What is SEO? (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is a tactic designed to increase a website’s organic (non-paid) online presence and search results. SEO helps structure your site in a way that search engines understand better – helping drive traffic to you by increasing awareness.

There are many factors in SEO, from the content on your website to the type of links you use to connect with other authoritative sources in your industry. Correcting errors in the framework of your site build, repairing mistakes in directory listings online and keeping up to date with regular blog posts can also be great tools to improve SEO.

SEO is not just about keywords and technical jargon anymore. It’s also about making your site easier for the consumer to understand as well. All of this can be super confusing, and that’s why we are here to help!

Why does my site need SEO?

Search engines like Google need to know who you are & what you do most importantly. SEO in 2018 is about being relevant and trustworthy.

Google is constantly using their super high tech algorithms to crawl web pages scanning what information, or content, is on the page. The crawl tells Google everything it needs to know about a site in a manner of moments.

For example, if someone searches “garage door repair,” then having SEO content on your site to match that query tells Google this search is relevant to you and optimizing these techniques will help you move up in the rankings.And if Google cannot get a clear picture of who and what, chances are you will not appear at the top of a basic search query related to your business, meaning no one can find you. And if no one can find you, well you get the picture….

Can I do SEO for myself?

Understanding SEO can be very complex, but most people can easily grasp the very basics of site optimization. Sometimes even the smallest amount of insight can make a huge difference. SEO tips and tricks are widely available on the internet, including articles and blog posts like this one. But you have to be careful. It’s just as easy to get penalized by Google for an old school “black hat” technique or plagiarized content as it is to increase in ranking because you did something right!

Depending on your current level of knowledge, willingness to learn, and the time you have to invest will determine the degree of difficulty involved in taking on this task yourself. The complexity of the project may force you to let an expert handle things. Companies like ours that practice SEO can vary in their approach. At Hallen Media, we highly suggest vetting whomever you choose by talking to current clients who can provide testimonials and references of work history.