Why is SEO Important for Business? (Tips, Terms, and Tools for Beginners)
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Hey friend! If you're just starting your journey as a small business owner, entrepreneur, freelancer, etc., I know you’re trying to learn everything you can in order to build a lucrative, successful career. I'm sure your brain is buzzing with a million different things you've learned so far.
And obviously...one of those terms buzzing around your brain right now is ‘SEO’. You hear about it everywhere. You hear people shouting about how important it is for the success and growth of your business.
So obviously, you want to understand it all better.
I remember just starting out as a freelance copywriter. Truth be told, I knew NOTHING about SEO. I knew it was super important, but it sounded so complex and intimidating to me. I wanted to learn more about it, but didn't know where to begin.
But here's the thing... it's really not that complex or confusing at all. It's all about understanding the basics of what SEO is, why it's important, the right tools to use, and how to apply it to your own website, blog, etc.
So, in this article I'm going to give you everything you need to know as a beginner when it comes to SEO.
Towards the end, I’ll also share with you some easy tips and tricks that you can do for free to make your copy/content more SEO-friendly, before you decide to invest in any SEO tools.
So, let's get right into it.
What is SEO and Why is it Important?
If you don’t already know, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s important to ensure the copy/content on your website, blog, social media, etc., are SEO optimized.
Why? because search engines (like the all powerful queen Google), will have a better understanding of what your website for example, is all about, and that your website is valuable to your target audience.
So, queen Google will therefore rank your website higher in search results.
Think about it this way... Your website is filled with beautiful, high-quality content that is SEO optimized to perfection. So, as search engines (like queen Google) crawl through your website, this is what she is thinking…
"Hmmm, this content appears to be all about (XYZ) with valuable, high-quality information. Let's rank it higher in the search results so the target audience for (XYZ) can find it easier, because they're going to love this!"
(thus satisfying the queen).
Because ‘the queen’ is in charge, and she is simply doing her job… so it's *your* job to give her what she wants. And only then will she reward you for it!
For example, let’s say you decide to Google “best dog training classes near me”, and the first page of Google becomes flooded with different websites offering ‘dog training services’.
All those first page Google results are there because they’ve applied SEO to their website.
When you really think about it, all SEO comes down to are search engines trying to make the best possible user experience. This is all for our benefit. So that when users like us are searching for a specific topic, only the best results with exactly what we’re looking for will be presented to us on the first page.
Now, the reason SEO is so important for the success of your business is because you want your website to show up on the first page of Google.
It has been proven that over 99% of people don’t look past the first page of Google results. I mean think about it, when you’re searching a specific topic on google, how often do you continue to page two, or even three of Google?
So, the bad news is, it doesn't matter how amazing your business is, and how valuable what you offer is. If you’re nowhere to be found on the first page of search results, then your dream clients are going to use your top competitors that *are* on the first page instead.
Which means in order to find clients and grow your business you’ll always have to rely on pitching and word of mouth.
But the good news is, with the power of great copy/content paired with SEO, you can beat your top competitors and attract your dream clients like never before!
Keep in mind though, after officially making your website SEO-friendly, it typically takes a few months or more until your site begins to organically rank higher.
How quickly your site begins to rank higher depends on different things, like the age of your domain and website for example.
Regardless, I think it’s an important thing to know, so you’re not feeling discouraged when your site is not ranked on page one overnight. (because some people like to spread misleading information, but not around here we don’t!)
Now that you understand all of that, let’s move on to important SEO terms you need to know.
Organic Website Traffic
‘Organic website traffic’ means that a website is getting visitors *naturally*, without paying for things like ads.
So, after making your website SEO-friendly, and it begins ranking higher on search engines, your target audience will of course naturally start pouring into your site.
Next time you search something on Google, notice how some of the top-ranking websites have the word ‘sponsored’ above them. That’s how you know they have paid ads boosting their rankings and generating them more website traffic.
Example of a paid advertisement on Google
But the thing is, paid ads can get very expensive, and they’re unnecessary if you know how to properly apply SEO to your website. Now, some people will choose to run paid ads while also applying SEO to their website and here’s why.
Depending on the age of your website and the amount of competition in your niche, your site may take some time to begin ranking on the first page of google after you first apply SEO (like I said above).
This is why some people choose to pay for ads until their site begins to organically rank from SEO alone, and then they will cancel their paid ads.
So, only if you have the money and want your site to rank ASAP before it begins ranking organically, then this might be a good option for you. However, if you don’t want to throw more money away, and you’re fine with waiting a few months to start seeing results, then SEO alone is the way to go (that is what I would personally recommend doing).
Keywords
So, what are keywords and why are they so important in SEO?
Well… keywords are the bread and butter of SEO. They are words or phrases that people are searching on Google, YouTube, Pinterest, etc. Keywords are used throughout a site in order to give search engines a better understanding of the content and match it with the correct searches.
By using the *right* keywords throughout your website, search engines will recognize that your site is valuable in a specific topic, therefore ranking it higher for your target audience to find you (like we talked about above).
However, there are some important things to know when applying keywords to your copy/content, for example...
