WTF is SEO?
If you have a website or write a blog, you’ve likely heard of SEO. But do you truly understand what it is and why it’s important? SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization, a symphony of words that mean the following:
Search Engine - A search engine is basically the librarian of the Internet. It’s the tool you use to find the answer to your question or someone who offers the product or service you’re looking for. Basically Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc. (AKA To “Google” something.)
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Optimization - To make as effective as possible.
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Search Engine Optimization - The strategies used to increase the amount of visitors to your website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in related search engine results.
Ok, what does that actually mean?
The goal of SEO is to ensure that your website appears as close to the top of related search results as possible. Why? The first page of Google captures 71% of search traffic clicks, meaning the vast majority of people don’t go beyond page one of their Google search results. So if you don’t show up on page one, your website is unlikely to be seen.
To put it simply, the goal of SEO is to attract the attention of search engines so your website appears in related results.
How to make SEO your b
The simplest way is through keywords. A keyword is a word or phrase people type into a search engine when they’re looking for information, products, and services.
Let’s say you’re a beekeeper. Your keywords may be honey, raw honey, chili pepper honey, etc. Basically, a keyword is what a user would type into Google for a result.
So if I wanted some honey, I’m likely to type in “raw chili pepper honey” and if you sell raw chili pepper honey, you want to show up as close to the top of my Google search result as possible.
Tip: If you serve customers locally, always include your town in your keywords. For example, people often search “photographer in ‘x location.’”
How do you use keywords? Simply include your keywords in the descriptions on your website, in your blog posts, and in your page (meta) descriptions.
Example of a website meta description, as it appears in search engine results.
Ready for the next level?
There’s more to SEO than keywords, but keywords are the foundation and best place to start when understanding what the heck SEO is and how to use it.
Learn more about SEO and how to boost traffic to your website here.
Hey there! I’m Meg:
LOVER OF CATS, ROLLER SKATING, AND VW BUGS
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