Search Engine Optimization in 3 Easy? Steps

So let's jump into our primer with a deeper dive into SEO.

You may be surprised to discover that Search Engine Optimization is essentially comprised of only 3 things:

1. Your Keyword List — the list of phrases you'd like to be found under
   
   
2. Your Keyword Density — maximizing how often and where your keywords appear on your Web site
   
   
3. Your Incoming Links — getting other Web sites to link to your site
   
   

That doesn't sound so hard right?

Well theoretically it isn't. But what makes SEO difficult for most small businesses is what my friend calls "the blind spots" — those major roadblocks you suddenly hit but never even saw coming.

Let's redo that list now with the blind spots added in...

1. Your Keyword List — the list of phrases you'd like to be found under could have you chasing rank on the wrong keywords, also conveniently making your keyword density and link building efforts an exercise in futility
   
   
2. Your Keyword Density - maximizing how often and where your keywords appear on your Web site requires that you a) actually have enough text on your site to use your keywords in the right places repeatedly, and b) have access to the programming skills (or a Content Management Tool) to optimize the HTML code and programming of your site.
   
   
3. Your Incoming Links - getting other Web sites to link to your site is kind of like cold calling. It's always time consuming and can be pretty ineffective and very humbling if you don't have the right approach.
   
   

Now we're getting somewhere! So now that we've out-ed the blind spots, what's a business owner to do?

For starters, we can identify how to avoid each of these roadblocks. I'll start with keyword list creation next week.

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But before all of that, there's really a much BIGGER question we haven't even talked about.

As you follow the tactics in my coming posts, and start to see the resources you'll need to invest in SEO, you want to ask yourself — is this really worth it? Does it actually make sense for me to spend time optimizing my site for search engines?

I know, given all the SEO hype this may seem like a shocking question (do I hear gasping?). But you really do need to find the right answer for your inidividual business.

Think of one of those old balances you used to have in chemistry class. On one side of the balance you'll have the cost - the time, money, and strategic focus you'll be spending on SEO that you could be spending on something else. After all, marketing decisions at some point boil down to "is this where I can invest my resources to generate the greatest profit?" SEO should not be immune to this filter.

So, on the other side of the balance is "what will I get out of it?" meaning how likely is it that you'll a) beat out your search competitors given the resources you can put towards SEO and b) get real, live, paying customers from all of this? If 80% of business in your industry is driven by high-touch sales and personal referrals, does it really make sense to spend your resources ranking on a few search engine results pages that frankly leave a lot to be desired in the personality department?

For many businesses the answer is somewhere between an emphatic yes and a mitigated yes. For some it turns out to be a resounding no.

As a business owner, I encourage you to be skeptical of any marketing technique until you understand the "cost" involved and the realistic payoff for your business - no matter how much hype surrounds the technique. By walking you through the "cost" involved with SEO and where the possible payoffs are, through this and the next posts I hope to help you decide if and what amount of SEO is right for you.

Stay tuned next week for some fun with keywords!

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Getting Good Rank: Search Engine Primer

Do you remember those IBM commercials from the early 2000's? The ones where the execs are sitting around a board room table and there's a lone techie at one end spelling out "the new tech thing"? Awe and mysticism seems to fill the room. Appropriately quizzical theme music twinkles in the background. This is one of my favorites:

Clearly this is an exaggeration but those commercials crack me up. Perhaps it's because durng my careeer I've been on both sides. Perhaps it's also because I've spent more than 13 years sitting right in the middle - translating.

A little while ago I found myself in such a situation. I was moderating a panel for a great group of entrepreneurs-in-the-making and the topic was Search Engine Marketing. Much like the "Universal Business Adapter" lots of people eye Search Engine Marketing with a bit of awe and a lot of mystique.

One usually finds mystique in situations of information scarcity, not so with SEM (just do a search for search engine marketing and you'll see what I mean) and yet, the topic is still little understood.

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I think part of the challenge is with the way SEM is covered:

1. coverage often starts in the middle without treating the beginning, which makes it difficult to catch up.
2. coverage often doesn't treat the topic from the perspective of small business owners — how do you know which of the techniques you're reading about is actually both meaningful and feasible for your small business?

So I've decided to tackle the problem and share it not only with the people who attended that event, but with Inc.com readers here.

First let's address the biggest question — what does Search Engine Marketing actually mean?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the act of optimizing your Web site and what I like to call your "digital footprint" so that search engines like Google will rank your site above other sites when people search for things. When looking at Google, this refers to the left side of screen or the "organic" listings which can draw more than 70% of the search engine clicks. If you want to get really in depth check out Google's Webmaster Tools http://google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769 (beware, there's a LOT of information there).

Search Engine Advertising (SEA) is making a payment directly to a Search Engine (or through a broker or service provider) so you can place a text advertisement on the search engine results page (or SERP) when people search for things. This is also called "sponsored links" or "Pay Per Click (PPC)" advertising. You bid for a certain keyword phrase and you pay the search engine each time someone clicks on your ad.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) — has come to mean different things. Some people use the terms Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Advertising synonymously. I think this isn't really accurate or especially useful. Marketing is not just advertising. I think the better use of "SEM" is to refer to all of the ways that you can use search engines to market what you have to offer.

Next week I'll cover the most critical factor in any search marketing campaign — your keywords. How do you choose them? How should they be different for SEO vs. SEA? How do you keep from loosing your shirt by buying the wrong ones in a PPC campaign? Stay tuned'�

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