S - E - O.  Three simple letters that actually represent a process that is powerful yet not easily understood. Possibly because it alters, changes, and depends on so many other variables. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is a tool that is vital to a business online visibility and reach.  There is an elementary form and a very technical extensive form.  Today we are going to discuss the elementary form since it is the easiest to explain.

Below are tips and tricks I have learned and tested over my years in business of constantly re-doing my website (at one point I think I changed it every quarter lol).  I am full-time Entrepreneur who figured out some things with SEO, tried and tested them and came up with results.

  I would say 20% of my clients find my company either on Google or Instagram.  When asked what term they use, they honestly do not remember.   I say this to state, figuring out what your target audience is typing to find you,  is part of the reason SEO can be so tricky.  This is why it is important to use 3-5 keywords so that you have a higher probability of being found by one of the terms.  

Now keywords are not words but short phrases that describe your business.  So for this example we will use a Realtor who lives in Dallas, TX. Options are:

Dallas Real Estate / Dallas Realtor / Buy and Sell Homes / Real Estate Agent in Dallas

They basically all say the same thing but the words are arranged differently.  Using  four keywords vs just one is the best way to go.  Now once you determine the keywords you want associated with your business ... it's time to implement.

Lets talk SEO! First let me say, your business name is just as important as your keywords.   Search engines connect and associate your company name with the keywords you use on a consistent basis.  This is how you know your brand is strong when the name is recognized. Therefore you need to use your business name and keywords when taking these next SEO steps.

7 SEO Stepping Stones

1 -  Before anything is done on your website.  You need to submit your website sitemap to the search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo.   Here  are the links to do so, click on each photo:Google: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/home?hl=en

Yahoo & Bing: https://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster

2 - Depending on which web host you have, you should have the ability to name the photos on your website. Either the photo title or photo ALT name.  Name all your photos with your Company name and your main keyword. Example: If its a photo of you  - Title - Your name of Your Company Name | Alt Title - Keyword.  Title - Athena DeVonne of Passion As a Verb | Alt - Entrepreneur MotivatorName ALL and I do mean ALL of your photos with your company name and main keyword you want to be found by. 

3 - Attach a social media live feed.  Either Twitter, Fb, or IG whichever you use on a frequent basis.  Just as search engines count new blog posts as new activity on your website... social media counts as well.   It helps keep your website fresh with new information and keeps your site relevant in the crawl with search engines. You are taking the time to post, so why not make it work for you in more than one way.

4 - Be sure to have all your social media icons on your homepage and linked correctly to all of your sites.  Its best to use the call to action buttons vs the icons.  So use the "Recommend on Google", "Facebook likes", "Instagram Follow", Tweet etc.

5 -  Your Meta Tag title (homepage title) should read as:Keyword | Company Name | Location

Example: Dallas Wedding Planner| Coalesce Creations | Carrollton Meta Tag description (homepage description) should include your keyword, company name and  a brief description of your services.   This is the part that shows up on search engines.  As you see in the screenshot.  Typing my keyword 'Dallas Wedding Planner', my company Coalesce Creations lands at the bottom of page 2.  

-You can see my Meta Tag Title as 'Dallas Wedding Planner| Coalesce Creations | Carrollton -The Meta Description as "Dallas Wedding Planner Athena DeVonne of Coalesce Creations Weddings & Events and her staff, give brides the opportunity to have a journey 2 'I Do'."

6 - Blog.  Adding blog posts activates the crawl pattern on search engines.  However it's not just about using keywords here.  A blog needs to be rich in content.  What do I mean by this?  It should have:

    *A catchy title that makes sense     

*Keywords in the body text, accompanied with photos (name with your company name

and keyword) and videos.   

 *Links to anchors on your website.  Believe it or not linking to other section within your same website helps build the strength  of your sites crawl pattern. An idea is to add a call to action at the end of each of your blogs to contact you and link it to your contact page.       *Links to strong external sites.  Are you sharing a post where you can hyperlink another business or another online article you can hyperlink as a resource?  Do so .. this create a backlink. Backlinks are one of the strongest keys of SEO.   

 *Post on a consistent basis.  Whether its once a week, twice a month or once a month ... whatever pattern you choose.  Keep it consistent.

7 - Most commonly forgotten about ... add a comment box and share button. Just as engagement is important on your social media channels it is more of an impact on your blog.  Link up with some industry friends and share and comment on each others blogs. Comments and sharing act as new activity on your website which attracts search engine crawling. 

YAY!  See you can do S.E.O.  Here are 7 ways to do so!  These are 7 things that DO and can make a difference in your online presence, if you do them and stay consistent.  Now is this ALL of S.E.O?  Oh no!  There is a technical side to S.E.O and many more involved steps.  I will be sharing more S.E.O strategies and more technical terms within my LIVE 2 hr webinar being scheduled soon!!Please do leave a comment below with your feedback.  I want to be sure I continue to give information that can be applied to your business. Also, come back and share your results