San Antonio SEO | San Antonio Website Marketing
What is SEO and why do I need it? - SEO is the acronym for Search Engine Optimization. What this means, in a nutshell, is the process of improving the likelihood that your website will be one of the first results displayed by a search engine, based on the keywords used to generate the search.
Google and Yahoo - By far the vast majority of computer users out there use one of the major search engines, either Google, Yahoo, or Bing to locate goods and services online. Therefore, most SEO is geared towards achieving the best page ranks on Google or maybe Yahoo. Page rank is the term used to quantify a websites’ authority on the internet. Page Rank is a number between 0 and 10, with ten being the highest possible score. Typically, the average computer user won't look further than the second or maybe the third page of search results when querying the internet for a business. Most people assume if a business is within the first page or two of results then that business must be doing something better than the ones that get listed below it. Clearly, if you plan to generate leads or increase business through the internet by means of your website, it is critical that your website appear near the top of the list for the keywords associated with your business.
SEO - A Strategic Investment - The exact actual algorithm that Google and to a lesser extent Yahoo uses to determine page rank is known only to them and is a closely guarded proprietary secret. However, enough is known about the criteria that the search engines deem important to page rank, that effective SEO is possible assuming the correct strategy is followed. There really is no ‘trick’ or ‘secret’ that will land you on the first spot on Google overnight. Implementing a complete, comprehensive, SEO ‘strategy’ is the key to improving page rank and it takes time and some work. The days of being able to simply 'keyword stuff' or use hidden content to boost page ranking is over. Search engines are far more 'intelligent' today and effective SEO requires actual meaningful content pages, social networking, articles submissions, and a focused marketing effort.
Start With a Solid Website Design - The first and most important factor in SEO is a well structured and well written website design. This is the foundation upon which everything else is going to be built. Trying to do SEO on a poor website design is like building a castle on quicksand! No matter how hard you work at keeping things together, eventually it will all fall apart.
Marketing & Patience - Assuming that you have a solid website design the next step is doing a little market research. It’s important to know what ‘keywords’ to optimize for. Search volume is a very important factor in determining keyword focus. There would not be much point in trying to focus on a keyword phrase if no one is searching for those keywords! A determination needs to be made on two or maybe three keyword phrases that best describe your business or service. Focusing on these keyword phrases will give you a ‘niche’ that you can target aggressively.
How Long is this Going to Take? - Ok, so now that you have started a comprehensive SEO strategy, how long is it going to take before you will see results? To be realistic, expect 1 to 6 months of intense SEO and marketing efforts before real significant results are going to be realized. Remember, this is a long term solution and needs to be thought of as an investment. Relax and be patient, the rewards of an effective SEO campaign and marketing strategy are too numerous to list!