Over the past few weeks, we’ve brought you SEO 101. A quick recap:

• We defined what SEO is and why it’s important (Short answer: it means “Search Engine Optimization”, which is all about the secrets behind how to impress Google).
• We talked about the role of content, link-building and key words in an effective SEO strategy;
• We gave you some practical ways to improve your SEO game;
• and we faced the reality that whether we like it or not, SEO is going to continue to be an essential part of how we do business in the future.

For this final week, I want to give you one final motivation to develop your own SEO strategy: SEO is essential in highlighting what people see online.

One of my greatest fears in life is that I’ll be talking to someone at lunch not knowing that I have a green piece of food stuck in my teeth. It makes me sad to think the whole time I was talking, the person across from me would have just been staring at that piece of food. After I finally see myself in the mirror and discover what’s there, my biggest question would be: Why didn’t they say something to me??

SEO is how you get that feedback online.

If your website isn’t optimized, if your content isn’t engaging, if your strategy is out of date… SEO will tell you. This is information that is obvious to anyone who attempts to find your business online. Wouldn’t you rather be aware of what they see?

I know for a lot of you, even after all this training, you might still be thinking that this SEO thing is just too complicated for you to figure out. You probably didn’t go into business expecting you’d have to become an expert in digital marketing. I really do believe you can take all the tools from this past month and create a comprehensive SEO strategy that works, but just know: if you ever need a hand, I gotchu. And I can promise you two things that actually set BOS Media apart from a lot of SEO services out there:

1. We are transparent. We tell you in detail what we are doing and how you are ranking.
2. You won’t be stuck with a long-term, never-ending contract. We stop when you say stop. We go, when you say go. Entirely up to you.

BOS Media knows the SEO game – and we can definitely kick some butt for you. We can even give you access to a backend dashboard with all kinds of geeky live stats that show your progress. Actually it’s funny: this part of the job that can be so de-energizing for so many business leaders is literally our favorite thing to do – I would love to do my part to make sure you have the SEO support your business needs.

“If a tree falls in the forest without SEO, does it make a sound?” Here’s to making plenty of noise online – give me a call if there’s anything I can do to help!

Let’s be real. There are thousands of businesses that can thrive in any circumstance. I’ve talked to business owners who tell me that they’ve never done any marketing and hopefully, they never will. “People just find us and we stay beyond busy…sometimes, we have to turn away business, we just can’t handle the load.” Even their bank sends them a notification that they’ve exceeded the maximum deposit allowed for the month. Hahaha, just kidding on the last sentence, I don’t think there’s a deposit limit. Wait, is there?

Well, good for them. But the rest of us are still here, daring to dream for growth beyond ourselves, beyond the capacity of what we can handle, and even beyond our wildest imagination of what our business and our lives can become. What a great problem to have to solve. Also there are those of us who just started a brand new company, just launched a new site with no existing traffic or have been struggling getting new leads. Whatever category you fit in, I still think we should all have a strong SEO for our brand and always be searchable. Why? SEO just makes everything better.

Here’s the thing: when you research and break down Google analytics as a whole, assuming you are not running a PPC (Pay Per Click) Google ad campaign, a high percentage of your site traffic is coming from the organic search. People are still searching key words and clicking on the organic results to get to their desired websites. Your goal should be to have your business show up on that search, bringing more traffic to your site, and in turn, more leads and more growth for your business. But beyond showing up on the first page of the search results, there are other awesome benefits to doing your SEO. I’ll list my top 3 reasons according to the research done by SEJ 

SEO builds trust and credibility: People realize that many factors go into establishing an authority for your brand online. When your business shows up on the search result, people know that it went through a pretty thorough vetting process and you made it to the top. This creates trust and credibility. Also, when you are running a Paid Ad campaign for your company, if the search results show up on the Ad as well as the organic search, that just doubles the trust and doubles the credibility. They are seeing it twice, making you the most likely to be clicked on and chosen.

Great SEO also means a better user experience: I’ve heard people complain about certain websites: “It’s hard to navigate; it loads slow; the information is unorganized.” Well, one of the main priorities for Google when choosing the most relevant sites to direct traffic to is making sure the user experience is positive. Their algorithms will test and rank many elements that will show favor in the user experience of your site. That means when your site is Search Engine Optimized, it ensures the site has been fixed to create a positive experience for the visitors. 

