What Exactly Is SEO? Our SEO expert reveals why knowing what SEO is--and how to do it--is critical for your online business.

By Jon Rognerud

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a subset of the umbrella term "search engine marketing" (SEM). Properly applied, search engine optimization allows your site to not only be seen by the search engines but, when a search term (either keywords or phrases) is entered, offers the ability to rank very high in the search engine results pages. The results pages are typically a combination of natural (sometimes called organic) results, paid inclusions (directories) and pay-per-click (PPC) ads.

But why is SEO so critical to the success of your business online? The holy grail for online marketers centers around getting your site on the first page of a Google search results page. Why Google? Because it currently owns well over half the market of all searches. If you further optimize your site in such a way that it brings in quality traffic, you'll get the ultimate return on your investment (assuming you have a solid back office process). And if you've optimized well for Google, you'll rank well in the other major search engines, such as Yahoo! and MSN, as well.

Many people hire professional consultants to perform SEO, while others attempt to do it themselves, which you certainly can-it's not brain surgery. In the coming months, I'll help you learn how to take on this task yourself. There really are no secrets-it just takes a lot of continuous work and an understanding of people, search engines, algorithms and toolsets.

SEO can (and should) be a full-time engagement. The scope of work depends on your site and your niche. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll need to spend 40 hours a week on it--you certainly couldn't afford to put that much effort into it--but you need to put a solid content and link-building strategy in place for the long term. Existing sites can be optimized by simply applying a correct title (the text that shows up in the blue bar at the top of your browser window) and a meta description (the text that often shows up as the description in the results listing).

If you've read the book Art of War, you'll know that the basis for going into battle is to know your competition first. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer, the saying goes. In our SEO battlefield, we'll look at competitive analysis and keyword research to start.

A critical first step for an effective SEO plan is to perform heavy competitive analysis. In fact, if you search in Google for a key term or phrase related to your field and website, you should look at the first three to five websites that come up on the first page of your Google search results. These folks are the ones to beat. That's because if you're listed in the top 10 search results in Google, you may find that your website will get significantly increased traffic (assuming you have a competitive search term). I'll talk about how to get quality traffic and tracking/conversion in a future article.

It's also critical that your website be built in such a way that it's search-engine friendly but also user-friendly. To begin with, you must be very clear about what your site is all about. Do you know what your "value proposition" is? Then you'll want to ensure easy navigation, a clear call to action and relevant content. When you add relevant content pages and links within your theme and community, you're taking the first steps to success.

You must also make sure it loads quickly, is html/css (cascading style sheets) compliant, and lets visitor know what your site is all about in less than eight seconds. Even if you think your visitors are familiar with your product or service, you'll still want to make it easy to navigate and user friendly.

SEO is one of the most powerful online marketing mediums there is, and it's critical to the success of your online business. The bottom line is, SEO done right can enable you to be found and ranked well in the sea of billions of existing web pages, and your visitors and your bank account will both love you for it.

Wavy Line
Jon Rognerud

Author and Online Business Consultant

Jon Rognerud is a recognized authority on SEO, who has spent more than 20 years creating and managing web and marketing projects from small to large companies, including positions at online giant Yahoo!. He is the founder of Chaosmap.com, a leading search marketing company in Los Angeles, CA. He plans, builds and delivers profit-making SEO, PPC and Social Media training, consulting as well as breakthrough speaking seminars. He also blogs on his website, http://www.jonrognerud.com

Editor's Pick

A Leader's Most Powerful Tool Is Executive Capital. Here's What It Is — and How to Earn It.
Lock
One Man's Casual Side Hustle Became an International Phenomenon — And It's on Track to See $15 Million in Revenue This Year
Lock
3 Reasons to Keep Posting on LinkedIn, Even If Nobody Is Engaging With You
Why a Strong Chief Financial Officer Is Crucial for Your Franchise — and What to Look for When Hiring One

Related Topics

Business News

More Americans Are Retiring Abroad, Without a Massive Nest Egg — Here's How They Made the Leap

About 450,000 people received their social security benefits outside the U.S. at the end of 2021, up from 307,000 in 2008, according to the Social Security Administration.

Business News

7 of the 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live in the U.S. Are in One State

A new report by U.S. News found that San Diego is the most expensive city to live in for 2023-2024, followed by Los Angeles. New York City didn't even rank in the top 10.

Business News

'The Mattresses Are As Thick as The Width of a Hand.' And 5 Other Things to Know About Elizabeth Holmes' Prison.

Inside the walls of Federal Prison Camp Bryan, Texas, where the fallen Silicon Valley star is serving an 11-year sentence.

Growing a Business

The Best Way to Run a Business Meeting

All too often, meetings run longer than they should and fail to keep attendees engaged. Here's how to run a meeting the right way.

Fundraising

Working Remote? These Are the Biggest Dos and Don'ts of Video Conferencing

As more and more businesses go remote, these are ways to be more effective and efficient on conference calls.

Business News

Woman Ties the Knot at White Castle Almost 30 Years After the Chain Gave Her Free Food as a Homeless Teen

Jamie West was just 12 years old when she ran away from the foster care system.