Before we answer the question of why SEO matters, let me define it. SEO, or search engine optimization, is a series of techniques for building websites so they can be indexed by Internet search engines. This indexing allows you to find these sites through Google, Yahoo, and others. These techniques revolve around a single idea. The site must contain enough viable text about itself for indexing. I believe what really drove this home was sites that were image heavy, or they mostly had pictures, didn’t show up on search result pages very well. You would go and look for a site and it wasn’t there.
In time, the rules for optimization were refined. It was OK to use images because you could insert them in a way to make them more identifiable. Some text could carry more weight that others. After a while, something interesting started happening. Websites were appearing higher in the results pages. This became very important because if your site showed up as number 130. People weren’t going to page through to find you. The goal changed from not just putting your web address out there for people to see. The site had to have enough going for it to make it show up as listing number 1.
So why does SEO matter? It matters because it’s the only way to organically get your website noticed. There are many articles that talk about it going away or that it’s not that big of a deal anymore. The truth is it is a big deal. For those that use WordPress or some other content management software, it’s harder to get noticed. There are many sources that define in greater detail what these techniques are for you. You can find tools out there that will review your site. Consulting firms, such as Horner Consulting and Publishing help people get their websites seen by the likes of Google, Yahoo, and others. Point out all the weak spots. If you need help, you know where to find me.
Later…