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1 Comment Written by Atila on September 16, 2008 – 11:06 am

OK, let’s see a show of hands: How many of you are reading this article because you want a #1 rank in Google? Yeah, we thought so. As SEO consultants, we know how good it feels when your website makes it to the top of the heap. Listen, we sincerely hope you get your #1 Google rank, but it won’t help you if it’s bringing in the wrong audience or pointing them to a dead-end website. So don’t think of SEO as just a way to improve your site’s ranking.

The term Search Engine Optimization describes a diverse set of activities that you can perform to increase the number of desirable visitors who come to your website via search engines (you may also have heard these activities called Search Engine Marketing or Search Marketing).

This includes things you do to your site itself, such as making changes to your text and HTML code. It also includes communicating directly with the search engines, or pursuing other sources of traffic by making requests for listings or links. Tracking, research, and competitive review are also part of the SEO package. SEO is not advertising, although it may include an advertising component.

It is not public relations (PR), although it includes communication tasks similar to PR. As a continually evolving area of online marketing, SEO may sound complicated, but it is very simple in its fundamental goal: gaining targeted visitors.

Do I Need to Perform SEO for My Website?

It may seem like a no-brainer, but actually, the answer is not necessarily yes. If any of the following examples apply to you, you may not be in need of an SEO campaign right now:

You have a website that you really don’t want strangers to find, such as a training tool for your employees or a classroom tool for your students.

Your site is already ranking well, you’re satisfied with your sales, and you don’t want to rock the boat.

You’re in a big hurry say, you’ll go out of business without a major upswing in revenue in the next couple of months. This is not to say that SEO can’t help you, but good SEO takes time. You may need to focus your energies elsewhere right now.

Your site is going to be completely rebuilt or redesigned in the next couple of months. If that’s the case, read Shari Thurow’s Search Engine Visibility (Peachpit Press, 2007) to learn how to build a search-friendly site from the ground up.

You’ll want to keep our article on hand, though, for use as soon as your new site is launched. If this list doesn’t apply to you, we think you’re ready to begin your SEO adventure!