The Inigo Montoya Guide to SEO

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

I love The Princess Bride. I'm not a huge fan of Entertainment Weekly, but I hunted down the most recent issue because it featured a reunion photo shoot and interview with the cast. Like most fans, I can probably quote most of it, but the line from Inigo Montoya I've quoted above is one of my particular favorites.

As a wordsmith, one of my pet peeves is when people use words that don't really mean what they think. (See also: Alanis Morrisette's Ironic.) There's actually a word for that: malapropism.

A close second is when people use a word that has been so overused, misapplied and abused that NOBODY knows exactly what it means anymore. Which brings us around to the point of this post, which was originally going to be entitled:

"WTH do you mean by SEO?"

Catchy, isn't it?

Strictly speaking, SEO is an acronym that stands for "search engine optimization." Which implies that it involves optimizing something, presumably your website,  for search engines. I think we mostly all know what search engines are, and I think we mostly all know that the main one that matters is Google. ;-)

Back in the day, SEO meant "cramming keywords into your meta tags and submitting your site to crawlers." And some people still practice it that way, despite the fact that there's basically no value in doing those things anymore. 

Over the years, the meaning of SEO has expanded to mean everything from "using good design practices" to "a person who optimizes websites for search."

Website developers have used it to describe using modern best practices for coding websites. This isn't entirely inaccurate usage. Even today, some websites are built so badly that it actually inhibits their ability to rank naturally for relevant search terms. Google's pretty good, but if you build a site that is one giant image map or Flash file with no extractable text, it's going to be hard for Google to rank it. (And yes, I've seen recently built sites like that). So there's value for web developers in clarifying "we build sites that are search engine friendly" and in the interest of brevity calling that "SEO."

Even internet marketers are guilty of poor clarity in describing what we mean when we say we do SEO. Partly, this is a result of oversimplification for clients. Saying "we'll improve your search engine traffic" requires little tech expertise to understand. Also, sometimes an effective SEO program must be customized to such a degree that we're not sure until we get started precisely what we'll be doing. Being a little vague sometimes gives us the flexibility we need to adjust our tactics to hit the goal once we have a chance to see the whole picture.  

At any rate, here at Makespace we prefer educated customers. So here are a few things that your web developer or marketing agency might mean when they say "you'll be getting SEO as part of this contract."

• Search engine friendly web design - As I mentioned earlier, this typically means that the site is coded using current best practices to be accessible to search engine spiders (the automated programs that scour the internet looking for new web pages to index and rank). Typically, this will not include keyword research or aggressive internal linking for search engine ranking purposes. It may or may not include custom page titles, headings, meta descriptions, or keyword-inclusive image alt and title attributes.  
• Search engine optimized web design - Similar to the above, however this is more likely to include keyword research, custom meta on each page (possibly with a particular limit to the number of pages) and internal links placed specifically for search engine ranking purposes. If you're not sure what's included--ask. 
• Ongoing search engine optimization - This is the most general term possible for activity designed to improve your organic search traffic that continues after the launch of your site.
• On-Page SEO - This would include custom page titles, headings, meta descriptions, alt and title attributes, etc. It may possibly also include SEO Copywriting and internal link building.
• Link building - One of the major factors in how Google ranks your web pages are the number and quality of links pointing to each page from other pages and sites. Link building is a high value but time consuming activity that involves seeking out and pursuing link opportunities on other sites and directories. It can also involve creating "link bait," or content designed to be extremely appealing to share or link back to. Links to pages on your site from other pages within your site have the ability to improve rankings, so link building can include internal links. 
• Keyword research - This involves using a variety of paid and free tools to determine the most valuable search phrases to target in trying to improve your rankings and traffic. Bear in mind, that "value" does not necessarily equal "volume." A good SEO practitioner will balance volume with intent and relevance, in other words, the likelihood that the particular keywords connect to viable business leads. Like link building, this is a high value, time consuming activity. It also sometimes requires paid professional tools if competitive analysis is involved.  
• SEO Copywriting or Content Marketing - This means writing fresh copy and content that includes your target search phrases and keywords. It might involve editing the copy on your existing web pages, or it may mean creating blogs, articles, whitepapers or other types of crawlable, linkable content. Content marketing can often be classified as both Link Building (if the content is created primarily to attract links) and/or On-Page SEO (if it's keyword-inclusive), or it may be part of a Lead Generation effort, only accessible after the website visitor provides their contact information to obtain the information contained in the content piece.  

What's that you say? You want to learn EVEN MORE about SEO? Then give us a call. We'll talk your ear off about it. Unless you just happen to have six fingers on your right hand. In that case, prepare to die.