No! SEO is not gardening! SEO is what gets your website found when someone does an internet search for your company or its products or services. But, there are similarities to a garden!
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. So, maybe the first question which needs to be answered is, “What is a search engine?”
SEARCH ENGINE
A search engine is a website where you can perform an internet search for, well, ANYTHING! Just about everything mankind knows can be found on the internet, along with every business who is serious about staying in business and finding new customers. The less serious can’t be found even if you know the business name! Why? Because they do not SEO their websites!
SEARCH ENGINES
For examples of search engines, simply perform a search for search engines on a search engine! Use one of the popular search engines like Google or Bing and search using the
key word “search” and see what you get. Then do a search using the
key phrase “search engines”. What did you find? You probably had no idea there were so many out there.
{
side note: As I wrote this I tried it and I just found that Google has a new interface for tablets from another blog, “Search Engine Land”.}
GOOGLE IT
Just as facial tissues are more commonly known as Kleenex, an internet search is often called “google”. If someone tells you to look something up on the internet, they’ll often simply tell you to “Google it”!
HOW TO GET TO THE TOP OF THE LIST
Ok, let’s backup. Now that you know what a search engine is, you will obviously want your company to show up at the top of the list when someone is looking for your products or services. There are two ways to get there.
SEO vs. SEM? NO!
SEO consists of many activities and is often compared to SEM. I know, I’ve not explained what SEO is and now I’ve thrown another acronym at you. SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing and by comparing the two terms I will define each. The ‘vs.’ above is wrong! Your choice should not be to do one or the other as each has a different impact. Your choice is if and when to do each.
SEO IS ORGANIC AND LONGTERM
SEO is said to be an ‘organic process’ where you don’t simply pay to be at the top of a search list. But, instead you construct your website to be rated highly by search engines. Each uses its own criteria in the form of a computer ‘algorithm’ (program) which analyzes your website.
After being submitted to a search engine, a website is first, ‘crawled’ (scanned) using a program called a ‘spider’ for the many features and attributes the algorithm needs to determine its appropriate place on a search results list for each ‘keyword’ or ‘key phrase’ used by consumers and others looking for information as well as the products and services your company sells!
The ‘key words’ and ‘key phrases’ are looked for in ‘meta tags’ on images and in your website content and are just one of the details being looked at. It also looks to see if your website is ‘mobile friendly’ (
test your site on Google here), as well as is the content stagnant or does it change, are there links to it and are they high quality links from expert sites or junk links from ‘link farms’ , and very much more!
SEM
Using an SEM approach, you pay for strategically placed ads including at the top of a search list where the first several are spots are paid for. So, you can show up at the very top in the paid ads section or a few down at the top of the organic results. SEM is more targeted and can get a quick response. A strategy of SEO and SEM will get significantly increase your website traffic, your new business, and your bottom line.
SEO IS LIKE GARDENING
I like the analogy of comparing your website to a garden. You need to prepare the ground, plant the seeds, and then regularly water and weed it so it grows to be a large healthy garden. The same kind of ongoing attention is needed to grow your internet presence.
Setting up your website to be found, registering it and regularly submitting it and its site map to dozens of search engines, making your website ‘mobile friendly’, updating its content regularly, linking social sites, and the other ongoing efforts to get your website found will keep it healthy and your internet presence, along with your business, growing.
This organic approach will keep your website ranked highly while the SEM approach will get it there now and anytime you buy an ad there. But, when you don’t buy an ad there, you are nowhere to be found. You don’t have a healthy garden which can be found anytime. Instead, your website can only be found when you pay for ads and can’t be when you don’t. So, SEM has its place when looking for quick results. But, in the longterm, the organic approach of SEO will keep your company at the top of the list!
