Search engine optimization is a marketing term that you most likely have heard many times over the years. If you’re confused about how search engine optimization affects you as a small business owner, we’re here to explain what the buzz is all about. SEO originated after the launch of the internet and businesses began creating websites to showcase their products and services. But finding a business was a challenge, unless you knew the exact address for its website.
Enter SEO. Search engines, such as Google, Bing, Yahoo and many others began using automated programs to scan websites for key words or phrases such as “social media marketing” or “public relations” to find websites of businesses that offered those services.
The art of SEO involves tweaking settings on your website’s content to make it appear higher in results on search engines, such as Google. Most people don’t look past the first page of search results.
This means that it’s all the more crucial your business ranks highly in search results when potential customers are looking for your type of service. Many people search for the product or service they need with “near me” in the search terms. This will cause a search engine to use geographical data to display websites and business listings for those nearby the user.
Why ranking matters
With consumers often doing such a quick search to find a service or product they need, having your website ranked highly by search engines can provide a boon by bringing in more customers and revenue.
Large companies typically rank high up in search results. This is because with a large presence online, many other websites will link back to that large company’s website, which is one of Google’s metrics when deciding how high to rank a website. Smaller businesses are at an inherent disadvantage in competing with large businesses because of this.
However, just because smaller businesses are at a disadvantage doesn’t mean they can’t compete or gain traction in search engine results. There is a variety of data to change that affects how highly your website ranks in search results. Such items include the use of keywords, known as tags, on your website’s pages, and repeating keywords that people may search for as much as possible without seeming awkward in the content.

Bring in a Search Engine Optimization expert
Search engine optimization isn’t something that can be learned overnight. You can try to tackle it yourself, but it can take a while to learn the right methods, taking away valuable time spent on what your small business does best. Some people even specialize in SEO as their full-time jobs because it’s so complex.
As an agency offering a variety of marketing, public relations and media services, AZ Media Maven has professional specialists who help with SEO. Give your business’s website a boost in performance to reach more potential customers by scheduling a call with us to see how our services can provide the perfect fit for you.
AZ Media Maven is based in Laveen, AZ, a suburban village in the greater Phoenix area. Owner Rose Tring has more than 30 years of journalism experience as an editor and writer, many of those years in business news. She created AZ Media Maven in 2012 to help other business owners succeed by effectively telling their stories through public relations and social media. Reach AZ Media Maven at azmediamaven@azmediamaven.com or call (602) 373-8371.
Thank you so much for such a wonderful and informative blog post.