SEO helps your business get found on Google. Here's what it means and why it matters for getting more customers.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It's the process of making your website show up when people search for things on Google.
When someone searches for local flooring services on Google, the search engine decides which websites to show. SEO is how you influence that decision in your favor.
Google sends out programs called "crawlers" that visit websites and read their content. They follow links from page to page, building a massive index of everything on the internet.
When someone searches, Google looks through this index and tries to find the most relevant, helpful results. It considers hundreds of factors: the words on your page, how fast your site loads, whether other websites link to you, and much more.
Most people never scroll past the first page of Google results. If your business doesn't show up there, you're invisible to potential customers who are actively searching for your services.
Unlike paid ads, organic search traffic is free. Once you rank well, you keep getting visitors without paying for each click. That's why businesses invest in SEO: it delivers leads month after month.
For local businesses, SEO is especially powerful. When someone searches for a service in their area, Google shows local results. Local SEO helps you show up in those results and on Google Maps.
Good SEO starts with understanding what your customers are searching for. Then you create content that answers their questions and solves their problems. Your website needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate.
You also need other websites to link to yours. These "backlinks" tell Google that your site is trustworthy and authoritative. The more quality links you have, the better you'll rank.
SEO isn't a one-time task. It's an ongoing process of creating content, building authority, and staying ahead of competitors. But the payoff is worth it: a steady stream of customers who find you through search.