So What Do You Know About SEO?

Recently SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has become a key topic in my prospect and client meetings. The buzz on the street about SEO seems to have made it to Main Street with small business folks looking at their potential to attract new clients thru Search Engine Listings. Although most folks are not totally familiar with what SEO is or how it works the premise of “unlimited” new prospects finding you on search engines is almost creating a “gold fever” mentality. So, what do you know about SEO?

OK – So What Exactly is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization improves a website’s quality—its content and keywords—to affect its position in a search engine. (In other words, you’re optimizing your website’s position in a search engine.) Before I dive into the what, who, and where, let’s clarify why positioning matters.

When someone uses Google to search for a service or product, they type in relevant keywords. If they already know your company, they’ll type your name directly. But the real SEO buzz comes from prospects who don’t know your company but are actively searching for what you offer.

How Search Engines Rank Results

Search engines return a list of keyword matches—generally 10 per page, with potentially hundreds or thousands more on following pages. When your products or services appear on the first page, you have what’s called a number one keyword page ranking.

Most people will click on results on the first page (maybe the second). But if your site appears on the fifth page, it’s unlikely that prospect will visit your site.

So SEO Helps Bring You Prospects?

Exactly—and that’s why it matters. SEO connects you with prospects who don’t know you but find your website through a keyword match.

Companies typically use primary keywords tied to their mission, along with many others based on their full range of services and content.

A Keyword Example

Let’s say a company sells Widgets in Middle Tennessee. “Nashville + Widgets” would be primary keywords. Nashville is the biggest city and market in that region. If someone types “Nashville Widgets” and you appear on the first page, you’ll be one of the ten listings they see. There’s a good chance they’ll click your link and visit your site.

ALRIGHTY THEN – If We Get a Number One Page Ranking, We’ve Got It Made?

I’ve seen companies spend thousands of dollars per month chasing a number one Google ranking. I understand the gold rush mentality—SEO specialists often fuel it—but SEO is just one part of your overall marketing strategy.

You still need other tools: advertising (web, print, radio, TV), client referrals, mailers, cold calls, networking, and your company’s reputation. SEO won’t replace those—it enhances them.

SEO Enhances—It Doesn’t Replace

Getting a number one ranking is great. But SEO should complement your sales and marketing portfolio. You still need the rest of the pieces to convert prospects into clients.

A great website helps turn SEO visitors into qualified leads. It’s your website’s job to sell your services and showcase your expertise. SEO might bring someone to your site—but your site must do the convincing.

I’ve researched SEO heavily, and I often check out top-ranked websites. Many won’t ever convert visitors into sales. Why? Because their websites aren’t good. Spending thousands on SEO without a strong website is not a winning strategy.

Why Your Website Matters

I have spent a lot of time researching SEO and checking out websites that have number one page rankings. Many of those websites WILL NEVER have a chance of converting the prospect into a sale as their websites are not good. (So in other words – companies spending $1000’s on SEO and not having a great website to convert SEO results is not a good plan).

So SEO Specialty Companies CAN Guarantee a Number One Ranking?

A quote from Google themselves can shed some light on this question…

“No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship”  with Google, or advertise a “priority submit” to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or through the Webmaster Tools and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.” – GOOGLE.COM

I must say when I googled “Google” to get this statement, it was surrounded by advertising promoting SEO “Number One Page” Rankings Services. That is pretty funny and also tells you how “new” this industry is.

Why Guarantees Are Misleading

Google sets the parameters and produces the rankings on their search engines. They also sell advertising on their search engine including advertisers selling services that Google claims cannot be guaranteed.

The bottom line: you cannot buy search engine rankings (definitely not at Google) and Google has never identified the specific formulae they use in rankings. This is not a pure science – but you can improve your ranking using SEO techniques.

SEO Ranking Techniques

1. Keyword Use in Title Tag

If you look at a website and read the title line (at the top of your browser) you will see the keywords used in the title tag.

2. Keyword Use in Body Text

Having great content on your website is imperative when it comes to keyword searches.

3. Keyword in Your Domain Name

It appears having a keyword in your domain names is advantageous from a Search Engines Ranking.

4. Verifying Your Site’s Accessibility

It is important to ensure that your website is actually listed on search engines.

5. Internal Keyword Links

Internal links can help SEO rankings but must be used thoughtfully to avoid confusing visitors.

6. Age of Your Website

Google uses the age of your website as part of its ranking system.

7. External Links

The aim is to get your website linked by other websites that have similar keyword topics.

8. Anchor Text on External Links

Google ranks websites based on the keywords used in the link text (anchor text).

9. Relevance of Linking Sites

Links from sites relevant to your topic carry much more SEO value than irrelevant links.

10. Importance of Linking Sites

Links from important, high-authority sites improve your ranking much more than those from less trusted sites.

Develop Your Knowledge About SEO

I think this a good starting list and a good place to start to get an understanding of what is involved in SEO. There are more parameters than these ten that I have listed although these ten parameters are reported to be the most important in the rankings system.

We (BeareWare) assume a large responsibility to make sure our clients’ websites are designed and managed with respect to these good SEO techniques. In our view, good SEO starts with your web design and should not be viewed as an independent separate discipline.

With due respect to the many companies out there that offer SEO specialty services, we also see SEO as a long-term strategy. I think paying an SEO company to help you develop a long-term plan could be money well spent.

Understand SEO Before You Invest

Understanding SEO is really valuable to the small business owner. Be sure to do your research before embarking on SEO relationships and be sure you fully understand the process. Don’t expect miracles and recognize most great results are going to be the result of great work!

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the last 10 years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still a webmaster and this is “Interview with a Webmaster“.