What is SEO, you ask? Well, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is just that- optimizing your chances of being seen first on places like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. By strategically marketing your web page using SEO tactics, you can be certain that more people will interact with your site. If you think about it, SEO is the most effective and lucrative way by which you can get your name out there. Taking actual search terms along with keywords typed into search engines, and considering what people are really searching for, SEO methods can most accurately target the audience that you are trying to reach.
For those of you that read the paragraph above and either reach for the computer-off-switch or for the bottle, take a deep breath. The big bad world of SEO isn’t so scary after all. Here are a few tips to settle your mind:
First, try and think of SEO as the perfect advertising tool. You can market your website with exact search terms that are directly applicable to your business. Long tailed keyword searches are usually how people google anyways.
Next, blog! Be sure that your page is constantly being considered in search engines by staying active. Putting hyperlinks into blog posts that apply to your business give you more credibility and thus visibility.
Finally, location, location, location. Especially if you are a small business whose clientele are local to your area, take advantage of geo-tagging and other geographical tools. The more active you are in your direct community online, the more you will see that search engines favor your listing because they value your participation.
If search engines were like a girlfriend, they would be the type that want to be wined and dined before going all the way. For a small business, it is of the utmost importance to respect the search engine ways and honor online chivalry in its fullest.
