Most of our clients at my digital marketing agency in Nigeria are non-techie business owners. So I ponder over how to explain SEO to them.
I often have to use illustrations to break down complicated technical jargon like SEO so that they can understand.
Search Engine Optimization is one of the most challenging topics to explain to a business owner. A business owner wonders how things like on-page SEO, link building, search engine crawler, organic search traffic, relevant keywords, search engine algorithm, meta tags, search engine ranking, inbound links, internal links, user experience, and organic traffic, etc., improve his bottom line.
As the age-old saying goes, you need to understand something well yourself before you can explain it to others. Therefore, for me to know how to explain it to my clients, I always learn it too.
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How to Explain SEO to Clients
To know how to explain SEO to clients who don’t know anything about it, you need to help them understand its five critical benefits.
These are the benefits I like to highlight to clients because they are the benefits that interest business owners the most.
Explain Search Engines (Google) to Clients
Google is a major search engine existing today. Since most people using search engines use Google, an explanation of search engines is simply an explanation of Google, algorithms, spiders, bots and ranking factors.
Does this sound complex? Don’t worry; you will soon understand it better.
Google uses complex (and jealously guarded) mathematical formulas called algorithms to determine how sites rank, so no legitimate SEO firm can guarantee results.
Google does not search the web. Instead, it searches its index (database) of the web. It places web pages in its index by bots or spiders, i.e. automated computer programs that crawl and add pages to Google’s index.
When you type a search query into Google, it ranks the results according to its search algorithm. For your web page or any piece of content to stand a chance of ranking high in Google, it needs to be optimised to satisfy Google’s algorithm.
This optimisation requires both on-page and off-page optimisation.
Good SEO is Effective
Why is it that when you search for something on Google or any search engine, results from websites like Wikipedia, Reddit, and Amazon usually appear first?
Results from these websites usually appear first because these websites use search engine optimisation to target existing and potential customers who use target keywords (particular keywords and phrases) related to what they’re searching. They strive to fulfil their user’s search intent. They also refrain from using bad/black hat SEO tactics such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, etc.
But more significant is that these different websites are authorities in their various industries, providing quality information.
So combining good SEO and high-quality content will earn you high ranks on Google. It goes to show that it is no fluke.
Search engine optimisation ensures that Google can understand the keywords or phrases you’re targeting and your search intent to direct you to the services and products and where they sell them.
Search engine optimisation works, and its results are usually long-term. It also works well with search engine marketing. So if you’ve been putting it off your to-do list for your business, you need to rethink.
To explain SEO to clients who know nothing about it, focus on these five benefits. Click To TweetGood SEO is Efficient
You’re fine-tuning your site when you use an SEO or keyword research tool to optimise your keywords, meta-tags, meta-description, headers, alt tags, inbound links, external links, images, content, speed, mobile responsiveness, security, etc., to generate increased leads which will improve your bottom line.
So your website is not a glorified online brochure but a vital tool that works to boost your marketing, sales, and business.
It is Influential
Whether your target audience is local, national or global, investing in SEO will help to boost your brand image and voice to your target audience.
Good SEO will help to make your brand an influential authority and thought-leader in your industry. Good SEO will help to dismiss any negative impressions about your brand that your competitors might be trying to promote.
The influence of SEO in growing your brand is necessary.
Excellent and Strategic SEO Has the Best Return on Investment (ROI)
A unique and well-implemented SEO strategy using the right SEO tool will help improve your lead conversions, which enhances your sales and your bottom line in the long run.
As your websites rank higher and higher on Google, will your ROI continue to improve? But a well-implemented SEO strategy is not a quick fix.
It’s a long-term project that needs a long-term investment approach for the best results.
It Covers All Platforms
Why is it that I focus on Google when mentioning SEO? Google is the dominant search engine that controls 90% of all web searches worldwide.
So even the likes of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, etc., all invest in SEO to rank high in Google search results!
So when you invest in SEO, you’ll, in the long run, improve your performance on other platforms too. It’s a win-win situation.
You Can Succeed Online with a Good Strategy
Have you come across sensational headlines saying SEO is dead, it’s irrelevant, old school, and so on? Well, the fact is that SEO is alive and well.
And as long as search engines like Google, Bing, YouTube, etc., exist, SEO will continue to live and is one of the most critical factors in growing your business online and being more successful.
So these are the basics of SEO. But SEO cannot be used in isolation. You also need to produce relevant content for your content marketing. High-quality content such as blog posts etc. is necessary to attract natural links or high-quality backlinks and improve your search engine traffic and search ranking. These are the basics of good SEO.
Conclusion
Did you notice that I always said ‘Good SEO’?
As some excellent SEO practices will help grow your business online, some terrible techniques and strategies are detrimental to your business.
Be careful who you hire to do your SEO for you. The rules often change, according to Google’s algorithms.
So it is not a ‘set it and forget it’ kind of thing. Stay on top of it to get excellent results.
There you have it! If you know nothing about SEO, I hope I’ve been able to explain it for you to understand?
Do you still have questions? Or do you want to learn how to get started with SEO? Schedule a meeting with SEO experts in Nigeria. We’ll be glad to help.
