It is estimated that more than 80% of people that get online use a search engine to find what they are looking for. With the popularity and practicality of search engines, businesses that are developing an online presence are clamoring for the top spot on search engine results pages. A practice known as search engine optimization or SEO is a quickly growing field and more of an art than a science.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization refers to both the way a site is built as well as the content that is inside it. It also refers to the presence a company has on the web in terms of social media and overall visibility. Optimizing a website and a brand to be prominent in SERP’s (search engine results pages) involves a lot of work. Building a site so that visitors do not have to travel far from the home page to find what they are looking for, inserting relevant keywords into site structure and content, crafting clever content for visible HTML tags, and a number of other tactics are all SEO practices. Optimizing web properties outside of a website also help to increase visibility. For instance companies listed on organizational listing services, social media, industry websites and similar properties are much more likely to show up in search results than entities that do not have their name in as many places. Back linking is also still a very important factor for ranking well in SERP’s. Other websites that are linking to your website increase its importance in the eyes of a search engine robot indexing your site.
Why is SEO important for my business?
Of the more than 80% of people using search engines to find things online, a huge chunk are using them to find local businesses. Doing business online used to be a cutting edge practice whereas in today’s business world it is becoming increasingly necessary to remain competitive. Advertising is expensive but optimizing a website can be less costly and even more powerful in some instances than paid advertisements. If you cannot be seen by a search engine online, your business may as well not exist on the internet.