SEO - A Quick Fix with Cash?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is considered by many as the "magic wand" to cure the issue of low or nonexistent traffic to a website. Pay a web company a few bucks and you can be on the top of Google or Bing in no time. The more money you pay, the better your results. However, that's not entirely true. SEO doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, and here are some quick tips to help you improve your SEO. It can also do more than just get you to the top of the Google/Yahoo/Bing mountain.

Understanding SEwhoooo?

To understand SEO, you have to first understand the concept of website traffic. There are 3 types of traffic:

• Direct Traffic: which occurs when a viewer types your web address into the address bar of a web browser.
• Referral Traffic: where a viewer clicks on a link on a different website that takes them to your website.
• Search Engine Traffic: where viewers type keywords into a search engine bar and then selects your site.

Why SEO?

Over the years there has generally been a decline in “Direct Traffic” and an increase “Search Engine Traffic” and “Referral Traffic.” Today, many online viewers don't have the time to remember website URLs. It has become far easier to enter the company’s name and/or key phrases into a search engine. Therefore, it has become important to ensure that search engines can recognize your site as being the right match for a user's search terms. SEO also helps with referrals as well. When a web user shares a link from your site with others, often there is a description that appears with your website’s link. This description is generated from the same source that a search engine would pull the information.  The better the description (also known as the "digest" or the "meta description"), the more likely other viewers will click the link to your site.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starts at Home

The first and most important step towards good SEO begins on the main site. Making some changes to your site’s structure and adding descriptive Meta content to your pages will go a long way.  When your site is optimized, you can use social media to share and spread your links.  Click here for are some quick tips to help improve your site’s SEO. Then, learn how other websites can help your website's SEO.