You’ve probably heard the term SEO thrown around a lot. Maybe someone told you your website “needs SEO” — but never explained what that actually means. Let’s fix that.
What Is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In plain English, it’s the practice of making your website more visible in Google search results. When someone searches “web designer Columbia SC” or “WordPress help for small businesses,” SEO is what determines whether you show up.
How Does Google Decide Who Ranks?
Google uses hundreds of signals to rank websites. The most important ones include relevance (does your page answer the searcher’s question?), authority (do other reputable websites link to yours?), technical quality (is your site fast, secure, and mobile-friendly?), and content quality (is your content helpful and well-written?).
Why Does Your Small Business Need SEO?
Your potential clients search “website designer near me” or “webmaster for small business Columbia SC” — and if you don’t appear in those results, they hire someone who does. Unlike paid advertising, SEO traffic is free. Once you rank, you don’t pay per click.
The Basic Components of Small Business SEO
On-page SEO involves optimizing the content and structure of each page. Local SEO focuses on showing up in local search results and Google Maps. Technical SEO covers site speed, mobile-friendliness, and crawlability. Content SEO uses blog posts and guides to rank for a wider range of search terms.
Getting Started With SEO
The highest-impact first steps: set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics, claim your Google Business Profile, install an SEO plugin on WordPress, and ensure each page has a unique keyword-relevant title and meta description.
At IG Web Development, SEO setup is built into every website we build. Talk to us about your website and let’s make sure it’s set up to be found.