What is SEO?

I might date myself here – but when I was younger, I learned how to program a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet. It was a lesson in logic and thoughtful calculation. Computer programs have gotten smarter and more accessible to everyone but the overall concept is the same. 1 + 1 = 2 and “If (this) then (that)” still applies. I think the same thing applies to SEO.

So what is SEO? Well, in short, Search Engine Optimization is a term that means you are setting up your website in a way that makes it accessible to your audience. As I’m learning more and more about it, I’m finding that there are a LOT of differing opinions on the subject. People seem to know they need to do it but they don’t fully understand what it is so anyone that seems to give them a quick answer wins their work.

SEO is sort of like creating a retirement plan.  Are you ready to retire the next day, week, month or even year after you start? No way! You establish a plan, start implementing that plan and wait. And while you’re waiting, you might tweak things depending upon what’s happening in the outside environment. Hopefully, that plan gets you to live the life of your dreams like traveling or getting that perfect kitchen you always wanted! Look at SEO the same way. It takes planning and work to be successful. Here are a few points to consider.

1. Create a Strategy

Without a plan, you won’t have goals, leaving you no way of knowing how you will get there and if you’ve even arrived. Figure out what you want. What piece of data is going to make you feel like you’re successful? Is it that you want to sell more of one particular product/service? Do you want your phone to ring more? Or maybe your industry is like mine where your website is more supportive in nature and doesn’t really do anything other than provide backup information to your potential customers.

2. Know Your Audience

I met with someone the other day. They wanted me to help them make their store look better. But as we talked, I realized that they didn’t have any idea who their customer was or even who they WANTED to be their customer. Look, you know more about who buys your products/service than I do.  But here’s the really cool part of that answer – you have a whole list of people you can ask to find out! Do you have a few customers that are your favorite? Ones that you’d love to have more of? Ask them what was it that made them ultimately buy from you. You ask enough people, you’ll start to find a trend.  Then use that trend and tailor every part of your message to fit.

3. Be specific in your Goals

Establish primary and secondary goals.  Figure out what you really like to do and what makes you the most amount of money. That way, you can earn a living AND be happy! For instance, let’s say you have a $5 part to sell. Your primary goal is probably going to be going after mid-sized companies who are going to buy 250-500 of your product at a time.  Not the huge retail chains that buy more than you can handle or the individual buyers who only buy one. Those can be secondary goals but you’re not going to waste huge amounts of effort trying to reach them.

4. There’s No Magic Ticket

I’ve heard so many of my clients suggest to me that they met with an SEO expert who told them that their “proprietary plan” will make sure they rank on the first page of google in a super short period of time. Sorry to say, but because of the ambiguity of the SEO field, it’s rife with people trying to take advantage. Much like the retirement plan, it takes time and effort to get where you want. Sorry, there just is no quick fix.

5. Don’t Base Everything on a Google Search

I’ve heard so many people say that XYZ company is ranking higher than them. Sure, where you rank in a category is a good goal but did you know that no two searches are alike? Google has a memory and it’s based on each user. So for instance, if I do a search for soda pop and click on Coca Cola’s website, it’s going to remember that and show me that more in the future because I must have liked it to click on it, right? Base your strategies on actual fulfillment of your goals. Did your online sales of product XYZ increase or has your phone been ringing more? Those are tangible results and worthy of basing plans on.

6. Be Patient

When you started your business, were you successful right away? No! You started with an idea and then adjusted it over time and built it up. Websites are the same way. Not only does it take time to create all the information, it takes time for it to propagate it self throughout the web.

You are in complete control of the direction your site takes. When you’re doing the initial planning on your website, set aside some of your budget for SEO. Whether that’s for regular technical updates to your site, content creation or reporting, every ounce of effort is worthwhile. You’ll also want to make sure your web designer is doing things like adding alt tags to images and using appropriate <h1> tags on pages as well.  Those building blocks allow you to move forward with every bit of work that you do.

And even if your site didn’t have a good start, it’s never too late to start. Get back on track and get a plan in place to move forward. Again, you will get out of it, what you put into it.