GREAT 74 IDEA: The Truth about Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Sean Rusinko, director of search engine marketing for Verndale.com, told me something shocking: there are new ways to manipulate search engines and you better know what to do.

“In the past, we used information on Web pages, keywords, and words hidden in texts to gain visibility,” said Rusinko. “These were called ‘black hat tactics.’ But, since the Google revolution, it's not the case anymore.”

Before Google ruled the universe, Rusinko said “bots” would trawl web sites to gather information and rank sites based on keywords. Now, Google ranks sites based on the links people use to get there. “So now the quantity of links pointing to a web site is what determines its ranking.”

You still need keywords, but it's more important to create a compelling and memorable experience for your users. You do that by figuring out what they need to know about your products or services.

The challenge is this: most small companies don't have the financial resources to devote to SEO. Big companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on SEO, but most small businesses don't have the budget. Still, since 95 percent of Internet users rely on search engines, you have to do something to boost traffic.

It surprised me to learn that SEO is actually related to your marketing strategy, not the back-end coding of your web site. “SEO has to be integrated into your overall marketing plan,” said Rusinko.

Your challenge is to attract visitors to dedicated landing pages where they can find fresh content. “That's why social media is such an important part of a Web strategy,” he explained. “When you publish timely content on the Web, it pushes up the ranking of your site. Remember, things get stale and old very quickly.”

So how can you improve the search engine ranking of your site?

“First build the content, then focus on getting other people to link to you,” Rusinko advises. Contact other web sites that serve the same customers and see if you can work together.

“The key is to understand what the audience is looking for in terms of an online experience,” he said.

Things really shifted in 2010 when Google and Bing started to index and integrate social media content into search engines.

“Facebook pages (not profile pages) can be crawled and indexed,” said Rusinko. “So that's why you have to use social media marketing to reach your audience.”

Even if you just have a few thousand dollars, hire an independent contractor who is willing to work on a project basis. But make sure the person has legitimate SEO experience.

“It comes down to executing a strong strategy,” said Rusinko. “People will go to your site because you are going to provide or add value.”