SEO is not going away: While the rules of SEO and the best practices will continue to change and be updated, we know that humans are going to keep searching for products and services online. It’s important to stay up to date as the internet world evolves, and stay ahead of the competition by being proactive in monitoring significant changes to the algorithm. Google makes thousands of algorithm changes a year. Don’t fall too far behind. Stay relevant.

So, to answer the question of “Does your business absolutely need SEO?”, I have a question for you: Do babies go “goo”? The answer is resounding YES. Every baby I’ve every known has said “goo” to me. Don’t believe me? Google it – here’s the search result page of whether babies say goo.

Hope your SEO game is better than a baby’s!

If you saw my post last week, I talked about the fundamentals of SEO. One of the coolest studies I found while doing my own research was this simple chart of the Google Algorithm Ranking Factors. Basically, it charts what Google thinks are the most important elements on your website if you want to increase visibility and traffic to your site through SEO. As this chart shows, out of 15 different categories that can affect your SEO, the most important is Consistent Publication of Engaging Content.

Which makes total sense to me. Logically speaking, the more content you have, the more chance you’ll have of someone seeing it, right? Well, not always. In fact, if you have an article or blog post on your website that goes on and on without providing a solution, making a point or offering any kind of significant information, your visitors will leave quickly which can actually hurt your rankings. So the key word here is “ENGAGING” content.

So, I know what you are gonna ask me next: “How do I write engaging content?” Before I answer that question, let’s first define the word “engaging” in the context of SEO.

Engaging Content is so genuinely appealing and interesting that it immediately grabs your attention and makes you want to learn more. Engaging means having the ability to stop someone in their tracks and draw them in by being informative, insightful, inspiring and even entertaining.

It’s not just about great writing or storytelling – it’s about the visuals as well. Here are some cool tips and resources so you can increase your SEO game.

• Find what people are searching for. Duh. There are 5.6 billion Google searches per day. What are they searching for? Wouldn’t it be awesome if you had special insight into what people needed so you can write about it and answer their questions? Well, here’s a free tool you can use. It’s called Answer the Public. Click on this link, type in your area of specialty and voila! You’ll get a list of questions that people are asking online about your subject. You’ll be surprised at some of the popular things that people are searching that you haven’t thought of in your own field.
• Use Large Headers and Sub-headers. Make it stand out. Because, most of the time, before someone commits to reading your content, they will quickly pan the page to see if it’s worthwhile. And while skimming through, they’ll first read what’s most catching to the eye – the large headers and sub-headers. Not only should they be bigger, but they should use words that immediately capture a reader’s attention.
• Use Graphics. We are naturally drawn to images. Create or add graphics to illustrate your point, set the mood or spark an inspiration.
• Use Keywords. Not just one, but 5-10. And categorize these keywords into 3 types: Primary, Secondary and Additional.

• • The Primary keyword is your main focus, so let your title reflect that. Use the primary keyword to drive the bulk of the content forward.

• • Secondary keywords are complementary keywords to the primary one, but just slight variations. Have 3-5 talking points and use the secondary keywords to support it.

• • Additional keywords can be other related words that can be phrased differently but mean the same thing. This is a way to get variations of your main keywords in there to provide additional padding.

• Incorporate Internal Links. This is a great way to keep the visitor on your site longer. Referencing another post from your existing site is a great way to create more engaging content and provide the visitor with more relevant information while letting Google know how cool you are.
• Be Consistent. Consistency in your voice helps people get to know you, and will keep them coming back if they like what they read. If you are a great storyteller, keep writing relate-able and relevant stories to continue to communicate your point. Also, be consistent in posting so people can start counting on you for new content and looking forward to it. Best case scenario, your content can become part of the regular rhythm of people’s lives.
• Be You. The most engaging content is content that’s written by someone who’s not only knowledgeable, but also someone who’s passionate. Let them know how much you love and enjoy sharing, teaching, informing and entertaining. It will shine through. I always say, people can spot a fake…so, you be you. You are the only you and that’s why they’ll want to read it.

So, to answer the original question, does content really help SEO? The answer is resounding YES! Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to adding more traffic and eventually adding more clients to your business.

Here’s to the engaging content you’re going to create – can’t wait to see what you have to share!