users and doing so on a consistent basis. It’s also vital for businesses to optimize their websites for mobile, especially when taking into account 60% of global mobile consumers use their mobile device as their primary Internet source.
In the end, there are few better ways to harness the power of inbound marketing than through search engine optimization. Those businesses that take this heart and craft comprehensive SEO strategies will open up direct lines of communication with their target audience.
