Spreading the word – then and now.
Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing Dads out there!
Belated a day, but still relevant. 🙂
I was reminiscing about my childhood and my Dad on the weekend thinking about how times have changed since I was little – the changes my Dad has seen in the world since I was born. How many years ago was that? Well, let’s just say well before the internet and leave it at that.
I grew up researching our set of encyclopaedias. If I had questions I clearly remember my Mum saying to me, “Look it up!” and we’d break out the specific alphabetized tome.
Can I just say how much I love googling things? I do. A lot.
There is a reason SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has become an entire industry in itself – you want to be heard/found in that giant mass of information, products and services. Getting your business to the top of that mountain is the goal – the coveted first page of search results. If need to, you can hire a sherpa-like guide. There are some great experts out there who make SEO their specialty, to help you get the results you want.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization is a methodology of strategies, techniques and tactics used to increase the amount of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine (SERP) — including Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines.
A great definition by the fine folks at webopedia
As I work on my own site’s SEO, I am thinking about what my customers are looking for to find me – what questions are they typing into the search bar? What key words and phrases? They are not going to G in a yellow pages book to look up “Graphic Design” – nope. I don’t know about you, but mine automatically goes to the recycling bin. I wouldn’t even think about advertising like that. I wouldn’t even consider looking up a business that way!
And to think, 25 years ago that is how people advertised their businesses, alphabetically on paper. Things are very different today. If you are a business now being online and ranking on a search engine is one the most important things you can do.
Some things haven’t changed – the more money you throw at the advertising the better it can be for you. Want a google ads spot? That is going to cost you some money. Boosting a post on facebook? Also dips into your wallet. That said, there are lots of things you can do online, with your website and social media, that don’t cost you anything but time and effort. So many great resources on these things – also for free. Here are few to jump into that I found beneficial:
https://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/
http://blog.hootsuite.com/how-social-media-affects-seo/
And because he has some great things to say abut business and social media, I encourage you to check out https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/ – I love his Monday morning rant. 🙂
Another thing that hasn’t changed? I love my Dad.
