A question used by many people and companies looking to increase traffic and conversions onto their websites. Having a pretty website is not enough and therefore understanding, What is SEO and Why do we need SEO is not just a question, it is how we need to operate to survive in the World Wide Web.

Before I begin with answering the question of Why SEO? Maybe we should consider the question What is SEO? and how can SEO work for us? Understanding What is SEO or SEM will give you a better and clearer understanding of why you need SEO or as its also known, SEM. SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimisation meaning, to influence Search Engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo etc, into placing your website at the top of search results. SEM is an abbreviation for Search Engine Marketing and is the same as Search Engine Optimization, just simply a different word for the same meaning.

SEO is considered a challenge by professionals as it is something that is never certain as Search Engines continually change their searching methods to better enhance the User Experience. Google is currently demonstrating the importance of the User Experience by penalising websites that have too many ads above the ‘Fold’ which means the User generally then has to scroll down the page to find the content they are looking for. For example, how many times do you search for something and click away from the page because what you are looking for isn’t immediately in front of you?

With the User Experience in mind it pays to be mindful of the content you are using, how and where it is displayed on your website. Ensuring keywords match your content means you are onto a winner.

So why do we need SEO? Understanding the searching behaviour and understanding what keywords or search terms are used by your audience is what will get you noticed. Identifying the right approach and using the correct resources will assist you in tacking the constant search engine innovations and increased competitor activity. Web use has increased significantly with businesses and individuals having more access to the Internet, meaning that more things are searched for on the web, in turn meaning that you need to be on the first page and at the top to be seen by the millions that are possibly searching for your services.

A simple search query can lead to sales so knowing the keywords and key phrases that will be used to find your services or similar are imperative to succeeding. Key phrases are clearly better than keywords as they offer an exact search criteria rather than a ‘lucky shot’. You will also need to consider ‘linking’ but will come to that in another article.