Is SEO Confusing You? Don’t Worry, We All Feel The Same Way!

If I had to pick the most confusing topic on the Web, it would be search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is marketing. It’s the art and science of having your website appear as high as possible within search engine results.

In plain English, this means that when someone looks for something using a search engine, your site shows up on the first page or as close to that page as possible. The payoff of is not only more traffic for your site, but more directed and qualified traffic; folks who are looking for something similar to the products or services you provide.

It’s a win-win for both searchers and businesses.

The Downside of SEO

The payoff from SEO sounds almost too good to be true, and in some ways it is. That’s why it’s also the most controversial topic on the web. The truth is that almost every individual SEO expert and company has a different approach to implementing search engine optimization.

They each mix-and-match different elements — keywords, descriptions, backlinks, titles, structure, site code, software, tools and more — to develop a method that they feel differentiates them from the rest. And they all claim that their method is the best.

It’s no wonder we’ll all confused.

So, What do You Do?

The question then is, “How can we get the SEO payoff (increased targeted traffic) without becoming a full-blown expert?”

One seemingly simple answer is to hand it all off to an SEO expert or company. This certainly has its appeal, and is ultimately a good solution, but how do you select the expert or company with whom to work?

The answer is, “Learn a bit about SEO and then put yourself in the mix.”

Learn A Bit About SEO

You do not need to be an expert, but as with all things that you hand-off to others (such as accounting and legal matters), you need to know enough to assure they are acting in your best interest.

To help you get started, I’ve included some links below that lead to solid, basic information about search engine optimization (no technical expertise required):

1. What Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization? One of the best introductions to search engine optimization online! Use the links to access each part of the guide as well as other great online resources for learning more.
2. SEO in Everyday English: this is my recorded webinar on SEO and contains a brief introduction to the basics as well as my approach.
3. The 6 Flavors of SEO Your Company Needs: love this post because, while detailing different SEO roles, it so clearly explains six different approaches for implementing search engine optimization.
4. Search Engines Don’t Hate You: Winning at SEO: another of my posts, this one looks at the role content plays in search engine optimization.
5. Why SEO Would Matter Even If Search Engines Stopped Running: an interesting look at how SEO serves a purpose beyond being found within search results.

Put Yourself Into the Mix

As I put forward in the post, “Choosing How to Market Online Needs to Start with You”, you need to consider yourself (and your company’s requirements) when developing marketing plans.

What does that mean in regards to SEO?

Any search engine optimization solution that does not take your
business strategy, goals and methods into account is not worth your time.

For example, let’s say you’re a product manufacturer who is considering two different SEO companies.

• One proposes that you create and post tons of great content on your website so you can rank highly on search engines for your content-related keywords.

• The other proposes that you build relationships with other high-quality (i.e. highly-ranked) sites and have them write reviews and case studies that contain links back to your site. This will create high-quality backlinks to your site and thus search engines will rank your site more highly.

While learning a bit about SEO (using the links above), you discovered that both of these approaches are sound search engine optimization strategies. Either would work to get targeted traffic to your site.

But how do you decide which one fits your business best?

• Do you have someone (it can be yourself) who likes to write content? Do you believe your customers would be interested in that content? If you retain someone to write the content for you, how much time and money will that consume?

• Do you have someone (it can be yourself) who is comfortable reaching out to other sites to pitch content ideas and your products? Are there enough high-quality sites that cover your type of product to make this approach worth the time and money that it will consume?

Armed and Ready

The decision depends on the personnel available to you.

However, you are now armed with the knowledge and the “Put Yourself Into the Mix” mindset and can make the decision that will be right for both your company and the SEO company that you retain.

That’s another win-win.

What’s Next?

Search Engine Guide offers an informative and basic SEO 101 Guide.

Learn about all the different ways Pitney Bowes can help you communicate better with your customers.

“Matt Mansfield is the Head Tour Guide at Matt About Business (http://www.mattaboutbusiness.com) where he helps entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies use the web to manage and market their business by connecting online strategies and tactics with real-world results. Matt is not a Pitney Bowes employee and shares his insights on this blog as a paid contributor.”