If you’re new to internet marketing you’re probably wondering what is SEO? Search Engine Optimization; SEO, is the means of preparing a strategy to get your website found on the first page of search engines. The dictionary term probably elaborates more on that but let’s face it, we could care less on the specifics of dictionary terms and more on search engine first page placement.
There’s really no secret to what most internet marketers do. SEO is simply the combination of on-page and off-page techniques but the real secret is the strategy behind how it’s done. How an internet marketer gets your website found is their own unique technique and the tools used their secret. Nowadays, there are so many different strategies to getting ranked on the first page it’s becoming more difficult to identify which strategies work best. In actuality, it really depends on what outcome the customer (you) expects from SEO. For instance, some people simply want traffic to their blog for subscriptions and others care to sell a product or service. This is why we believe each website and/or company should have a custom strategy to their internet marketing efforts.
The purpose of this article is to ensure that you have at the very least some understanding of search engine optimization. That way, if you decide to retain the services of an internet marketing firm, at least you’ll know what questions to ask and what to look out for. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself wasting away a marketing budget without understanding why it’s not working.
Why SEO Is Important
SEO is important to every website or business wanting to be found on the internet because without SEO, your website will never be found – or at least not at a competitive ranking. If first-page placement on Google is important to you, then you need an SEO strategy to get you there. Before the internet, a company named AAA Example would be one of the first listings in the phone book. Also, you could invest in a prime location and hope that passerby traffic would stop in. These days with internet marketing, neither of those is hardly important and who the heck still uses a phone book? With a proper SEO strategy in place for your website and/or business, you could not only increase traffic but also convert traffic to internet sales or phone inquiries. SEO is important because it’s the difference between what you’re doing and what your competitors are not doing to getting found on the internet.
The Basics To Search Engine Optimization
With search engine optimization I could literally spend days explaining frequently used terms, and unique strategies that have personally worked for me. However, because this is a beginner’s introduction, I will share with you the basics to search engine optimization that helped me understand how to get started with ranking my website on Google.
For starters, if you’re a manager or business owner, you probably want to retain the services of an internet marketing firm for search engine optimization. Reason being, getting ranked on the search engines is one thing, keeping that placement is an art in its own when competitors notice you’re actively seeking placement. Search engine optimization can easily become someones part-time or even full-time job depending on how important placement is to your website/business. Depending on how aggressive you want to be with your efforts, I suggest speaking with an internet marketing firm to discuss your short and long-term goals for first-page placement. A few questions to ask yourself before hiring an internet marketing firm are:
- Should I upgrade or redo my website?
- What kind of internet traffic is important to me?
- Who is my audience and/or customer?
- What are my internet marketing goals?
- What is my internet marketing budget?
By asking yourself these simple questions you’ll have a better idea on what to discuss with an internet marketing firm. Keep in mind, it is in the best interests of a true SEO firm to get you found on the first page of search engines. Why? The answer is simple, when your business is on the first page and you’re either 1. making more sales and/or 2. receiving more internet traffic to your website/business, then you’re happy to continue all internet marketing efforts every month to retain your first-page placement.
SEO Tips To Keep In Mind
Whether you’re venturing off into the internet marketing world on your own or looking to hire an internet marketing firm, keep the following in mind:
- Depending on your current internet popularity, getting ranked on the first page may be easier to some than others. With that in mind, know that SEO doesn’t happen over night and think of SEO as a marathon with no real end or finish.
- Stay AWAY from black hat SEO. Black hat SEO will very easily get search engines to sandbox you. Think of the sandbox like a kindergartner, sent to time out for breaking the rules.
- Set your internet marketing budget most comfortable to you. If you go at this alone or hire an internet marketing firm, just know that search engine optimization is not free and will cost you both time and money. Set the budget aside monthly so there’s no surprises.
