subject: About Seo-kansas City Small Business Marketing Consultant [print this page] In this and the following three articles a Kansas City marketing consultant will answer these questions that are heard a lot from local small business owners: What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO), why is it a scary subject and why do I need it, as well as more on PPC
Here we go with What is Search Engine Optimization. Search engine optimization is a broad term for various processes implemented by Internet Marketers to get the best possible ranking for websites on the search engines.
A lot of research and work goes into the creation and effective maintenance of any website, which represents the online presence of your local small business. This involves keyword research which means that the marketing consultant will try to find keywords or keyword phrases that are:
1.Heavily searched for in the organic (non-paid) search results
2.Not too competitive and
3.Related to a specific business niche or industry
SEO is a very powerful and important tool that is used to build an impressive web presence which brings targeted traffic (if the SEO is done right!), which results in sales to increase the business revenue.
The following are all important aspects of SEO:
A)Extensive keyword research
B)SEO copywriting
C)Link building
D)Brand building
E)Viral marketing
F)Reputation management.
Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing have many rules that change often to improve the delivering of relevant, unique content to users. Abiding by and knowing these rules are vital for businesses that want to be found online and this goes for any business, even local small businesses!
It is true that search marketing can be very scary and it is easy to feel totally overwhelmed when you first start doing research about it. There seem to be more questions than answers with different takes on just about every aspect and it soon feels like you are fighting a loosing battle.
Fact of the matter is that without it no website will rank on the search engines which means that it will not be found by anyone and will therefore just be a page sitting there without doing its job of generating online exposure and income for your business.
Another question often heard is How effective is Search Engine Optimization? The answer is very effective. It is a long term strategy and is highly recommended as a marketing investment. It is true that it takes longer than PPC (pay per click) for SEO to take effect, but once it is in place it becomes more and more effective and the ROI (return on investment) actually increases.
It also stays visible 24/7 year round unlike PPC that disappears as soon as you stop paying for your keyword campaign. It is therefore clear to see that having a well planned SEO campaign in place is something all businesses need.
In the next episode of this short series by a Kansas City small business marketing consultant, we will take a closer look at why search engine optimization (SEO) can be such a scary subject.
