SEO or “Search Engine Optimization” is perhaps the most misunderstood phrase floating about the Internet these days. From the myriads of meanings and definitions it carries, to its grossly misunderstood employment, SEO seems to be the new Internet gimmick. It is not a gimmick because it is unimportant, but rather, a gimmick because of the ignorance surrounding it.

SEO can be compared nicely to exercise. We all know that exercise is very important to the health of our bodies, as is SEO to our web-sites. Everyone is trying to buy the newest and “quickest” way to get in shape. Thousands of treadmills and hokey workout gadgets are bought, then resold at garage sales each year. There is no quick and easy solution to getting into shape. Health requires work, planning, time, and a lot of determination and consistency.

Here are a few misconceptions many people have about Search Engine Optimization:

1. My web-developer should know how to get me to the top of Google.
   Your web-developer may “know” how to get you great rankings on Google, and if he / she does, you should expect to pay for it. Many large companies are solely devoted to SEO and can charge anywhere from 1 - 20k per month to keep a site ranked high. SEO is NOT a one time service, but a service that requires extensive time and research on a month to month basis.
2. I just read an article and found the secret to Search Engine Optimization!
   Wrong. Beware of gimmicks. There is no secrets to SEO; only hard work, time, and money. Just like exercise, good results can’t be seen by a one time effort. If you are short on hard work and time, forget about seeing great results on the search engines. If you are short on money, there are things you can do to improve your status over time like promoting the snot out of your website. Ask your friends to link to you. Pass out brochures and business cards with your web address around town. Start a blog to increase traffic. Give away something free to get people to visit your website. Create a newsletter to promote your service or product. Make sure to use great key-words in your copy. Have your web-developer submit a site-map to Google and Yahoo. Submit your site to a design gallery. Get your friends to submit your blog articles to social networking sites like Digg or Reddit. Two of the most important keys to getting good results are to drive traffic and get reputable websites to link to you. All of these things can be done by you, but they take a lot of time that usually don’t show results for awhile.
3. People aren’t finding me on Google; I’m doomed!
   Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself! You may not have 40 hours a week and 10k a month to fork out for SEO, but there are other ways to drive traffic to your site. SEM, or Search Engine Marketing, may be much more effective to get your new web-site off the ground and your products and services in people’s hands. SEM simply involves taking advantages of services that promote your website and drive targeted customers to your site. Google Adwords are a great way to kick off your website. This service allows you to pay-per-click, or set your maximum amount of money you are willing to pay for a click to your website. You can also target only people in your geographical area to refine the type of visitors you are getting to your site. Other similar services to check out are Yahoo! Search Marketing and Microsoft’s adCenter.

So, Even though SEO may not have been as easy as you thought, there are still some great options to promote your website and gain interest in your product or services. Some great targeted SEM coupled with a little patience and hard work will eventually pay off! If you have any more questions about SEO or SEM, email me.