5 Things You Should Know About SEO

The topic of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can certainly be a complex one, and for many small businesses it seems like talking about SEO is like speaking a completely foreign language – possibly a language from outer space. But there are some key concepts that, while not entirely simple, are vital to understanding the importance of SEO and what it takes to see a web site listed in the top search results.

Too often, small businesses think that by adding some meta data to a web page or using what they believe are good keywords is going to help them get noticed (and listed) in the search engine results. Unfortunately, those items alone will not make much of a difference to a small business web site’s rankings.

So to help you get a handle on what it takes to improve your web site’s search engine rankings, here are five key concepts that you really should know:

1. Like it or not, getting top listings in the search results will probably take some ongoing work on your part.

   Unfortunately, a web site is not something that can be on your “to-do” list, and then crossed off the list when the site goes live. If you leave your web site unattended and let it go stale, your visitors will stop visiting, and the search engines will have absolutely no reason to keep your site in their search results. Why would they? The web grows and changes everyday with new information, new resources, and new technology that people find incredibly useful. The search engines’ job is to give searchers the most useful, up-to-date results possible, and if your site isn’t growing, changing, and adding value, then it will be left behind.

2. Meta data is only part of the picture – even “keyword” meta data.

   Meta data is the behind-the-scenes code on a web page that tells the search engine spiders all sorts of useful stuff, including what the web page is supposed to be about. But the visible content on your page must support the information in your meta data, so the search engines can see that your page is really about what you say it is. It is important that the meta data and the page content match; however, it is only one of many factors taken into account by the search engines.

3. Keyword research is not optional.

   I cannot tell you how many times clients give us the keywords they think customers would use to search for their business, but when we run the testing, those terms don’t even show up as being searched on at all! In order to be found in a search, you must use the keywords that people actually type into the search engines when looking for your type of products and services. Why would you optimize your site for keywords that nobody ever types into a search engine? That’s why real-time keyword research is essential – let the data tell you what keywords customers are using in the search engines, don’t just guess!

4. Search engine algorithms rely heavily on inbound link scores.

   It’s true – search engines do rely heavily on inbound links as part of their criteria for ranking web sites; at least that’s how it works right now. When search engines first started out, they based rankings on meta data keywords. When scammers figured out how to cheat that system, search engines developed algorithms that gave value to inbound link counts, which is where we are today. No doubt this will again change as search engines continue to evolve. But for now, getting quality inbound links from reliable authority sites is one of the best things you can do for your search engine rankings. Although it is still only one of many factors taken into account when ranking a site, it is one of the biggest factors.

5. Track and measure your search engine results every month.

   Let’s assume you add a new FAQ to your web site every month. It’s great that you are taking the time to do this, but is it working? Does it drive more traffic to the site? Do people come back to that page every month to check out the new FAQ? Does that new FAQ ever show up in the search results? If you are not tracking and measuring, how will you know if it is a good idea to do this each month, or if you are just wasting your time?

   Or let’s imagine that your site falls from position number 6 to position number 106. Without regular tracking and measuring, you probably wouldn’t know the site had slipped, and you would miss the opportunity to intervene and take the necessary action to get it back in the top 10 again.

While there are many, many factors that contribute to how a web site ranks in the search engine results, these five concepts are among the most important. When you understand these concepts it can be much easier to find direction and take action for your own web site. So even if SEO still seems like a foreign language to you, just think of these five concepts as a basic “translation.”