Search Engine Optimization or SEO Sounds Like Voodoo Magic, Right?
My husband thinks so! And he's been watching me do it for the past 15 years. But that's only because he doesn't understand search engine optimization and chances are, neither do you. When it comes to SEO, there is so much misinformation and gimmicky nonsense being passed off as legitimate that it can be downright discouraging.
You just want your business to show up when people search for it, right? It shouldn't be so hard. The problem is that too many people in my industry over the years have tried to figure out short-cuts or ways to "trick" Google into ranking their sites well, so Google has had to make it more and more difficult to get your site ranked.
You just want your business to show up when people search for it, right? It shouldn't be so hard. The problem is that too many people in my industry over the years have tried to figure out short-cuts or ways to "trick" Google into ranking their sites well, so Google has had to make it more and more difficult to get your site ranked.
But Difficult Doesn't Have to Mean Hard
Does that make sense? Probably not yet. Let me explain:
But first let’s start with the basics. What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of optimizing your website for appropriate listing on search engines.
While there are about 52 million theories about how to get your website to rank on Google and other SE’s (but for this purpose we’re just going to talk about Google because it’s the one that really matters and all the other SE’s follow their algorithms anyway), it all boils down to this very simple concept:
But first let’s start with the basics. What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of optimizing your website for appropriate listing on search engines.
While there are about 52 million theories about how to get your website to rank on Google and other SE’s (but for this purpose we’re just going to talk about Google because it’s the one that really matters and all the other SE’s follow their algorithms anyway), it all boils down to this very simple concept:
MAKE GOOGLE HAPPY
So, what makes Google happy? Google is happy when their customers are happy.
Who are Google’s customers? Website owners? Advertisers? NO!
Google’s customers are their searchers. Everyone. You. Me. Anyone who looks something up on Google is a customer. Just because we don’t pay Google for this free service doesn’t make us any less of a customer to Google.
Just like free TV channels, Google relies on advertisers to make their money. And the best way to make sure the audience the advertisers want is there, is to have the best dang search results available.
Google determines what are good results to serve up to its customers by looking at customer behavior and interaction with each website. So, it only stands to reason that when someone finds your website in a search listing, clicks on it and stays a while, clicking further into the site and interacting with the content there; Google deems that a good search result and will consequently serve your listing up higher in the search results.
If, however, when someone lands on your website, they don’t immediately think it answers their question, solves their problem, or contains what they’re looking for and they immediately click back to Google to resume their search (how often this happens is called your “bounce rate”); what will Google assume? That your website is not what their customer wants and they will rank it accordingly.
CAVEAT: Does that mean that all high-ranking websites are the best in their category? Of course not. We’ve all seen plenty of niches (especially local) where there isn’t a ton of competition and some really crappy websites scammed their way to the top of the page. This was the case quite a bit in past years, and those situations do still exist here and there. But those days are mostly over.
But let me tell you, Google is a vengeful enemy. They do not like to be scammed. And they will punish you with banishment to the outer reaches of the internet (like page 10!!!) when you try it. Maybe not immediately, but like Liam Neeson in Taken, they “will find you”. And when they do, they “will kill you”.
Who are Google’s customers? Website owners? Advertisers? NO!
Google’s customers are their searchers. Everyone. You. Me. Anyone who looks something up on Google is a customer. Just because we don’t pay Google for this free service doesn’t make us any less of a customer to Google.
Just like free TV channels, Google relies on advertisers to make their money. And the best way to make sure the audience the advertisers want is there, is to have the best dang search results available.
Google determines what are good results to serve up to its customers by looking at customer behavior and interaction with each website. So, it only stands to reason that when someone finds your website in a search listing, clicks on it and stays a while, clicking further into the site and interacting with the content there; Google deems that a good search result and will consequently serve your listing up higher in the search results.
If, however, when someone lands on your website, they don’t immediately think it answers their question, solves their problem, or contains what they’re looking for and they immediately click back to Google to resume their search (how often this happens is called your “bounce rate”); what will Google assume? That your website is not what their customer wants and they will rank it accordingly.
CAVEAT: Does that mean that all high-ranking websites are the best in their category? Of course not. We’ve all seen plenty of niches (especially local) where there isn’t a ton of competition and some really crappy websites scammed their way to the top of the page. This was the case quite a bit in past years, and those situations do still exist here and there. But those days are mostly over.
But let me tell you, Google is a vengeful enemy. They do not like to be scammed. And they will punish you with banishment to the outer reaches of the internet (like page 10!!!) when you try it. Maybe not immediately, but like Liam Neeson in Taken, they “will find you”. And when they do, they “will kill you”.
I’ve seen it and it ain’t pretty, people.
So, now that we understand what Google wants, let’s talk about how to deliver it. Don’t worry! I’m not going to get all techie on you. I’m not going to get into codes and meta tags, etc. (Well, not too much anyway.)
