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What is SEO (And What the Heck Does It Actually Involve)?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of those things that business owners know is important but can feel like some mystical, overcomplicated tech voodoo. If you’ve ever thought, “Can’t I just sprinkle in a few keywords and call it a day?”— I’m here to lovingly tell you no, friend. SEO is a full-on process, and an ongoing one at that, but once you understand it, it can be a total game-changer for your business.
Let me break down exactly what SEO entails, how the process works from start to finish, and why it’s worth investing in. Grab your coffee— this one’s packed with the whole nine yards.
What Even Is SEO?
At its core, SEO is all about making your website easy to find (and irresistible) to search engines like Google. When someone types “wedding photographer in Asheville” or “best coffee shop near me,” SEO is what helps your site show up before your competitors.
It’s about improving your site so search engines— and real-life people— see it as valuable, relevant, and trustworthy. And the best part? SEO works for you while you sleep. The results that it brings you and your business compound over time, bringing you traffic and valuable leads for years to come.
The SEO Process (From Beginning to End)
Here’s what the full SEO process actually looks like. Spoiler: It’s more than just picking a keyword or two.
1. SEO Audit (The Deep Dive)
Before you can improve anything, you need to know where you stand. An SEO audit looks at your site’s current performance and identifies what’s working, and what’s not.
What This Involves:
Checking site speed (slow = bad for rankings)
Evaluating mobile-friendliness
Scanning for broken links and errors
Assessing current keyword rankings
Reviewing metadata (titles, descriptions, etc.)
Seeing what keywords your site already ranks for
And more!
Why It Matters: The audit gives you a starting point. It gives you something to refer back to as you start making strides in improving your SEO so you can see where you started and how far you've come.
2. Keyword Research (Finding the Gold)
This is where we figure out exactly what your audience is searching for. And no, it’s not just guessing.
What This Involves:
Researching terms your audience types into Google
Checking competitor keywords (because why reinvent the wheel?)
Finding low-competition, high-traffic gems
Focusing on local SEO if your business serves specific areas
Targeting both short-tail and long-tail keywords (just fancy terms for very general keywords and phrases, and very specific keywords and phrases)
Why It Matters: Keywords are the bread and butter of SEO. Targeting the right ones means attracting the right audience. Right audience = qualified leads = more inquiries = more conversions.
3. On-Page SEO (Sprucing Up Your Site)
Time to get hands-on with your site. On-page SEO is all about optimizing the content and structure of your site, across all pages.
What This Involves:
Adding target keywords naturally into headlines, copy, and image alt text
Writing compelling meta titles and descriptions (the snippets people see on Google)
Cleaning up URLs (no more random numbers and letters)
Improving internal linking (linking from one page to another within your site)
Enhancing user experience (easy navigation, mobile responsiveness, etc.)
Why It Matters: Even the best content won’t rank if your site is hard to navigate or slow. On-page SEO makes sure everything is polished and optimized. A great user experiences makes your site intuitive, easy to use, and therefore easier to buy from you or book with you!
4. Content Creation– The Long Game
Content is king (yep, that old saying still holds up). Regularly creating valuable, keyword-rich content helps boost your rankings over time. Want an example? I finally sat down one day in September 2024, batched and scheduled enough blog posts to carry me through the end of the year, and by the time my Year in Review time came around? My leads from Google surpassed my leads from Instagram.
What This Involves:
Writing blog posts targeting specific keywords
Updating old content to keep it relevant
Adding new service or product pages
Crafting FAQs, how-to guides, and resources your audience actually needs
Why It Matters: The more helpful content you create, the more reasons Google has to rank your site. Plus, it positions you as an expert in your industry.
5. Technical SEO (The Behind-the-Scenes Magic)
This part might sound boring, but it’s essential. Technical SEO makes sure your site is easy for search engines to crawl and index. Crawling just means reviewing and reading your content, and indexing means actually giving it a place in Google's results somewhere, whether that's on page 1 or page 100.
What This Involves:
Optimizing site speed
Fixing crawl errors (making sure Google can access every page)
Creating sitemaps (like a blueprint for your site)
Implementing structured data (helps Google understand your content better)
Why It Matters: Technical issues can prevent your site from ranking— no matter how good your content is. Think of it as building a strong foundation.
6. Off-Page SEO (Building Authority)
Off-page SEO happens outside your website. It’s all about building credibility and authority. These are the parts of SEO that aren't directly correlated with your site and things YOU can control. There are different ways to build on your off-page SEO.
What This Involves:
Earning backlinks from reputable sites
Getting listed on local directories (Google My Business, Yelp, etc.)
Encouraging reviews and testimonials
Collaborating with other businesses for guest blogs or features
Why It Matters: Google views backlinks as votes of confidence. The more quality links you have, the more trustworthy your site looks.
7. Monitoring and Adjusting (The Ongoing Hustle)
SEO isn’t a one-and-done deal. Actually, it's far from it... It’s an ongoing process of tracking, adjusting, improving, and repeating those steps over time as you find our what's working, and what isn't.
What This Involves:
Monitoring rankings and traffic through Google Analytics
Updating content regularly to reflect new trends
Continuing keyword research
Fixing issues as they arise in a timely manner
Why It Matters: Search engines constantly update their algorithms (sometimes more than once per day) and staying on top of those changes keeps your site competitive. The longer you let your site go without improvements or updates, the more likely your competitors are to jump ahead in Google search results.
Why SEO is Worth the Investment
SEO might seem like a slow burn (because it is), but the long-term benefits are so worth it. When done right, SEO:
Increases organic (free) traffic
Brings in higher-quality leads who are more likely ready to buy
Builds long-term brand visibility
Reduces dependency on paid ads (which saves you money over time)
The results and benefits compound over time as you rank for more and more keywords
And honestly? There’s nothing like landing a client who found you organically because your site showed up when they needed you, without you having to lift a FINGER.
The Bottom Line
SEO isn’t magic— but it is strategic. It’s about consistently improving your site, creating valuable content, and making sure search engines (and clients) can find you.
If this sounds like a lot, don’t stress. I help business owners like you tackle SEO without the headache, so you can focus on what you do best. Let’s get your site ranking and working for you!
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