As the web continues to change and become more mobile and diverse, one critical element in successful Internet marketing remains constant: search engine optimization (SEO). At least 90% of all clicks, both from traditional desktop computers and from mobile devices, come as a result of someone typing a query into a search engine. Search still far outshines social media and paid advertising as the way most people find your business online—and it costs less. Poor SEO strategy can make a website invisible to potential customers—on the other hand, smart SEO can bring in more visitors, leads and sales!

What is SEO?

SEO is the art and science of designing and marketing a website so that it appears on the first page (as near as possible to the top of the list) when a potential customer types in a query for a product or service. It is a highly complex field that involves years of training and on-going study because search engines and the web itself are constantly changing. Successful SEO involves website design, a site’s technical architecture and the intensely well-researched application of marketing keywords and phrases into well-written, customer-focused content (blogs, website text, press releases, etc.) that gets noticed positively by the major search engines.

Can I DIY my SEO?

Not really. In order to put a successful, long-term website marketing strategy together, you need a certified SEO expert. It takes constant, intensive work and study to be able to do SEO successfully—it’s a full-time job. This is particularly true as search engines are always changing their search algorithms, and the increasing switch to a mobile web is constantly shaking the SEO field up. You need to spend your time doing what you do best in your business, which is why you need a certified SEO expert to help. This is a smart investment that will enhance your ROI for years to come.

Our History in Certified SEO

Here at Affordable Web Design and Marketing, Inc., our certified SEO expert has worked in the white-hat SEO field for 15 years, constantly staying on top of the latest developments in the industry. We believe in building ethical SEO right into the website design and architecture for each of our clients. We work with them to develop comprehensive website marketing plans that involve hours of intense marketing research. We strictly adhere to SEO best practices (known as white-hat SEO) and apply our expertise to help our clients’ websites stay on the first page of search inquiries involving their products, services and locations.

White Hat SEO vs. Black Hat SEO

Be wary of SEO firms promising you the top spot on every search query on every single search engine ever created for a “small fee.” This may sound like a bargain, but it isn’t. First of all, this is impossible. Second, it is unethical. These black-hat tactics usually involve sloppy moves like keyword stuffing, shady link building and submitting your website to thousands of spam websites. Google, Bing and Yahoo constantly tweak and redesign their search algorithms to eliminate websites using these kinds of unethical SEO tactics from their search results. This can severely damage any website’s visibility and reputation, sending your SEO investment down a black hole.

While we cannot promise that our websites will always be number one on every applicable search query, we do promise to constantly strive to keep our clients’ websites as close to the top of the first page as we possibly can—always using ethical, white hat SEO strategies that increase your website’s visibility, reputation, usability and customer satisfaction.

How Do We Implement a Smart SEO Strategy?

The first phase of every website development or website marketing project involves a heavy amount of marketing research. This is necessary to make sure we are targeting your SEO dollars in the most successful direction. Once we understand your business, your competition and your target market, we get to work building SEO into the website’s design, architecture and content, with an eye toward keeping it all mobile. Remember:

• 90% of all clicks (visits to websites) come from organic searches on Google, Bing, etc. (Far more than social media or paid advertising.)
• Organic SEO costs less than sponsored search results and brings in far more traffic over the long term, which is a very smart, long-term business investment.
• At the same time, to get the ball rolling, we also often complement SEO with pay-per-click advertising to trigger results while the SEO strategy is going into effect and gathering speed.

SEO is essential for businesses just starting out, established businesses that want to maintain their market share and brand recognition—as well as everyone in between. To learn more about how our certified SEO expert can help keep your website front and center, contact Affordable Web Design today!