In the early days of SEO you needed to know all that stuff. Not so much anymore. Not only is Google smarter now, but most website software, content management systems (CMS) and ecommerce platforms have SEO tools built in, eliminating the need to hard code any of it.
That said, not all CMS and ecommerce platforms are created equal. Some that claim to have decent SEO capabilities are seriously out-dated, clunky, or difficult to navigate; while others may do basic on-page SEO well, but are lacking in other important ranking factors—like site security and page load times. You can find my website software recommendations on this page.
So, now that we understand what Google wants, let’s talk about how to deliver it. Don’t worry! I’m not going to get all techie on you. I’m not going to get into codes and meta tags, etc. (Well, not too much anyway.)
In the early days of SEO you needed to know all that stuff. Not so much anymore. Not only is Google smarter now, but most website software, content management systems (CMS) and ecommerce platforms have SEO tools built in, eliminating the need to hard code any of it.
That said, not all CMS and ecommerce platforms are created equal. Some that claim to have decent SEO capabilities are seriously out-dated, clunky, or difficult to navigate; while others may do basic on-page SEO well, but are lacking in other important ranking factors—like site security and page load times. You can find my website software recommendations on this page.
It's Time to Discuss Keywords
Before your eyes glaze over and you start drooling all over yourself, hear me out. I promise not to be boring… too boring anyway.
Keywords are important. They’re how you tell Google what your site is about. Google has to have some way to match up what searchers are looking for with the best sites that offer that thing. The way they do that is through keywords.
Here are a few great ways to find out what people will type into Google when looking for your business or product.
Give the people what they’re looking for and Google will reward you for it.
Keywords are important. They’re how you tell Google what your site is about. Google has to have some way to match up what searchers are looking for with the best sites that offer that thing. The way they do that is through keywords.
Here are a few great ways to find out what people will type into Google when looking for your business or product.
- Guess. Yes, guess. Imagine you don’t know much about your industry or product. What words or phrases would you use to describe what you’re looking for? Now, type those into Google and see what search suggestions come up. Write those down. Most people will take the search suggestion rather than finish typing what they were going to type. That makes keyword research so much easier!
- Ask. Ask your spouse, friend, kid, stranger off the street, FB group or anyone who is in your target market (ideal customer) what they would type in if they were looking for what you offer. Make sure they aren’t too familiar with your industry. You don’t want insider phrases unless you are only trying to get traffic from industry insiders.
- Keyword research tools. Google’s own keyword research tools are really the best source, but there are tons of pro tools if you really want to get into the weeds and dig out those keyword phrases that you might never think of. I only recommend this if you really like keyword research and/or you are in an extremely competitive niche. If that’s the case, hire someone to do this or prepare to spend a LOT of time identifying keywords, making lists, comparing search volume with current competitor supply, etc.
Give the people what they’re looking for and Google will reward you for it.
Optimize Your Website: The Gift That Just Keeps Giving... FREE TRAFFIC
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If you want people to be able to find your site you need to use the words they’re searching for on your website. Use Google’s free keyword planner tool to figure out what your various customer segments are typing into Google. Then use those exact same words and phrases in your page titles, headlines, product descriptions, etc. This gives the Big G the info they need to rank your website for those search terms.
You’d be surprised how many website owners don’t do this. Is it time consuming? Yes. Is it tedious? Yes. Will it lead people to your site and your product? Yes. Is it worth it? YES! |
If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? |
Content is Still King: Give the People What They Want!
Write articles (or hire someone to do it for you), create blog posts, infographics, etc. around your product, its uses, features, brand, benefits, etc. Be creative! Let the keyword phrases you discover people are using guide you in the content you create.
Expert Tip: Don’t let content creation overwhelm you. There are tons of people who love to write, want to get their stuff published online and/or need experience to complete a college internship. Find them and make content a priority for your business. It WILL pay off dividends for years.
Expert Tip: Don’t let content creation overwhelm you. There are tons of people who love to write, want to get their stuff published online and/or need experience to complete a college internship. Find them and make content a priority for your business. It WILL pay off dividends for years.
“You can get everything you want in life if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar
What To Do With The Content You Create
When Google sees other high quality websites, like social media sites, news sites, etc., linking to content on your website -->AND people clicking through to that content --> AND staying there to consume it --> AND even sharing that content with their friends, they know that the content on your website is good. Google assigns every website what's called a Google Authority score to measure and keep track of this process. The higher your website's Google Authority score, the better your website is likely to rank in search results.
Below is a handy graphic I created to illustrate how to improve your Google Authority score (I use this in a lot of my training presentations for marketing departments):
Below is a handy graphic I created to illustrate how to improve your Google Authority score (I use this in a lot of my training presentations for marketing departments):
Relatively simple, right? But I can tell you this is powerful stuff. I've sold over $30 million in products online using primarily SEO, along with other methods of distributing content (for example, influencer marketing).
If you'd like me to train your marketing team on these and other highly effective marketing methods, contact me for a FREE consultation today.