If a website exists in the world wide web but nobody can find it, does it even exist? Much like a tree falling in the forest, we’ll never know. That’s where search engine optimization, or more broadly known as SEO, comes into play. 

Basically, it means you are optimizing your content to be “found” when somebody is searching either for the name or your business or what your business does. You want to show up at the top of the list, and SEO is what helps you get those rankings! Check out how you can use SEO to help your business get noticed. 

Develop Your Competitive Advantages

What sets you apart from the competition? Why would somebody choose your business over another business offering similar products or services? Start with a brainstorming session to identify those competitive advantages. This could be a credibility factor where you highlight awards, talk about a product or service that nobody offers or highlight cost effectiveness. You’ll then want to use those advantages when writing the copy for your website, adwords and descriptions.

Find Why People Are Searching 

In order to optimize your search, you need to know what people are searching for! Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. What would you type into the search engine in order to find the products or services you’re looking for? You can do keyword research using a variety of paid or free tools to take the guesswork out of what people are searching for.

Determine Budget

There are two types of SEO—paid and organic. Paid SEO will show up as an “ad” when people search for the keywords you put into the back end when building those ads. Organic will show up underneath those paid ads. Determine if you would like to put a budget toward getting noticed in the search results.

With the back-end keywords, even if somebody is searching for something that isn’t listed in your title or description, your business will still pop up in the search results. In addition to keywords, you can also list competitor names so that your business is in the conversation when people search for competitors. 

Develop Your Website or Landing Page

Getting noticed in the search engine rankings is only one part of the equation to successful marketing. If somebody gets to your website after clicking from the search results, and your website looks like it was built from the dawn of the internet, or doesn’t provide users with what they need, they’ll leave and head back to the search results page to look for something else.

That means you’ll want to make sure your website uses some of those same keywords and lives up to what you promised in the search results! Make your site easy to navigate, be concise and clever with your messaging, and use a hierarchy with your navigation that makes sense. Make sure your audience knows exactly how to take next steps once they get to your website, whether that be purchasing or reaching out for more information.

The art of SEO can help your business be found in a sea of competitors! Whether you focus on paid or organic search, there is ample opportunity to get your business noticed. Focus on what sets you apart from your competitors and put your best virtual foot forward!