If you don’t want to keep reading and get the details, here’s the simple answer:
Yes.
You do need search engine optimization but keep reading for the important details to the answer.
SEO is a balancing act among 3 important pieces. No part can be overlooked just as much as you can’t do without the wheels on a car.
The Three Parts Of SEO
There are three different parts of SEO that every small business needs to focus on.
When you add up all parts of search engine optimization you have a good holistic solution.
The problem with most SEO efforts is that they leave one of these pieces out. Each part requires equal effort and equal attention.
It all comes down to this:
In order to matter to search engines, your website must matter to the people who use the search engine.
Often people think they need a business website without thinking through the reasons and how the website is going to get visitors.
That’s why people end up going the free DIY route but are disappointed when it turns out you need more than just a website.
- On-page SEO
- Good content
- Reaching out
These are all the important pieces to search engine optimization.
And now in more detail.
On-Page SEO (Technical)
This is the technical part of SEO and it’s just as important as the other part.
Why?
Because if you haven’t done the necessary pieces of on-page SEO then people won’t click on your web page.
Not only that but search engines will potentially not index you properly which means you won’t even show up in search results.
On-page SEO means you have good code, a fast website, and some creativity/marketing.
You need creativity for SEO?
Yes! Absolutely you do because good SEO is rooted in a good title and meta description which requires some skills to create a good one.
Believe it or not creativity and marketing are part of on-page SEO. Share on XThe first thing your customers will see in search results is the title of your website.
If it doesn’t look useful or clickable then they simply won’t click it!
Your title is of the utmost importance because it determines if someone reads the description and clicks.
That means it has to be creative, answer customers problem, and fit their needs enough for them to click further.
If you can do that then you’re going to get more clicks for you which leads to free advertising.
Good Content
You need good content that people care about and want to see.
Of course, there are exceptions to this though. Nobody is searching for a plumber to get good content. They’re looking for a plumber.
That’s the exception though because most people are using Google to find an answer to their question. When someone is looking for a plumber they’re likely using something like Yelp or Google Business.
Either they’re going directly to Yelp or Google Business or they end up on one of those sites because they rank first for many search terms.
That means setting up your Yelp profile and Google My Business Profile are essential to SEO also.
Yes, there are some people who are going to click on that first search result at the bottom.
Spending tens of thousands of dollars to end up there probably isn’t a wise way to spend money though.
There has to be a good return on investment (ROI) for ranking in that first place for a non-information search.
For service solutions, people use Yelp or the Maps part of search or Google Maps itself.
That leaves you with good content being the most important piece of SEO if we rule out everything I mentioned above.
People use search engines to answer their questions.
The #1 mistake SEO beginners make is creating content for search engines. You can’t graduate to an expert until you understand who the content is for.
The ultimate goal of SEO is to create the best content for your target audience that will also rank in search engines. A balancing act for lack of better words.
Good content that you provide to answer their questions is the most valuable aspect of SEO.
You need search engine optimization if you have any content on your website. So yes you need it.
Reaching Out
If you build it they will come.
It must have been a joke for whoever created that saying.
As with most things if you build it they will not come unless you put the effort and time into bringing them there.
Your website is no different.
You could spend $50 on a website or $10,000 but if there’s no plan to bring visitors then they won’t come.
If you build a website they WON'T come. Unless you put the work in. Share on XWell, they won’t come unless you send them there by handing out business cards and pressing them to visit your website.
Is that worth the investment though?
That’s why you do need search engine optimization but only if you invest the time or money into reaching out to people.
After you post new content it’s always going to gain traction faster and do more for you if you reach out to people who might be interested in it.
If your website and social audience are established then you may be able to tap into that initially.
Social media is a great way to reach out and it all starts with people who already enjoy your content.
The Final Answer
Having a good SEO strategy is important but it all rests upon a solid website. It’s impossible to separate SEO from web design because they so closely rely on each other.
It all comes down to if you need engine optimization or not. That question can easily be answered for you with a question: do you need visitors on your website?
If your answer is no then you don’t need any SEO. If the answer yes then you absolutely need SEO. Not only that but you need to work with the best web designer who can make sure your project is a success.