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SEO For Small Business
There has been much talk about Search Engine Optimization (aka SEO) these days. So what SEO really is and for whom it is?
According to Wikipedia, SEO is...
"Search engine optimization is a set of methods aimed at improving the ranking of a website in search engine listings. The term also refers to an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients' sites. Practitioners may use "white hat SEO" (methods generally approved by search engines, such as building content and improving site quality), or "black hat SEO" (tricks such as cloaking and spamdexing). White hatters charge that black hat methods are an attempt to manipulate search rankings unfairly. Black hatters counter that all SEO is an attempt to manipulate rankings, and that the particular methods one uses to rank well are irrelevant."
SEO is the cheapest and most cost effective way of promoting online. If you have very low budget or no budget what so ever for promoting your products online then you could always look for SEO.
Now, discussing about the big companies. Let us take, for eg. Google, it's ranked #11 (at the time of writing this articles) for the term on google.com for the term "search engine". Well they could have anytime changed their title, linking anchor text and add content consisting words "search engine" and hence improving their keyword density. But well do they need it?? I guess you said a big NO! It's the #1 ranked search site... Who doesn't know? They have a brand and they are everywhere. People talk about them, we the SEO'ers love it...(don't we??)
For another example lets take Bank of America! Well do they need any SEO?? No, they don't need it either! People know where it's safe to keep their money! They are advertising it everywhere, be it news paper, media and any and every thing. Again they are backed by a very big budget for the ad campaigns!
Now, let us talk about a small site that is run by a single person taking care of everything. Taking orders, sending replies to the customers (although the system is automated but he has to look to it). Do you know about that site? Do you have any idea what so ever they offer. I guess you DON'T!
He has just started online and learning to succeed. He has no or very small budget for the ad campaign for the site. So what do he do?? Waiting for the site to become something like Google.com and Bank Of America! Well I guess that would not be a good idea! So the best option for him is SEO. Why?? Let us discuss...
SEO isn't a rocket science that one could not understand. A person ready to take the pain to learn can easily learn the basics of SEO with in no time and gradually improve. SEO takes time, but once done properly it can bring wonders to your site! One wonderful thing SEO gives you for FREE (apart from the ranking #1) is the brand... Just think when you see a #1 site in the SERP's, what comes in to your mind well for me that is the best site of the market. So they make you the brand of your market. What's the need? Well I bet you would like to become a brand of your market! Think of Google as the brand of search engines!!! How many of you don't go to google to search something??? SEO is a very cost effective way to get targeted traffic to your website. Why targeted well people searched for the things that you offer! So that is where you need SEO desperately, to get the small business to the World!
I guess you now would have got for whom SEO is and for whom it isn't!
Well if you have a small budget then you could always look for the Press Releases. Press releases are the best way to get the name of your site to the masses. If you have something newsworthy related to your market just go and release a press and see how well you do! A good written Press release is capable of bringing 1000's of visitors in no time!
Take care
Manish
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Last edited by Manish Pandey : 04-26-2006 at 11:35 AM.
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