Small Business and SEO

SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. It is a method for optimizing context and content for placement in search engines on the internet. SEO can be something as simple as making sure your business’ web pages all have titles to an intense collaborative effort to target a market through the use of keywords via various methods.

The Big 3

As I see it there three major players in the search engine market. Google, Yahoo, and Live (formerly MSN). Google is the obvious number one, and for good reason. Number two is Yahoo. Once a leader in the market, they have been losing market share steadily over the last few years. Live Search places number three. Live comes standard on many PC’s and many users don’t know how to change the default search engine, and don’t want to know. It is important to not forget about the bottom two.

While there are three major search engines, it doesn’t stop there. There are others to think about. Ask, Alta-Vista, and Dogpile to name a few. On top of that there is even more. Directories are a great tool. Directories are large databases based on content or subject. Often used to search for websites based on subject.

How Search Engines Work

Search engines have little programs that search the internet for content. These programs are called “Spiders”. Each search engine has a different method for indexing websites. That is why you get different results with different search engines. Many novice SEO consultants spend too much time targeting Google while ignoring other options. Example… as of June 28, 2008 ScottRadcliff.com is listed 23rd for “web design, Perrysburg Ohio” in Google example 1. And number one in Live Search for the same keywords example 2.

Spiders will canvas a site and read all the text on the site. Having relevant content and relevant keywords can make or break your SEO campaign. Lets say you want to target the mp3 players market. So you write content for your website letting your users know where you’re located, what you offer, any specials you may have, and how to contact you. But inside all that great content you place keywords that are not relevant to what you offer because you think that may drive traffic to your site. For simplicity sake we’ll say the keyword is itunes because your sure that itunes is searched often. There’s one problem with that strategy. People that are searching for itunes have no need for your mp3 player. If they are on your site 10 seconds, you’re lucky. Visitors that have no need for your products or services do a business no good.

Google

When your name is listed as a verb, that is a huge success. Think of how many people use the term “Google it” instead of “Do a search for it”. Google is everywhere. So what if Google doesn’t index your business’ website favorably? Do you trash that SEO plan and start over? No. Of course not. Internet searches do not start and stop with Google. Just like it’s possible to get on the internet and perform tasks without Microsoft, it’s possible to get SEO results without a favorable ranking in Google.

Targeted Keywords

Think of how many results a single search will return. Mp3 players returns 302,000,000 results with Live Search. Getting to the top of those results will take quite a bit of work. Not to mention the time involved. Now, let’s try mp3 players in Toledo Ohio. 291,000 results. Now that is a little easier to handle. Getting to the top of a targeted market is more manageable that a vague term. Once you have climbed to the top of your chosen keyword search, you can tweak you keywords slowly to broaden your audience. But beware! You could affect your current position. Selecting your keywords is very important and should not be taken lightly. Caution must be taken not try to trick search engines. Your business’ site could be punished by search engines. There are many so-called tricks out there. Do not fall for these tactics, they are just ploys and could get your site banned. As the old saying goes content is king. Have meaningful, relevant content and your website will enjoy good results in search engine rankings.

Why SEO Works

SEO has been around a long time and there is good reason for that. It simply works. Everything your business does is done with purpose. It’s well thought out, analyzed, and measured. SEO should not be any different. A well thought out and planned SEO campaign will produce satisfying results.