SEO Explained
The foundation of SEO is the strategic use of keywords. Each content piece (blog posts, landing pages, pillar pages, eBooks, etc.) you put out online should have a focus keyword, which is a short term that your audience is likely to be searching for online. The focus keyword for this blog post, for example, is “differences between SEO and SEM.” Then, the goal is to incorporate the keyword into the content piece that you are writing in as natural and subtle a way as possible (beware of overloading with keywords; the key is to strike the balance between repeating it often enough to be picked up by search engines without sounding like a keyword-spewing robot).
It’s also important to make sure that search engines know where your business is located – or, to be more accurate, the areas to which you provide services. This is done by making sure your website has location-specific webpages: one for each county and city where you provide services. Optimizations like adding a map and address to your “Contact” page also help pinpoint your service locations.
Ultimately, SEO is complex and ever-evolving. However, the most basic thing to remember is that it’s all about making sure your website is specific, targeted, and rife with keywords that are compatible with your ideal customers’ online searches.