When I’m talking to clients about what I offer, more often than not, I get blank stares. Or the emails that say, “Okay, please don’t think less of me, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I know, I know. Industry jargon is just that… jargon. It means nothing to someone who just needs to get the work done and put food on the table for their family. But the truth is, a little knowledge can help take your business the extra mile. And in your case, you should probably know the basics of SEO.

First of all, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In a nutshell, what it means is that your website is set up well, keywords are used in a strategic way, and your content is formatted to drive organic traffic. (Organic traffic isn’t traffic that’s non-GMO or grown without pesticides… In the web world, organic simply means that you got visitors to your site without directly sending them there, or paying to get them there. They found you because your site was optimized… for search engines like Google, etc.)

It matters.

Driving people to your site matters. Why? Because site visitors are potential customers. In today’s world, your website is your starting point. Potential customers and clients are more likely to search you out on the internet before they ever buy. And they probably won’t search your business name. They’ll probably search your business services or goods. So it’s critical that when they type in “restaurants near me,” yours comes up. It’s critical that when someone in your town searches “fix my brakes,” your mechanic shop comes up. It’s important that when someone searches “best photographer in my city,” your site is one of the first they see.

How do they see it?

SEO.

This was a facet of my business that I ignored for years. Even in marketing, I, like you (probably), didn’t understand the critical aspect of making sure that when my services are googled, especially by people in my hometown, my business comes up. So every sale I ever made, I had to make the hard way. Cold calls. Hustling. I felt like a beggar most days.

Then I discovered SEO.

Now don’t get me wrong: SEO is not the end-all-be-all. It is not the one-stop-shop of sure-fire business. Nothing is (and anyone who tells you so, is selling something). But in this competitive world, there is one thing for certain: some kind of marketing is critical. You’ll have to let the world know you exist in some way. The more the better, usually. SEO should probably be step one.