SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO or “Serch Engine Optimization” is a step-by-step process to “Optimize” a website to bring more quality and quantity traffic to a website through “Search Results”. This could be potential buyers for a product for an online store, followers for an influencer’s website, homeowners looking for building or home improvement contractors, or just to let people know more about you or your company.

SEO can also be the name given to a specialist or agency that works optimizing websites, AKA, SEO Specialist, Agency, or Tech. Usually, the upper description applies to “SEO”.

Search Engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, Yandex, and others send out Bots, Web crawlers, or spiders (What is a Web Crawler Bot/Cloudflare Link) to search and index the web-internet for information.

When one of these bots visits and crawls your website it is looking for metadata, content/information, and links to find out what your website is about. If you don’t have adequate information on your website, it will rank lower in search results or “SERP-Search Engine Results Page”. Most sites with little or no Search Engine Optimization will be lucky if they make page 3 or at all in search results.

Steps to Optimizing your website

I wish I could tell you that optimizing your website for search engines is as simple as flipping a switch but it’s not. Don’t worry! It’s not that hard to do basic SEO if you have the time to do some research and learning.

“Google” has a good and free starter guide to get you going. (Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide, Google Link).

 Basic SEO

1. optimal keyword and key phrase search.
2. Good website and content structure.
3. Image “ALT” description for accessibility.
4. Descriptive High-Quality Content
5. Good Metadata and Meta Description
6. Fast mobile-friendly content (Less is More)
7. Add site to “Search Console”.
8. Submit a “Sitemap”.
9. Good descriptive “Title Links”.
10. Internal and external linking
11. Structured Data
12. Good and Optimized Site Speed.

This may seem and can be a bit overwhelming to some without a technical education but if you do your search optimizing one step at a time, you will improve your site’s ranking.

FYI, there is no guarantee that you will rank at the top of search results

After optimizing your website, not even an SEO Specialist can guarantee you top rankings but your search results will improve, and not overnight, it may take several weeks to several months to see good results. Just keep at it. Good SEO is never-ending, you need to work at it to see success.

The great depths of SEO

Above was just the basics but there is so much more you can do to improve your search results.

Advanced techniques take time to learn and if you want to just run your business and not worry about heavy technical SEO, then hire a Qualified/Certified expert.

Don’t fall for “SEO Scams”. People will claim to be the know-all expert that will get your website at the top of the Serch Engine Results Page overnight, they can’t, it’s a scam.

Link to “SEO Scams” from, CMVA

They may hold your passwords and website ransom to lock you into a contract once inside.

Some will overstuff your website pages with keywords, Google will penalize your site and lower your ranking.

Claiming  you need to buy “Backlinks” is a big way to get more money from You. There is no need to buy backlinks!

Charging you for a “Website SEO Performance Report”. You can get your website’s performance report yourself for FREE! 

CMVA uses “Lighthouse” in the “Google Browser Tools”. It’s simple and anyone can do it.

Instructions on how to use “Lighthouse” performance and accessibility checker.

Conclusion to SEO

SEO is important and your business will benefit from the results you get.

Again, if you have the time, do it yourself. Basic SEO is doable. If you’re not that confident, just don’t have the time, or want advanced SEO applied to your business website, hire an expert.

In the long run, it will be money well spent. Your website is more than just pictures and content, it’s the best selling tool you have to reach customers, use it well.

By, Twales. CMVA Content Manager.

Robot Image by alluregraphicdesign from Pixabay
Steps Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay