There are a lot of levels of SEO that I will cover in the future, but this blog is about one item at a time. So, what I want to talk about now is the basic definition of SEO and why it's important.

SEO means Search Engine Optimization. It's what you do to your website to make it easier for search engines to find you based on the keywords a person uses when they do a search.

There are going to be people who know they're looking for your company and will search by name. Usually your page will appear at the top of these search results. That's great, but it's not the only thing we're going for.

You want people who don't know about you to find you too. So, you need to make sure that your website uses key words that they would be looking for.

Just think about the things you would use to search for you. Maybe you are a yoga studio. A person would search yoga, yoga classes, yoga studio and the town they are in and probably the neighborhood. Maybe even the kind of yoga or things like kid-friendly or something else that would narrow it down.

If you want to check on where your listing would come up in a Google search, make sure you are signed out of Google or try on a different computer or browser (IE, Foxfire, Chrome) you haven't used (if you use Chrome, just open an incognito window). Google often shows you pages based on where you've been, so a simple search on your computer may not give you a true reading.

When a potential customer lands on your website, it's very likely that they won't order or contact you right away.  If they like your product and think it's something they'll use in the future they're gonna want a way to remember you.  They could bookmark your site, but these days that is not the best way to keep a business in mind. Consumers want you to come to them - and you should want that, too.  That means an email newsletter sign up, Facebook and perhaps Twitter. You must have one of these and I would recommend at least two.

Once you get your profile or email program set up, make sure it is displayed prominently on the website.  There are  many websites -sometimes large companies website's - that make you really search for the email sign up and social media (Facebook, Twitter and others) icons - often hiding them at the bottom and separating the email sign up from social media icons.

Why? Why are they making it difficult for people to find a way to follow them?  It seems so simple, but the best ideas often are:  Make it easy for your customers.  Let me repeat that. Make it easy.

The best way to link your text on your website is to make sure to create the link on the words you want to promote and don't waste it on words like "here" or "click".

This is an easy fix for any website or blog that can really help your search results.  Even though it's a simple fix with great results, many website owners and bloggers don't do it. Either they don't know about the difference in linking text or it's just too easy to fall into the "click here" mode.  I even find myself doing it sometimes.

Search engines like Google pay extra attention to the words that are linked. They use them to help determine how relevant your website is to the keywords searched. Linked text (called anchor text) is significant because it tells the search engines what is included in the link. If your anchor text is "here", you're missing out on letting Google know more about your page and website.  

Take some time to go through your website and fix these links. It won't take long, but it will help enormously (make sure not to take it too far by linking lots of words or sentences. That will have the opposite effect).

You may have heard the term SEO a lot. Maybe you aren't quite sure what it means. 

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.  Search Engine Optimization is the process that you take to make your website more attractive to the search engines. There are certain things Google and Bing are looking for when they determine search results.  Learning and applying SEO tips to your website can make your website appear higher in the search results.  By using each tip that we'll cover on this blog, you're making it more clear to the search engines what your site is about and how relevant it is the words searched.

There are 2 kinds of SEO.  On Page SEO and Off Page SEO.

On Page SEO is the things you can do on your website to maximize your search results. Things like making sure the titles on your blog posts have the right words, creating new content and many other tips we will cover in the future. But, let's focus on Off Page SEO for now.

Off Page SEO is what is done on other websites in regards to yours. Largely, it's links from other websites to yours. When another website mentions your company and links back to you it helps you. The more established and respected the website that links to you, the better.  This kind of SEO only works if it is legitimate. Many websites in the past have been set up as link farms just to up a website's SEO. This no longer works and Google will actually penalize your results for this kind of linking. 
 
If you wanna do some work in Off Page SEO (and I recommend you do) try reaching out to bloggers or organizations that work with you or would be open to having a article or ad exchange (guest blogging is a great way to do this).  If your business makes you an authority on something, write an article or blog post for some general knowledge website (like About.com or Ezines.com) and make sure that the byline has a link to your website. Can you make a tutorial? Make a video showing how to do something and make sure the info on YouTube has a link your website.

Just remember that Google is looking for relevant and authoritive information.  Create the best quality content you can and your On Page SEO and Off Page SEO will continue to improve.

It seems like an obvious thing, and maybe it is to you, but I can't tell you how many small business email newsletters I have received that have no links in the newsletter.

I will run my curser around looking for a way to get to the website.  I will look for links in the text,  or images in the body of the email that are links.  If they aren't there then I'll check to see if the logo is a link or the header. Nope.  What do I do then? I give up and don't visit the site and so do most people.

You have to make it easy for people to come to your site. You have to make it as easy as possible.

In the example below of Sarah's Sewing Center, Sarah could have used many links. She could have made text links to the classes schedule when she mentioned classes. She could link to the new Amy Butler fabrics on the website (an an image would have gone far there) and she could have linked again to the store website and the online store mentions all in the body of the email. 

It's also a good idea to have a link to the website on the header or with a logo or something and a map link at the footer or a side bar would be great.

The point is, don't waste the time and energy you're putting into your email newsletters by not making it easy for people to visit your website. Each newsletter should generate a spike in site views and that can translate more easily into sales.

A simple thing that can help the overall growth of your website's search results is to title your blog posts and articles with the key words that your customer is looking for.

For example: If you're a shoe shop and you're having a sale, don't just title your blog post with the words "50% off Sale!" This won't help your blog post come up in search results. Try and add in some of the words your potential customers are searching the internet for. So, in this instance that may be your most popular shoes on sale. 

Also, if it doesn't look too cheesy, add in the name of your shop. The more relevant articles and posts that mention your store name, even if it is linking from your own website - the better.

Do keep in mind though that if you pour it on too thick (like naming every brand you carry) the result will be the opposite and Google will mark it as a non-reputable site. So, just be clear, helpful and relevant with your titles and content. That'll lead you to success.

This is the year that you finally get your marketing plan in action. This is the year that you finally understand the ways you can build your business or blog on the internet.

Being a small business is tough. There is so much to do, very few people to do it and no time to understand all the confusing and changing rules about how to get your website more attention on Google or how to best use social media.


Plain Language Marketing is here to help you understand the best ways to promote your business, website or blog in small easy to understand chunks.

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This is the year you will understand it all a little more and make some small changes that can help your project or business. Here's to 2013!