What Is SEO?
To know how to pitch SEO to your clients, or Search Engine Optimization, you need to know what it is. If you already do, scroll away.
SEO, in broad terms, helps search engines like Google find and display your website and content when people search for it. This includes all kinds of smaller pieces including:
- Onsite SEO
- Offsite SEO
- SEO content
- Local SEO
Onsite SEO
Onsite SEO involves things that you can control on your site. The content (blogs, user experience, HTML). You have access to it. You have the power to edit it.
Editing and optimizing your site to be better for visitors helps you rank better. Plain and simple.
Google and other search engines have started to judge your site based off of not just what you do and what you say. Nowadays it’s about having good UX, making content accessible and easy to read, and knowing what your visitors want before they come to your site.
Having blogs and other content that’s easy to read helps your visitors understand you faster. Clear communication helps visitors know if they can find what they’re looking for on your page or not.
Proving your visitors with an easy-to-use site will help them navigate and (if they like your content) stay on your site. A slow or confusing site will get shut down almost immediately. Expectations are high, but attainable.
Arranging the backend of your site (HTML, CSS, page organization) lets search engines know you’re organized and pay attention to details. This actually helps you, too. Get rid of pages you don’t need.
Streamlining the back and frontend of your site is crucial for your SEO.
Offsite SEO
Offsite SEO dives into how popular, respectable, and trustworthy search engines precieve your site to be. If other sites link to your site, it probably means there’s something good on there. Links to your site can happen in more ways than you might expect:
- Referencing or quoting and crediting your site
- Deliberate link building
- Social influencing
- Directories
Mentions of your brand off of your site helps boost your SEO, too. This can come from social media activity, guest blogs, and brand mentions.
SEO Content
Since “content it king” and it can make or break your SEO, it gets a section of its own.
If you align your content marketing strategy with your SEO strategy, great things will happen. Knowing what people search for (the SEO part) and why (the content part) gives you insight into what to create in order to fulfill your (potential) customers’ needs.
This content (along with other SEO best practices) will help you rank higher in search results and get those precious eyeballs on your site sooner.
Local SEO
Local SEO isn’t just getting on Google Maps. It’s providing customers with information to contact and locate your business (hopefully to spend money).
Consistently communicate your N.A.P. on and off your site:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
Do people know your location as the place on 5th St and Grand Ave? Put that identifiable info on your 5th St and Grand Ave location’s dedicated page and on major search engines’ location tools like Google My Business.
Bonus points for keeping your search engines’ location tools updated with posts, too.
Who Needs SEO?
Literally everyone but Google. Cause everyone knows to find anything on the internet, you need to know Google. Unless you’re still paying for AOL Gold, in which case you have bigger issues.
Let’s get more specific though.
Brick And Mortar
You may need SEO the most since no one (besides your regulars and loyal customers) know who, where, or what you are. Plus, SEO tactics like ratings can help you rank above the competition and surpass your competitors.
Ecommerce
You’re online, but that doesn’t mean everyone can find you.
Google whatever you sell. Are you at the top? Yes? Nice, but you need to do SEO maintenance and keep up with the ever-changing algorithms, but it looks like you have the hard part done.
No? Time to get started on the basics and work your way on to the first page of search results.
Multiple Business Locations
People need to know where your closest business is to them. They’re going to be interested in what differs between locations. Some might be looking up the location for a friend or family member.
Local SEO is a must for multiple businesses locations.
No Business Locations
Everyone and everything is remote. Awesome. No real HQ to speak of besides a PO box.
Many SaaS, agencies, or start-ups still need to get their name out there. Long-tailed keywords and highly targeted ads will be your guide.
How To Pitch SEO To Your Clients?
Everyone needs SEO. Every location (physical or digital) needs SEO.
It’s the next step whether you’re just starting and need to get the word out or you have an established presence and need a leg up on the competition.
Level up with SEO basics or technical steps. There’s never been a better, worse, sooner, or later time to start working on SEO.
Good SEO work (none of that cheap stuff) has only helped businesses at every level of complexity, diversity, and size.
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Connect clients to SEO without years of experience or ongoing knowledge.
