Do I need SEO for my Website?
In all likelihood, if you have found this blog, you are probably asking yourself, do I need SEO for my website?
Given that SEO is my business, my opinion is an obvious one. However, with my interests aside, if you are not implementing SEO on your website, it’s my guess that you are ready to hear to my opinion.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation is the practice used to satisfy the strict rules set out by the Search Engines of the world. Google, Bing and Yahoo are all names that we are familiar with. They all use similar methods which allow us to find stuff on the internet.
But while these methods come as a source of frustration for business owners, there is method to this apparent madness. Without it, there would be chaos.
To put it differently, imagine for a moment that the Search Engines did not apply some kind of order to what appears in a search. A simple search for the latest family SUV motor vehicle, could present you with a page full of Lettuce Seed Varieties or perhaps Water Polo Paraphernalia. Not very useful!
Furthermore, Search Engines would also be left open for unscrupulous businesses to submit misleading content, to draw visitors to websites, they do not want to see.
Therefore, Search Engines do provide us all great service. The second most important task a Search Engine serves, is to provide us all with accurate search results. The first priority of course, is to make lots of money for the Search Engine provider, but that’s another story.
Can I do my own SEO?
I’m not going to lie. I know it is in my best interest to lie but I won’t. Contrary to what most companies would have you believe, SEO is not Rocket Science.
Be that as it may, you will need to know your way around the back-end of your website and know how to access images and page Meta Data. Trust me, it sounds more complicated than it is, but you do need to know what you are doing or bad things can happen.
One of the most important things you will need however, is an above average command of grammar. Unbeknown to most people, is that Search Engines can read. In fact it said that Google has the cognitive reading ability of a 6 year old child. That’s a bit frightening I know, but also quite impressive.
Google and it’s friends Bing and Yahoo, spend all day, every day reading websites and trying to make sense of what they are about. For them to understand what your website is about, things need to presented in a manner to which a 6 year old can get a basic grasp. Leaving a trail of keywords and phrases throughout the website, the trick is to incorporate breadcrumbs, but remain interesting.
Is SEO Cheating?
Unfortunately, SEO can sometimes get a bad rap. This is always due to badly trained or bogus operators, cashing in on this crucial business. As mentioned previously, an above average command of English is required to create the appropriate content in your website. Where things often go wrong, is when SEO is ‘off-shored’. To be frank, when your website begins to display ‘Pigeon English’ in its content, alarm bells ring at Google HQ.
Many SEO companies, even in Australia, off-shore SEO tasks to countries such as India and the Philippines. Obviously this allows the SEO business to make higher profit margins from your project, but usually ends in disaster.
Besides the poor English, many SEO companies will dare to play with technique known as Back-Linking. But beware. It is in Back-linking that the devil does his best work. Links created from directory websites or worse, with no relevance to your website, will result in your website being penalised by all Search Engines.
So is SEO cheating? Well it absolutely can be if it is not done honestly and with the best of intention. Done correctly, SEO is a necessity for any website as it allows both Search Engines and your customers to obtain a Fair Dinkum result when they look for your services. SEO labels each page and each image, to let Search Engines and Visitors know exactly what you are about. And so long as you are not trying to cheat the system or your visitors, SEO gets the thumbs up by all involved.
Talk to an expert
If you are still in any doubt and left asking, “but Do I need SEO for my website”, why not give us a call. Brag Design can take a look at your website and quickly advise you on what is needed, to get things cooking.
Remember, when it comes to SEO, as Website Developers, we have been precisely where you are now. Unlike many so called SEO experts, Brag Design Inc know websites from the ground up. We have learned SEO through years of trial and indeed error. As passionate members of the internet community, we like to see things done right and for the World Wide Web to be a better place. Quality SEO is a key component in making this happen.