A: This is a very common question, so if you feel a bit lost by SEO, SEM, or SMO don’t worry! There
are many resources out there to help with these, but let’s start with what they mean. SEO stands for
Search Engine Optimization, SEM is Search Engine Marketing, and SMO is Social Media Optimization. They
all require different approaches, so today I’ll focus on SEO.
Search Engine Optimization is how to make sure your blog or website show up when people search certain
terms on Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. Search engines change how they look for matches regularly and having
someone who keeps up with that information help you will keep your information showing up normally.
However, some consistent things to keep in mind is to create links that go to articles or studies published
outside of your website/blog as well as some links that refer to other pages or blogs you’ve written.
For example, I’m using a picture from another blog and if you click on it, it will take you to the blog it came from.
Pictures are always helpful to make a point, but what must keep in mind is that not everyone is able
to see them. There is an option for pictures called “Alt text”, which is alternative text that will be
read by assistive technology. This text should explain what the picture is briefly. Something like “books”
isn’t very descriptive, but “a pile of 5 hard cover books” can help you put a picture in your mind about
what the picture may be of. Short but descriptive is key here, and search engines do notice if there
are pictures with the Alt text or not. If you’re unsure of how to implement this, don’t hesitate to reach
out and I’ll be happy to help!
If you use WordPress, I highly recommend Yoast SEO to help make sure your posts are optimized. It checks
readability as well to make sure that your writing makes sense as well! Fill out a contact form or ask the question on
our Facebook! We'll try to get answers posted every Friday or Saturday.