Eye Focus August 2017 | Page 27

What is SEO ?
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Your website needs to be indexed properly , similar to a book at a book store . Most websites are built with the title of their site being named as their business name . For example , your website might be named ABC Optical or worse yet , by your actual name , Dr . David Jones OD . The problem with your website being named as your business is that Google only knows to index it by your name , and not by what you do where you do it .
If you were searching for a healthy eating cookbook , you would probably go to the Cooking section of the bookstore and not the Biography section and look up Jaime Oliver . By re-writing some of the simple code on your website , you can tell Google what you do and where you do it , rather than just who you are . This is known as On-Site SEO .

What is SEO ?

I like to use analogies when explaining digital marketing . To me , the best comparison I ’ ve found for Search Engine Optimization is to compare it to a book store . Imagine your website is a book that you ’ re hoping is chosen at the book store , but there are some steps ahead of you to make sure that happens .
Typically , I find rankings of most websites skyrocket once they make these on-site changes . These changes include creating a title for your website ( Optometrist | Eye Doctor | Toronto , Ontario ), and then ensuring you create headlines on each page that are specifcally created to highlight key services , products and brands that you offer ( Toronto Eye Exams ). If you have photos on your website ( and you should ), try naming them in relation to what you provide . For example , if you are showing a pair of Kate Spade frames on your website , name the image Kate Spade Women ’ s Frames in Toronto . When someone is searching for this product line , there is a good chance your image will show up in the Google image search page .
Once these on-site changes are made to your website , Google will index you differently and now place you in the right “ section ” ( you might show up on page 7 but you ’ ll at least be showing up ).
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Now that your site is being ranked somewhere , it ’ s time to look at how to increase its ’ position in the ranks . Let ’ s refer back to the bookstore example . Think back to the last time you visited a bookstore . Think about the bookshelves and how most books are facing spine out . Why do bookstores choose to turn some books cover out ? Obviously these books sell more copies , but really think about why they choose them specifically .
Books become popular when they are talked about externally – book clubs , reviews , movies , etc . Once a book is being promoted and people start looking
EYE FOCUS | August Digital 2017 27