I’m sure by now you’ve heard a lot of talk about SEO. You may already have an idea as to what it is and what the acronym stands for. But with all the hype out there about SEO, the question you should as is DO I REALLY NEED IT?

The answer to that question is, maybe. I know that may seem sacrilegious to SEO evangelists that claim that EVERYONE needs SEO but that really isn’t the case. Let’s break a few things down and in the end you be the judge as to whether you need it or not. I must advise, before you make your final decision as to whether you need SEO or not, speak with a trusted advisor, like us (ProtoImage), and we will guide you in the right direction.

Defining the Term…What is SEO.

What is SEO? Let’s take a look a general definition, and the two main types of SEO.

SEO: An acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Not to be confused with Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social Media Marketing (SMM) or Social Media Optimization (SMO). Search Engine Optimization is a strategy employed where the main purpose is to drive traffic to your website, or specified web pages.

On-Site Optimization: This is where your website gets prepped and injected with keywords, phrases, image description, meta tags, and a whole list of other methods in order to make your website attractive to search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing (MSN). Whatever optimization done to your website is considered on-site optimization.

Off-Site Optimization: This method relies on posting and creating content on external websites, blogs, or social media profiles that link back to your website in some shape or form. This method has many free applications, but it is sometimes more advantageous to pay to get placed in ad locations on Google, Bing, or Yahoo, or to have your website content distributed in targeted areas.

Who Needs SEO?

SEO’s main purpose is to drive traffic to your website, so if you’re looking to drive a fair amount of traffic to your website then sure go for it, get SEO. If not, then you may want to keep things organic and share your site links via your social media profiles like Facebook and Twitter. I know of many sites that get a fair amount of traffic from that basic method. However if you want to get more aggressive with your online marketing and build some more significant traffic, then SEO is a good move. SEO is good for almost any type of website, especially if you’re offering a service or product to the end user.

What You Need to Know About SEO Before You Get Started

• Usually for the SEO to take full effect it can take up to 3 months to see some tangible results, in Google especially. More aggressive approaches can get you ranked well in a few week, and sometimes in a few days, but it all comes at a cost as you will soon see.
• For SEO to be effective, it needs to be on an ongoing basis, daily, weekly, or monthly. The more frequent, there’s a higher chance of better results. However the more frequent the SEO is engaged, the more expensive.
• How much do you want to invest? SEO can be great, but it usually comes at a cost. Speak with a trusted advisor or do some research to see how much the average cost for SEO is within your region.
• SEO does not always guarantee your website will show up on the first page of Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Consider the fact that you are not the only one fighting to get to the number one spot on Google, Bing, or Yahoo!. There are other individuals and companies spending thousands per month on their SEO strategy, so if someone tells you you’ll end up on the first page, take it with a grain of salt, and again, do a bit of research.
• Consider the amount of content you currently have on your website. Usually the more content you have on a particular topic, the better ranked you will be. If you have a simple 5 page brochure type website, SEO can still be done, but you will have to do a fair amount of off-site SEO in order to get things rolling for your site. If your site already has a tonne of content, many times you will get some good organic traffic, and any off-site SEO would really help to drive some bigger traffic to your site.

With all that said, don’t hesitate to contact us in order to find out more about what we offer, and how we can help you reach you online marketing goals. Send us a quick message hereand we’ll be happy to assist you.