What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO), Internet marketing, and pay-per-click advertising are methods to increase visibility on the net. More web site visibility should lead to more Internet sales.

The primary goal of optimization is to increase traffic to your website, but it needs to target the right customers. There is a big difference between 1000 visits and no sales and 100 visits with 25 sales. Another thing to consider is the overall appeal of the site and the message it delivers. You can have the best targeted traffic in the world but you still have to close the deal. Think of your website as your sales person. If she dresses poorly, doesn't wash or comb her hair and doesn't speak your client's language, then you have wasted your advertising dollars. We will talk about search engines, keywords, key phrases and pay-per-click but you need to understand that page design, usability, and content are important too.

Let's take a look at the process.

The Search Query

The potential customer or visitor types in some words in their favorite search engine. Google, Yahoo, and Bing account for over 90% of all web searches. These words the surfers type in are called keywords or key phrases.

Search Engine Results Page - SERP

The search engine returns a list of website page descriptions and links in order of relevance to the key words or phrases. They determine the relevance using an algorithm that is based on many factors. Some of these factors include page title, description, content, inbound and outbound site links, and website age. These are a few of the items used to determine relevance so that makes it important to optimize these elements of your web site. Each one of the "big 3" search engines uses a different algorithm. That means a phrase that returns a top ten result for one search engine may not result in a top 100 position in another search engine. Sound complicated? That's why it's becoming big business and the cost keeps going up. It's not something that can be taught 100%, or learned completely by reading a book. It is a full-time job, a talent, an art, and a science all in one. It also changes on a regular basis just like most technology. Read Bing SEO

Search Results Description

It is important to optimize your page description tags because the description provided by the search engine entices the web surfer to click. This in turn brings the potential client to a website. What happened? The page was served up by the search engine because it was considered relevant to what the user typed in the search box. The user was attracted by the description of the website provided by the search engine. The user decides, usually in a matter of seconds, to:

Conversion

If the user stays then you still only have a short time to convince them that you are the right service choice or you have the products they want at the right price and you can deliver. If you can get them to request information, contact you, or make a purchase then you have made what is referred to as "a conversion". Conversions can be tracked to provide valuable data. Conversion optimization is very important. You can use multivariate or A-B testing for conversion optimization.

For advanced conversion optimization Blizzard Digital has partnered with FutureNow, a recognized leader in conversion strategy.

Frequently Asked SEO Questions

Do I need to hire a local SEO? It doesn't really matter if you live in Atlanta or Nashville you don't need to hire an Atlanta SEO or a Nashville SEO company. If you can find a qualified professional in your area then it makes sense to hire local but I wouldn't sacrifice quality. Shop around and get references. A good search professional can work from any location.

How do I know if a search optimization company is legit? Always be careful if you receive a cold call or an unsolicited email from an internet marketing company. The best advice for seeking a search professional comes right from Google's SEO page.

Hopefully that answers part of the question What is SEO?. Find out how we can help you take your website to the next level. Contact Blizzard