What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be intimidating for many small business owners because it seems like a complex and technical process. However, in reality, SEO is simply a strategy that can help your website rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) in order to generate more traffic and lead to more visibility for your business.

At its core, SEO is all about making your website as user-friendly as possible for both search engines and your human visitors. This involves optimizing your website's content to include appropriate keywords, improving your website's overall user experience (UX), and building high-quality backlinks to your website.

Keywords are a crucial component of an effective SEO strategy. Keywords are the words and phrases that users enter into search engines to find information, products, or services. By including relevant keywords on your website's pages and in your content, you can increase your chances of ranking higher on SERPs for those search terms. (VERY IMPORTANT)

To identify relevant keywords for your business, start by brainstorming a list of words or phrases that you think people might use to search for your product or service. You can also use keyword research tools, such as Google's Keyword Planner, to generate additional keyword ideas and determine the competitiveness and search volume of those keywords.

Once you have identified your keywords, it's important to use them strategically on your website. This means including them in your page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and throughout your content where relevant and appropriate. However, it's also important to avoid "keyword stuffing," or overusing keywords in an unnatural way that can actually hurt your website's rankings.

It's important to remember that SEO isn't a one-time project or a magic solution. It's an ongoing process that requires dedication and effort. However, by starting with identifying and using relevant keywords, small businesses can take the first step in improving their website's SEO and attracting more traffic to their business.