Are you interested in learning how to do Search Engine Optimization for your website? Looking for specific SEO tactics and strategies you can use right away?
If so, I have some good news for you. I am going to deliver exactly what you are looking for. However, not here on this page.
No, this page is covering more of the big picture of SEO, starting with some basic definitions. And, I will tell you exactly what I think about SEO and SEO Professionals. All of that is covered below. For the specific strategies and tactics, those will be covered separately. Hang in there and I will get you the link where you can go for that information. And let me just say up front, the information will be worth the wait! So stay tuned…
Is Search Engine Optimization Fools Gold for the Web?
Gold is good, right? We’d all like to have lots of gold, right? Can’t be that bad then.
No, Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is not bad. In fact, it’s very good. But in my opinion, it’s often a dark hole for small business owners trying to carve out a living using the world wide web.
I will explain my dark hole theory in a bit, but first I need to make sure I cover some of the basics for anyone new to the web. If this does not describe you, I’d only ask that you hang in there for a couple of minutes so I can cover some basic ground.
And if you hang in there, I promise to do my best to make it worth your while with some inside information that will give you a reason to look at SEO in a new light.
For those new to this web stuff, I guess I should start at the beginning. As in what is SEO, why is it important and why do we even need it?
Let’s start with defining what SEO is. Here is the definition of Search Engine Optimization as found on Wikipedia:
“Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the “natural” or un-paid (“organic” of “algorithmic”) search results.”
This is an excellent definition of SEO. For those not familiar with the term “organic” search results, these would be the results that can be found directly underneath the search box in the search engines. In most cases you will see results to the right and above the search box, typically in a shaded area with the words “sponsored links” above it in small print.These are “paid” results, commonly referred to as pay-per-click ads.
So why is search engine optimization important to a business owner who has a website? You want your website, and/or web pages to be found easily by those searching for what you are selling, be it product or service.
Using strong SEO tactics and strategies you can accomplish your goal. But, this is not a fast or even easy road to travel. It takes time, patience and a good understanding of what the search engines are looking for. And, each search engine does things differently, so what might work great on Google, might not work as well on Bing.
But, Google is the 600 Pound Gorilla online, so most people wisely concern themselves with optimizing their website and web pages for Google.
Most business owners do not have the time, nor the inclination to spend hours and hours, days and days, weeks and weeks and months and months optimizing their websites. So, many either ignore SEO, or they hire an outside SEP Professional to do thsi for them.
And before any SEO Professionals out there start to fire off nasty emails and letters, what I am about to say is not universal. What I mean is, there are many SEO Professionals who are good at what they do, and do a great job for their Clients.
Sadly, however, there are many more who do not have a clue what they are doing, and end up taking their clients hard earned money and pissing it away on useless crap!
Like everything else in life, you have to know who you can trust to do good work, and who you can’t trust.
But that’s not my biggest issue with SEO as a whole. No, I have a bigger gripe about SEO and SEO Professionals. And it leads to why I suggest SEO can be nothing more than Fools Gold for business owners online.
My first big gripe about SEO is, Search Engine Optimization Professionals tend to be satisfied too easily, at least in my opinion. Many have a single minded goal of getting their client, YOU, on page one of Google for your keyword/keyword phrase.
That’s Great, right? I mean, that’s the point, to get a page one ranking for your keyword/keyword phrase, right? Yes, yes it is.
But there’s more to it than that. A LOT more to it.
If one page one ranking for your keyword/keyword phrase is good, wouldn’t 2 be better? How about 3? And how about if you can dominate the majority of page one of Google’s search results? Isn’t that better?
You bet your sweet…. yes, it’s better.
Yet, many SEO Professionals will lead you to believe that one page one ranking equals your super bowl victory. The truth is, a page one ranking in Google does not guarantee you anything.
If we’re talking about a number one ranking on page one, now we’re talking. Back in 2006 AOL leaked some rather important data regarding the search results of 29 million search queries. AOL uses Google, so we’re talking about Google search results.
Here’s the breakdown on the clicks based on search position on page one of Google’s search results:
- #1 ranking 42.13% of all clicks
- #2 ranking 11.90% of all clicks
- #3 ranking 8.5% of all clicks
The remaining 7 spots on page one of the search results shared the remaining 37.57%.
So the $64,000 question is, where do you want your ranking to be on page one? Actually, using my analogy, where do you want your rankings to be on page one?
Would you be happy with your SEO Professional if he/she was able to get you a #8 results on page one? How about if they were able to get you a #1, #2, #3, #6 and #7 positions?
This is why I get so ticked off at SEO Professionals or anyone else who would brag about a single ranking on page one. Trust me when I tell you, SEO works much better when you dominate page one of the search results!
My other gripe about SEO is it’s just one element of a strategic marketing plan online. And as I learned long ago the worst number in business is the number one. In this case, only having one strategy for your marketing plan. One strategy does not make a marketing plan!
My point is, you need to be doing a LOT more than just SEO if you want to be successful online.
To Be Continued…
