Have you asked yourself, “What is SEO? What does it mean and why do I care about it as a business owner?” If so, read on.
Basically, SEO is a way to build a website so that it can be easily and quickly found on search engines. If you have ever wondered why your site doesn’t appear in search results if you type in your business genre, you are probably in need of SEO for your website. Wikipedia says that SEO is, “the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines [like Google or Yahoo], through either natural or algorithmic search results.
Typically, the earlier (or higher) a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. There is a lot that is involved in the process of SEO. Cardinal Digital Marketing has a great post listing all the latest changes that can help you avoid mistakes and get the results you want.
BE AWARE of companies that use unethical techniques known as black hat SEO or Spamdexing. Some companies promising SEO services may use methods such as link farms, keyword stuffing or article spinning that degrade both the relevance of search results and the user-experience of search engines. When search engines find sites which employ black hat methods, they are removed from their indices! Beware of companies that have had domain names removed from Google’s index in the past or is not itself listed in Google. Check out this article on one particularly aggressive SEO. In Google’s words from their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Webmaster Tools:
No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with Google, or advertise a “priority submit” to Google.
No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with Google, or advertise a “priority submit” to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is to register your site and app with Google’s Search Console.
When building a site, we employ practices and honor Bruce Clay’s SEO code of ethics. Remember that no one can promise you a first page listing in a search engine. Search engines like Google use a specific algorithm to conduct it’s searches and they change it on a regular basis. If anyone does try and promise you first page ranking, run away. We can definitely help with making sure you honestly and properly optimize your website. Basic SEO and search engine site submission is included with all new website projects. Please contact us for a quote for either a new site or to optimize your current site. All consultations are FREE!
Resources:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Webmaster Tools
- Cardinal Digital Marketing.com – Ultimate Guide to SEO in 2019
- Google’s Search Console
- SEO Code of Ethics by Bruce Clay
- SEO: A Six-Step Link Building Plan
- 12 Things to Do to Improve Your Site’s Google Page Rank by Stas Bekma
- 12 Things NOT to Do to Improve Your Site’s Google Page Ranking
- SEO, Usability & 15 Stupid Things You Can Do to Your Website – SMX West
- 4 Time-Saving SEO Tips
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