1. What is SEO & How does it work?
Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the ranking of a website in a search engine's results. To put it simply, it's the process of getting more traffic to your website. Search engines like Google, Bing & others use algorithms to "crawl" the internet and select what websites should make the results list- and in which order. For potential customers to find you, your website should be optimized for these algorithms. This process involves inspecting & adjusting the content of the website like the text & photos, as well as the things in the background like metadata, accessibility features & code format.
The website's content should be well organized according to modern standards so that the search engines can identify the information needed to know if your site is a good match. Having well written copy can also help your ranking by including keywords and writing methods that your customers are likely to be searching for. Sometimes, simply rewording a single headline can make a big difference in how many searches you show up in.
The less obvious parts of optimizing a website for search engines are things like metadata, accessibility features, snappy load times & clean coding that meets modern standards.
Metadata is all the info that might not be displayed directly on the website but still plays an important role. For example, some websites have a paragraph or even a photo representing the website directly on the search result page. That's one type of metadata. When it's all in place, it helps search engines deliver more accurate results & helps your website get more traffic.
Accessibility features are important for older devices or people with disabilities who might be colorblind or using a screen reader. Having nice photos and animations are great, but if you forget to include a few details to make it friendly for all audiences you'll not only lose a few viewers, you'll lose ranking in search results.
Load times & clean coding ensure that visitors to your site don't get frustrated or lose interest due to lengthy load times or glitchy interactions. Search engines also appreciate well organized coding that provides clear, usable information.
2. Why is SEO important for your business?
SEO is important for any business, as it allows them to be found by more customers, but it can also be used to refine the audience that you are trying to reach. This can be useful for businesses that want to focus their advertising locally, or try to appeal to certain niche markets.
For example, if a landscape company specializes in rock walls, but doesn't optimize their website with that in mind, they could be competing with 100 other landscapers when someone searches specifically for a rock wall builder. The competition might even outrank them for that particular search, even if it's not their specialty.
Good search engine rankings also help establish your company as an authority in its field. When you search for cola, you can already guess what names will be at the top of the list. This is because they are authorities in their field. By showing up at the top of search results, you appear to be more established & reliable than the same search result if it were on page 5. (Does anyone even get to page 5?)
3. Conclusion
As you can see, being at the top of search results is good for your bottom line. Having a website that is optimized for search engines and tuned to the customer base you're trying to reach makes it much easier to get organic (non-paid) leads online.
If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of keeping your own site optimized by the latest standards, fear not. There are many SEO specialists that know all the current tricks & trends to help you maintain a great rank or push ahead in a competitive market.