Straight talk about SEO
It’s time for some simple talk about a topic that is largely misunderstood: SEO. In my opinion, unscrupulous individuals and organizations have taken advantage of the confusion around optimization to swindle hardworking people out of their marketing dollars.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website so that it shows up on the first page of search results in search engines like Google and Bing. Let’s say you’re searching for something like “movie theaters in Los Angeles”. Search engines use complex algorithms to find websites related to that search query and then they display the results on a webpage. If you own a movie theater then you want to show up on that first page of results so can get that new customer.
That seems easy right? Wrong. Here’s why.
Why SEO is Difficult
SEO is one of the most fast-paced industries around right now because the search engines make massive changes to their ranking algorithms almost every month it seems. The search engines do this because they want to reduce the amount spam and harmful sites that show up in their results. In the process, though, these updates cause indescribable pain for optimization professionals because they have to adjust their clients’ sites after each update (usually). So search optimization pros spend a lot of time keeping constant vigilance on how the new updates will alter their clients’ sites’ search performance and what new changes are coming down the pike.
Why Local SEO Matters
Local SEO efforts have become a huge part of the search ecosystem as the search engines weigh local information and geo-location data heavily. Ensuring that you claim your local directory listings and that the information is correct can have a significant impact on your site’s search performance. In fact, if this information is not consistent Google can “ding” your site and the consequences of this can be an absolute nightmare to rectify. Local search performance is particularly important for service-oriented businesses like repairmen, movers, restaurants, etc. that service a particular geographic area.
How to Improve Your Site’s Optimization
There are several important steps that search optimization professionals will take when they look at improving a website’s search performance. I give away a lot of SEO tips in my weekly emails and you can subscribe below! Or, you can send me an email and I can work with you to develop a custom SEO plan.