What is SEO & Why Is It Important for Your Business?
If you’ve created a website for your business, hired someone to build your business website, or crafted content for your business, you’ve probably heard the term “SEO.” SEO is a staple for any business with an online presence, but you may still be wondering - “What is SEO?” and “Is it really that important for the success of my business?”
In this post, we’ll explore the meaning behind SEO, why it’s essential for all business websites, and some of the most critical factors that go into SEO.
What is SEO?
The acronym SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” SEO is the strategy behind optimizing content so search engines, mainly Google, can rank which content is most relevant for a query.
For example: Say you search for “best herbal tea near me” on Google. Google is going to analyze all the content it has and provide you with the top results for your query. In order to analyze millions of websites and webpages and provide you with the highest-quality content, Google uses algorithms that scan for certain characteristics. You want to make sure your website provides all the characteristics Google is looking for so it can present your website as a top choice to potential clients or customers.
SEO is a necessary and highly effective tool that should be considered by all businesses with an online presence.
Why Is SEO Important for Your Business?
Optimizing the SEO on your website will increase your website traffic because it will make it easier for your target audience to find you. It’s important to note that only organic content, meaning it’s not a paid advertisement, is involved in Google page rankings. Paid ads will appear at the top of the search page and are statistically less likely to be clicked on than organic content.
Well-executed SEO campaigns will increase your website traffic, which leads to more sales.
With an optimized website, you’re more likely to:
Increase organic traffic to your website
Increase sales (because more people can find you!)
Build trust with your target audience
Surge ahead of your competitors
Receive a higher ranking on Google
Create a better user experience
Let’s dive into some of the main SEO elements every business should meet on their website.
Keywords
Keywords are search phrases and consist of 2 or more words. Keyword inclusion on webpages helps Google match your content with a client’s or customer’s potential search phrase. When considering which keywords to use, ask yourself, “What would a client or customer search for in Google to find the products or services I offer?” The goal is to determine your audience's intent.
The chosen keyword should be sprinkled throughout the webpage (at least 3 - 5 times) and it’s ideal to have it appear in the first paragraph and subhead.
Various tools can show you if a keyword is relevant by analyzing how often the keyword is searched for monthly, if the search rate has gone up or down, and what the competition level is for that specific keyword.
Check out these methods for figuring out which keywords you should use.
The 3 Essential SEO Elements
The 3 essential SEO elements include the URL, Title Tag, and Page title (H1 Tag). Optimizing these elements with your keywords is a great way to improve your overall ranking and signal to Google that your content is relevant.
The page URL should include your keyword and look as natural as possible. For example, if your business sells clothing dyed with herb material, and you’re writing a blog post with the keyword “eco printing,” you want your URL to reflect this keyword.
Your URL could read: website.com/the-beauty-of-eco-printing
It’s best to avoid repeating a word in the URL as this could be considered “keyword stuffing.” This includes your website name!
The SEO Title Tag is the title that appears in a search result and helps search engines figure out the page's purpose. The title tag should include the keyword toward the front and, like the URL, sound as natural as possible. To go off of our last example, your title tag might read:
Explore Eco Printing + Elevate your Wardrobe | Brand Name
When writing your title tag, keep it under 60 characters (including spaces), and remember that this title is different from your page title!
A Page Title is the title at the top of the webpage. So in the example’s case, it would be the blog post title and would read something like:
The Beauty of Eco Printing for a Closet Upgrade
You can use similar terms to the SEO title tag; however, you want to keep the keyword and the page title unique. Like the title tag, keep the page title between 30 and 60 characters (including spaces).
Backlinks
Link building is an essential part of SEO and can be executed through various methods. Backlinks are links that connect one website to another via an anchor text. These links are significant as they signify a website’s “vote of confidence” in another website. When a page links to your website or one of your web pages, it shows that your content is relevant, powerful, and trustworthy.
Ways to build links to your website include:
Writing a guest post for a relevant site
Adding your site naturally to appropriate forums
Getting your website on a resource page
Just like the above SEO strategies, taking a natural approach is important. Simply adding numerous links to a forum is a red flag for search engines and will do more harm than good to your ranking. So be thoughtful and intentional.
In Closing,
While you may know how to answer the general question, “What is SEO?” learning how to execute an SEO campaign is a long-term investment in your brand and target audience and can be a powerful tool. The SEO process is a marathon and may take some time to see results, so it’s vital to devote time to SEO education, continuously follow SEO strategies, and have patience for your website to generate organic traffic.
If you would like some support implementing SEO on your website, we’d love to help! You can visit our “Services” page for more information or contact us if you’re thinking about taking the dive.
