Just like with inbound marketing, Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, can be a complicated topic that leaves you with more questions than answers. What is SEO? How does it work? What am I trying to accomplish? Seriously, what does it mean?So we’ve broken it down and compared it something that you’ve probably been through…highschool. Yup, that’s right, SEO is like being in High School.
5 Ways SEO Is Like Being High School
You may be a bit older now and your days of hanging out under the bleachers are behind you, but there are still a few lessons that you can learned from your teenage years.
1) You start with all the classes, then pick what works for you.
When you start trying to rank on search engines using SEO, chances are you’ll be blogging about several topics, using several social media tools and email campaigns. But SEO is not a one size fits all solution – as you get a feel for what works for your business, you can narrow down what you’re doing and be more precise with your time and efforts.
It’s the difference between having a full schedule in Grade 8, and having “spare blocks” in Grade 12 but getting way more done. No one is taking attendance, it’s the results that matter.
2) You’re trying to impress the popular kid.
While the popular kid in high school may have been a cute cheerleader, your football quarterback or the whiz kid, with SEO it’s Google. SEO is a popularity contest – everything you do is geared towards getting Google’s attention so your pages will rank higher and give your website more authority.
Why is this important? Well, it helps that when people are looking for what you do they actually find you!
3) You have to do your homework. Darn.
Every time you write a blog post, make sure you’re targeting a keyword that you want to rank for. If you don’t do your homework (or “keyword research” as we refer to with SEO) it will be nearly impossible to accomplish anything with your online marketing campaign.
The more work you do upfront, like studying for a test or asking for help, the better off you’ll be. So be bold, and work hard.
4) Some classes are tough.
You wouldn’t do Science 12 in Grade 8, so don’t try and get ahead of yourself with the keywords you’re targeting. Make sure you start with longer words – “the long tails” – then work your way up to medium tails and smaller words until you eventually reach “the head.”
It’s just like passing grades in high school! It’s much easier to do it gradually than jump straight to the top.(Can’t remember what “long tails and “heads” mean? Refresh your memory with a peak at our post on keyword research for your small business.)
5) There is no such thing as “doing too much.”
Just like with the kids who were in band, prep club, Model United Nations and every other conceivable group you can think of, you can always do more. SEO is influenced, to a certain extent, by how much GOOD work you’re willing to do. Think about it – no one is going to be upset with you for writing too much great content!
That being said, don’t spend your whole life doing keyword research. Remember the law of diminishing returns – something is better than nothing, but you’ll reach a point when another hour spent on keyword research won’t give you a significant return.
Want To Learn More About SEO?
Want to learn more about SEO? Not sure what it means or how it works? Check out our post on how you can get found using SEO for your small business.