NEVER keyword stuff your copy/content. You see, back in the day before search engines were as smart as they are today, you could get away with using keywords over and over in your content, even if it sounded ridiculous. Ms. Google (before she was the queen she is today) would see that and rank your site with no problem. But now, if you do that, queen Google will see your site as 'spammy' and not valuable to your target audience -which makes sense of course- and she will NOT rank your website higher.
The correct way to apply SEO throughout your copy/content, goes a little like this. Choose 1-2 (or 3 max) keywords per page that you want to focus on. Use those keywords in at least one 'page title' and 'meta description' per page (only in a natural way that provides value to your readers of course).
Next you want to focus on writing *high-quality* copy/content throughout your entire site (because that is just as important as your keywords when it comes to SEO). While writing high-quality, valuable copy/content you want to simultaneously incorporate your chosen keywords. Doing so in a natural, genuine way. But I mean, if you’re writing valuable information based on your industry this should be fairly easy to do.
How to Find *Profitable* Keywords For SEO
Now that you understand what keywords are, why they’re so important for SEO, and how to properly use them, I’m going to tell you how to find the *correct* keywords to use. Or rather, keywords that are actually *profitable* and *beneficial*.
If you’re completely new to SEO, I’m sure the idea of finding keywords probably sounds super confusing. So, let’s break it all down!
So, in order to find keywords that are actually going to rank your website higher and increase your organic traffic, you need to apply the ones that have a 'high search volume' and a 'low competition score'.
What does this mean? Well…
The search volume tells you how many people are searching for that specific word or phrase a month. The search volume can be anywhere from 0 – 70,000 or higher. Obviously, the more people searching for your keyword the better.
The competition score tells you how difficult it’s going to be for you to rank number one for a specific keyword. The competition can be low, medium, or high, and ranges anywhere from 1-100. So, of course you’re going to want keywords that have a low score, and will be easy to rank number one for.
Keysearch - The research tool for finding profitable SEO keywords
I know you’re probably wondering how to find this kind of information. Well it’s all about using the right SEO tools.
For example, a very popular SEO platform people use today is ‘Semrush’. But I personally use ‘Keysearch’ for all my keyword research and more. It's much more affordable, easy to understand, and has everything you need. Making it perfect for beginners and those who have years of experience in SEO as well!
However, if you would like to dip your toes in and use a free SEO tool instead, you can try using google keyword tools. I will say though, compared to Keysearch and Semrush, you are much more limited on what you can do, and the set up is not as organized and easy to understand from my own personal experience. But it’s good for getting a general feel for using SEO tools.
Another Helpful Tip for Finding Frequently Searched Keywords in Your Niche Without Purchasing SEO Tools
As you now know, keywords are the words and phrases people put into search engines when looking for a particular answer, product, service, etc.
So, here’s an easy, free way to get a general idea of the popular words and phrases being frequently searched (though you will not know the search volume or competition score of course).
Go to Google and type in a common phrase or question that YOUR target audience would most likely search for when in need of your product or service.
So, let’s say you’re in the business of making desserts and other baked goods.
You could try typing something in like ‘custom made desserts for events’. Look at all the recommended options that drop down.
Then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page where you see the ‘Other people search’ section.
All of those words are phrases will give you a good idea of the popular keywords that people are currently searching for the most. So that can be a quick, easy way to get an idea for keywords you can use (at first of course). Try this out as many times as you want using a different word or phrase related to your niche/industry each time.
Get an inside peek at what your target audience is searching for and what they need/want to know.
In Conclusion...
SEO is essential for the growth of your business. Though it does take the time, tools, and practice necessary to receive the best results. However it is easier than you think!
All it truly takes is…
Understanding your target audience
Knowing your brand voice and goals
Mapping out what is you want to write about
Using the right SEO tools (like Keysearch)
Finding all the right SEO keywords
Writing high-quality copy/content while applying those very keywords throughout it
It is truly that simple friend!
However… I know if you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur, or freelancer, you probably have a million things on your to-do list as is.
If you don’t want to put in the time and energy it takes to concept, write, and learn/apply SEO, you should consider hiring a skilled copywriter/website copywriter that is proficient in SEO.
If that sparks your interest but you want to learn more about what a copywriter does exactly, then feel free to check out my article where I break down the major benefits of working with a copywriter and how the process works.
Remember, growing your business and reaching success shouldn’t feel overwhelming and out of reach. You just need the right ingredients to get there!
But anyway friend, I truly hope this article made it easier for you to understand SEO and why it’s so important. Good luck on your journey to success, because I know you got this!
Until we meet again.
If you don't already know me...
Hi, I'm Christa! A freelance copywriter who specializes in writing copy for small business owners and others alike. So, if you're searching around for a copywriter, feel free to browse around my website and learn more about me and what I offer.
Or you can simply check these out as well…
My blog - If you liked this article then you can find more just like this on my blog page.
My services - Feel free to snoop. I specialize in writing copy for websites, social media, and content for blogs. But I'm open to client requests as well.
And for my fellow writers out there who are also interested in becoming a copywriter, view the article I wrote about the amazing, in-depth copywriting course I took that kick started my career as a copywriter (you can thank me later, well… only if ya want).