As a web design and SEO company, we sometimes forget that not everyone follows the latest trends and news in search engine optimization and search engine marketing. In fact, we sometimes forget that not everyone is as well-versed in the ways of the web as we are. For instance, we recently answered the question in the title of this post: “what is search engine optimization, anyway?”

The answer is actually fairly simple. After all, everyone who has a website wants more traffic and increased visibility. If you are a business owner, you especially want more qualified traffic - the visitors who are already searching for what your company has to offer. Therefore, the most simplified definition of SEO is that it is a collection of techniques that increase the overall visibility and the volume of qualified incoming traffic to your website by positioning it at the top of the search engines results pages (the SERPs).

The vast majority of people don’t look beyond the first page of results when they are searching for something; therefore, positioning your website on page #1 of Google for relevant keywords (the words you type into a search engine’s query field) drives a massive amount of qualified traffic your way. Targeting the most appropriate search terms for your business is a major part of SEO - not only should your keywords reflect what your company is all about, they should be relatively specific. Your keywords should reflect your location (e.g. Chicago SEO Company, Chicago Web Design Company) if necessary; as well as your most popular products or services.

Last but most certainly not least, performance tracking is an important part of SEO. Keeping track of your progress and measuring your results are a key part of improving your site’s marketing, optimization, and overall performance. Besides, knowing what works and what doesn’t lets you focus your efforts on the most productive and rewarding techniques for your unique website, and lets know what areas of your strategy need improvement.