SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and you should care if you own a website or post information to the internet that you want people to see.
There are many terms that can be obvious, but there are some that are confusing. Such as:
- On-page or Off-page
- Keywords, keyword phrases, or long tail keywords
- Backlinks; internal versus external
- White versus Black hat
- Local, organic, national or global
- And so on….
Don’t worry about all the jargon, just know that most topics, excluding national or global will apply to you in some way.
SEO is something you should have a plan for, as it is an extension of marketing. Unlike radio or TV, this is relative only to your website and/or online presence. SEO is something that is usually a constant project, that has the most success when there is a plan that is done regularly overtime. Overnight promises, tend to have negative long-term effects.
My recommendation is to interview a few local service providers and see what they recommend and what they would charge to help you manage these tasks. I say help, because you will still need to work with them, so they help put your voice and image out into the world, instead of a generic template.
A couple of quick notes, so you are prepared for those interviews. Know your domain name and when the site was last updated. Have an idea of your goals for the website and also budgets you would be comfortable to work with.