Search Engine Optimization For Business
For those who want more people to find their website ...
What Is SEO Optimization
Meaning of SEO: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a set of optimizing strategies used to improve the value of your website with search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Methods of SEO: 'Winnable' keywords that accurately describe the purpose of your business website are strategically used in content, coding, and external connections to influence rankings in the search engines.
Context of SEO: Keywords can have very different meanings depending on context. This must be considered when developing an SEO strategy so your website ranks well for your most suitable target market. SEO helps you rank well for the right keywords in the right context.
Example: If a keyword for your site includes the word 'spring', is that for spring flowers, bottled spring water, or a coil springs? SEO makes sure the search engines know the context.
Purpose of SEO: Since search engines strive to provide their customers with the most relevant results possible for any given topic, SEO makes sure your business website is included and highly ranked in this list.
Why Is SEO Effective With Search Engines
Since all search engines want to offer the most relevant websites for any given topic in the blink of an eye, they constantly roam the internet categorizing and indexing content on nearly every website. When a person types their search words (keywords) into Google, Bing, or Yahoo this massive list of websites is trimmed down to only those websites with the most appropriate content.
Previous topics a person has searched before are also factored in when sorting this list from most to least relevancy. Optimizing your content is a way of making your website more relevant for specific searches and rank above other websites competing for the first page position. SEO makes it possible to be found in situations like an apple farmer who has to compete with Apple the tech company when a person searches for apples.
Why Use Search Engine Optimization
#1 Reason: So people you are trying to target will find your website!
80% of people use Search Engines to find local products & services. Since websites are always displayed in search listings according to the value of their content for any given keyword, top rankings are extremely valuable. Higher rankings mean more people seeing your website listed in the vast ocean of websites. More eyeballs turn into more opportunities to sell them on what you are offering.
Effective SEO increases your rankings which increases your website's visibility. The net result is like moving your business from an empty residential side street to a crowded main street.
Higher Rankings = More Visitors = More Potential Business
Why Are Keywords Important
Keywords determine which websites will be shown for any particular search. People today know how search engines work and what will give them better search results. They know that typing in more keywords, gets them more accurate results. Websites that do not contain all their keywords are trimmed from the results and more relevant websites are bumped higher to the top of the list.
In the screenshots below, more keywords were added and the number of results highlighted. The effect of each additional keyword is:
- The search engine yields fewer results as websites not containing them are eliminated
- More valuable websites are moved closer the the top of the list.
One keyword entered into Google |
An additional keyword entered |
Three keywords entered |
Four keywords entered |
The city keyword was added |
The province added last |
What Will SEO Do For Your Website?
There are many factors to consider when optimizing a website to be more attractive to the search engines.
- SEO research discovers keywords people are using to find your products and services
- SEO assesses how effective an optimization project will work for your site
- SEO weighs the difficulty of a keyword in competing against other websites already ranking high
- SEO uncovers the most winnable keywords for your website
- SEO finds issues with your website's coding and fixes them
- SEO enhances the navigation of your website
- SEO improves the content used throughout your webpages
- SEO increases the number of links back to your website
- SEO enforces healthy word counts Google prefers
- SEO employs strategy to unique words, tags, site maps, and photos
- SEO monitors results and adjusts strategy when needed
CloudWire provides search engine optimization for businesses in the Hamilton and Niagara Ontario areas
