TL;DR (too long; didn’t read)
SEO is how you can get your website showing up on the first page of Google (for free!) when someone is searching on the www.
It’s unlikely you can do this without a blog on your website because a blog tells Google, “Hey, this website has a ton of relevant information to what this person is looking for, push it to the top because we have an answer and a lot of other people have found that answer here.”
REFOCUS ON YOUR WEBSITE
In the golden age of Instagram and TikTok, snappy videos pull us into an addictive scroll—it’s easy to forget there are other ways to get found online, especially with our websites.
With the constant demand for fresh content on social media, it really can be easy to put our website on the backburner and sort of forget it exists. The problem with this mentality though is that we miss out on an entirely different way for our business to get found AND it’s way less time-consuming than social media.
AND you basically just get to set it and forget it. Intrigued yet? Let me introduce you to SEO. So, what is SEO? Here’s what you need to know about Google and your website.
WHAT IS SEO AND HOW DOES IT WORK WITH GOOGLE?
What is SEO? How Google reads your website is essentially what we’re talking about. SEO is when you purposefully make sure your website can be found in Google searchs.
The basics of SEO involve telling Google what each page of your website is focused on and what readers can expect to find. But aren’t there are a lot of websites? So, if everyone has websites and is telling Google what each page is about, how in the world does Google decide who is the best fit for their searcher and who should show up on the first page of the search results?
HOW GOOGLE THINKS USING SEO
Before we get in much deeper, it’s important to share that Google is incredibly smart and you can’t trick your way to the top of search results. It truly takes good old-fashioned work.
Admittedly, their algorithms for determining what websites show up on the first page of search results are so complex, most of the internet’s users probably don’t know how this tech demi-god algorithm works. Lucky for us mere mortals, we do actually know enough to understand what Google wants.
First, we have to wrap our brains around the fact that Google is highly logical and it doesn’t think about you, the hardworking business owner. Instead, it thinks about whoever is typing in a question.
Now, if you’ve ever been frustrated trying to push your content up in Instagram or TikTok’s algorithm, this will be a familiar feeling. Before you shake your fists at yet another algorithm, know that understanding Google’s algorithm is nothing like social media. Luckily for us, Google is incredibly stable.
If Instagram’s algorithm acts like an unpredictable 17-year-old who is sneaking out at night to get wild in the Walmart parking lot, Google’s algorithm is like the mature 27-year-old who is happily climbing the corporate ladder and her idea of a wild time is a boozy brunch every Sunday. In short, you’ll always know where to find her because she lives her life with a sweet routine.
In short, Google’s algorithm is predictable and stable. And unlike social media, which makes you feel like Zuck and the Chinese TikTok titans are simply letting the wind decide their algorithms, we can know exactly how Google’s algorithm thinks. How? Because all we have to do is think like a person searching Google when we optimize our websites to get found on Google.
Let’s circle back to thinking like the person searching Google in a moment and now focus on how Google reads a website.
HOW GOOGLE READS WEBSITES
I’m going to majorly simplify this process here because there’s only so much we need to know and we’re dipping our toes into a complex pool. Trust me, with these three nuggets of wisdom, you can take your SEO to the next level.
Here is what you need to know about how Google reads websites:
I’m going to majorly simplify this process here because there’s only so much we need to know and we’re dipping our toes into a complex pool. Trust me, with these three nuggets of wisdom, you can go SO far with really taking your SEO to the next level.
Here is what you need to know about how Google reads websites:
Fact: Google reads every page of your website and scopes it out for helpful info
Pro Tip: If you have a blog, you will increase the amount of helpful info you can put on your website.
Fact: Google factors in how many people visit your website
Pro Tip: If you have a blog, you can create an endless amount of posts that can catch the eye of people searching for something that’s related to your business and pull in even more site visitors
Fact: Google also looks at how long people tend to stay on your website
Pro Tip: If you have a blog, people will naturally stay on your website longer because they have something interesting to read
THINK LIKE A PERSON SEARCHING GOOGLE
Now that we know how Google reads a website, it’s time to bring in how we can get Google to like what it reads and push your content to the first page of search results.
The answer here? With everything you do on your website, think like a person searching Google. Write so your website and blog answer common questions.
Clearly state who you are and where you are located, just like you would in an Instagram bio (if your location matters). Create a juicy stack of reading material on your website so someone can find the information they were looking for and then get curious about what else you have to say.
Ultimately, SEO is a free way to introduce more customers to your brand.
What you need to know about Google and your website is this:
make your website a place where people get educated and entertained,
a place where they want to stay awhile.
Google will reward you for it.
If this article just gave you the blogging buzz, you will probably LOVE reading about how to track your blog posts and how they’re performing here.
