What’s Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, involves steps a specialists takes to make it easy for search engines to find and recognize content that is relevant to what a user is searching for. For example, if you are searching online for an attorney who does patent law, an SEO specialist helps to make the attorney’s website easily accessible and understandable to the search engines. The SEO Specialist will make sure that the site is technically accessible to the search engine and that the content reflects the kind of language (keywords) that people who are searching for this type of service will use.
When we talk about search engines, we are referring to tools like Google, Bing, Safari and others. These tools organize information on the internet to enable it to be searched so that they can provide results in response to an inquiry.
By doing SEO, you can improve your website’s ranking in organic (non-advertising related) search engine results.
To do this, an SEO specialist looks at content (the words on the page) as well as the structure and organization of the website to make sure that it is easy for a search engine like google to find relevant information on that website.
In addition, SEO extends beyond your website to explore, create and maintain appropriate links to other relevant websites and ensuring business listings and citations in many business directories are up to date.
Social media activities also have an impact on a websites visibility to search engines. SEO is not a one-time activity.
To maintain an optimal state for search engines like Google, SEO should be managed on an ongoing basis.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the point of SEO?
Businesses engage in search engine optimization to improve their position or ranking in the results that a search engine provides when a person types in a search request.
How fast does SEO work?
Search engine optimization is not a “quick fix”. Your website and any modifications made to it during the process needs to be reviewed or “catalogued” by search engines, and there are many components of the search engine algorithm that work to generate the results that are shown in response to a query. We work on a number of these components to increase the visibility and authority of your site so that it will appear higher in search results.
Is it possible to “buy my way” to the top of organic search results?
No. You may be offered the opportunity to appear in directories that will often appear first in search results for a given term, but remember that being a part of these directories has a downside because you are being listed along with the rest of your competitors, other companies who do what you do. That means that once they get through looking at your offerings, they can easily move to the next company down the list and review their products and services. This is a common misunderstanding we have seen with many companies who believe that by having paid to be included in certain industry specific online directories, they have done what needs to be done for SEO purposes. A business invests in search engine optimization so that their own website can be more visible to searchers.
There is a way to appear at the top of the page when a search is made and that is by doing pay per click advertising. Click here to learn more about how we can help you with pay per click advertising.
What do Search Engines like Google or Bing look for?
- Think of search engines as wanting to satisfy their customer by providing the best information for their customers. This translates into:
- Having the Relevant Keywords
- Having fresh content
- Having Content that is linked to by sites with strong “authority”
- Having Content that is referenced by others
If you are looking for increased visibility for your website and your business, complete the form below.
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