So, What Is SEO?
SEO is short for Search Engine Optimisation. Are you any better off now? If not then this short explanation and video may help. A basic understanding of what SEO means does matter if you are considering marketing your business online. SEO is one part of the possible online marketing options which an online marketer may offer to your business as part of an overall online marketing package, and so it's quite handy to know what you're being offered.
In basic terms SEO is when you optimise, or set up your website or blog, so that it is attractive to search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.
But what are you using SEO to optimise your website for exactly?
What you are aiming for is that your website will show up in results after a person (ideally someone who is your ideal client) has typed a word or phrase which describes the information they want, into a search engine.
So for instance, this could be a keyword related to your industry. A soon to be bride who is looking for a local specialist photographer may type in 'Wedding Photographer Kent'. If you are a photographer in Kent, who specialises in Weddings, then this is a keyword you might decide to optimise your website for.
I'm not going to go into the how, or the how long it will take to get any results from a SEO strategy because it's a whole book, but you need to know that it is a slow burn, can take absolutely yonks and cost wadges of cash - which can be complete pants if it's not the right strategy.
The basic message is that SEO is not something you go into lightly.
You can't dabble in SEO and get meaningful results.