Search Engine Optimization

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

SEO has nothing to do with Voodoo or the black arts. It is more closely related to science and engineering than anything else.

Search engine optimization involves making changes to your website's content (possibly the structure as well) to improve your site’s position in the so-called “Search Engine Result Pages” or SERPs on Google, Bing or other search engine.

Which websites need SEO?

ANSWER: Every website needs SEO. If you think about why a website is created, it is to tell the world about something. If people can't see your content, then you might a well not have the website. Businesses that want to sell a product or service absolutely must be found high in the search results. 70% of all visits to a business website are a result of a search.

When your site is properly optimized it will be more visible to the people searching for your product or service. The difference of being in front within the SERPs and being behind in the SERPs is like night and day. In fact statistics show that over 90% of people never look past the first page of search results after searching on Google!

SOBO Partners knows how important it is to play by the rules. We know that, so called "White Hat" SEO tactics are the only way to go. "Black Hat" SEO is using illegal (not allowed by the search engines) tactics to improve ranking. Black Hat tactics will always eventually be seen by the search engine. The site that used these techniques may be temporarily or permanently delisted by that search engine.

And, by the way. It doesn’t count if you type the name of your company and your website shows up on the first. It is important that you search for your company the way a potential client would. The potential client has no idea about the name of your company. They would look for a service/product and probably a region.

The Yellow Pages are a relic

Search engines are used as the primary way to find a service or products by a great majority of the population. The prevalence of smart phones, tablet computers, or always-on PCs or Macs is increasing. Our culture has adopted instant gratification as the norm. So rather than walking to shelf where the telephone book is, people use whatever device is closest to ‘Google’ what they’re looking for.

This is why the yellow pages have so quickly lost their position of importance. Print advertising (newspapers especially) is also losing ground to the Internet. It simply isn’t fast enough, not to mention being always outdated!

Being successful in the Internet is no longer a nice-to-have. Some of your competitors already know this and are moving forward to ensure their place at the front of the search results.