Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become an intrinsic component to online marketing. How do you expect to market your product or service, when your website is buried like a needle in the haystack of the top search engines? Many people are just now understanding the importance of SEO, and that websites don't just magically appear at the top of the results page.
So what is exactly is SEO? Search Engine Optimization is just that; it's an optimization of the domain itself and your search engine placement, not just by your company's name, but by the services or products you may offer. In other words, if someone types in your company's name and you're first to appear, your site may still not be optimized. The fact of the matter is that if someone knows your business' name in the first place, you are not gaining new customers. SEO helps promote your business by being searchable by keyword. If someone is looking for a dry cleaner in the Manhattan area, your site can be one of the first results found.
SEO can be complicated if you don't know how to do it properly and it is time-consuming and requires the right techniques. Sometimes inexperienced businesses can spend hours on the wrong techniques, and are not fully optimizing their time and effort. A small business owner can do their own SEO, but since the industry is constantly changing, most businesses find that hiring an SEO company is a better use of their time and money.
Here are a few important SEO components:
Keywords - Keywords are the terms or phrases that you would expect someone to use while searching for a product or service that you offer. That New York Cleaner would want to pick phrases like "Manhattan Dry Cleaning" "Dry Cleaner Manhattan" and so forth. For local businesses, SEO can work somewhat quicker, since the keywords for local search tend to be less competitive than a general search term. Larger, more national or international brands will have higher competition with their keywords. Choosing the right keywords will make or break your campaign. Optimize for keywords that have high search volume and that are relevant to your products or services. Don't let a snake oil firm fool you into guaranteeing a #1 position for keyword that has little to no competition and only 15 searches per month!
Consistency - SEO is a constant process. You can't just sign up for a directory or build some links and be done. The most effective SEO is performed a few times a week, at the least, and acquires building up the authority of one's domain. SEO companies are great for this reason because they can focus on your domain consistently. If you are trying to run your business and do SEO on your own, you will not be able to dedicate the time and effort that an SEO firm will on your behalf. Do what you do best and let your Internet marketing firm do what they are known for.
Timeframe - SEO does take time. Some of your competitors may have started much earlier than you, and have links built up for months or even years. Don't let this discourage you! Like we mentioned before, SEO requires consistency, and many times your competitors have stopped using SEO services thinking they outranked all of their competition. While it isn't possible to guarantee a ranking with SEO, it's much better to be on the first page of results than the tenth, so the sooner you get started, the faster your website will start showing up.
It's important to realize that not all SEO companies are the same. For more information on search engine optimization techniques and Austin SEO companies, visit us at ArteWorks SEO.
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