Why SEO is important, this is what people usually ask and yes, don't worry, there is an answer. For every time I finish a website there is always an happy and satisfied client who leave the office and says me thanks but every time I stop and ask them "what does it means having a website?".

Our website is our Shop!

Common answer, isn't it?

Yes, a website is like a shop, if it's not just a personal blog of course. The needing of having a website is to be able to be visited, discovered and at the end to sell something. Now, the today's tips are related to a website and why should be visited and how SEO can help us with just 3 important tips.

Yes, let's call it our Shop. So we prepare a nice shop, with nice pictures, we hire some nice clerks that will sell our products. We hire a super expensive designer that will create particular spaces that will invite people to enter and to feel attracted and why not... feeling home! Yes! Home, why people should remain in a shop if there is nothing that invite them to remain?

Ok, the big day: The Opening! The owner wearing the perfect dress for the moment, clerks ready to do their job, smiling face and ding! The hour arrive, let's open the doors but wait a moment there's no one entering.

Ok, be positive! Tomorrow people will enter, people will arrive I know! I hired the best to have people here but guess what, a week is passed and no one entered the wonderful shop.

It's normal for every owner to feel a bit of delusion and to start also to feel a bit envy of the neighbour that have a not so nice shop, sell just one product but look! It's full, people visit it every day and most of them, no matter how people can have economic problems, most of them really buy something: something is wrong.

Yes, wrong... but what?

Let's tell the truth, the same happen for websites. You hired a great designer, have a wonderful logo, flashy things moving in the screen but not or poor visitors. Why?

Let's say that if we need to buy a TV, we go in a shop, we watch a TV that will fit perfectly with the furniture we have home, we go near it and ask to a clerk to talk about it, the clerk with a nice smile look at you and say: "Sir, it's a TV".

A bit disappointed you go out, maybe saying by yourself "If I wanted to know that was a TV I will never ask".

A bit sad but decided to buy a new TV you enter in another shop, seems managed by a group of not elegant but very casual people, you see another TV that you like and a clerk come near you asking if he can help you.

Of course you are a bit disappointed of the first answer but you say "Ok, let's see if I discover something I don't know".

You ask again for informations about of the TV and the clerk start to talk about life, death and miracles of the device, with much enthusiasm indeed.

You, with a big smile, look at him and very excited say "Ok! I buy it". The clerk, very friendly say that you made a great deal and ask you to wait while he's going to prepare everything.

You are excited and start looking at the shop notice that it's not bigger than the first one, as you noticed first people here are casual but friendly and they are really prepared on the products.

I think it's clear the message I am trying to say: A website is an opportunity that have to be understood. Hiring great designers to prepare a website can be your lucky strike to have a money-maker website but also the inside need to be really well studied.

Having a website with tons of beautiful images but no descriptions will be like a nice woman or man that can say just her/his name. Will you ever date someone that's a bit empty inside? I don't think so.

Tip n°1: Descriptive Images: ALT and TITLE tags

<img src="images/image-name.jpg" alt="a great description of the image" title="What this image is">

In a past article (read this about What SEO is), I already explained that an image should be both attractive and persuasive, let's say that the image is about the said TV, a great description should be, for example, "TV, 42 inches, dolby-digital, 6 HDMI ports, available in black and silver, produced by Brand" and a title should be, for example, "Brand LCD TV, 42 inches".

Is it important? Yes it is. Google, Yahoo and Bings are the most important Search Engines yes but are like blind people, they don't know what an image represent, we need to give a description of the image like if we are clerks... and if we are good enough, the Search Engine will be our happy first client because will give to the website an high relevance and will advice our website with a certain priority instead of another one.

Tip n°2: Be descriptive and put a lot of emphasy!

<p>This is an <b>important text</b>, it talk about <em>this</em> related to the <em>title of website</em></p>

The second clerk was enthusiast of what was saying about the device as well we need to put emphasis in what we want to say to our audience! With voice we can let people understand if something is important, writing we need to make it bold, and we emphasize words that are really relevant.

Tip n°3: Don't generalize, be more descriptive!

The first clerk was making one of the common mistakes, "It's a TV". Where is the error? The error consist in the fact that saying TV is generic as well saying just website or us is generic. A website can be not a specific one and us... us.. who?

When you start writing context, don't be afraid to give importance to the brand you are going to describe. Don't stop writing just "Our website" or "Something more about Us" - instead, write something like "Brand Website" and "Something about Brand". Dont stop call what you want to sell as "product" repeat the name. Let's say you produce TV and your brand is Horse. The more you say in a phrase using the right way, the more a search engine will give you ranking. Example, repeating "Horse Diamond LCD TV" will give you more ranking points at search engines eyes instead of a website that talk just saying "this product".

Again, SEO means Search Engine Optimization. A Search Engine can be our best Client and we need to do everything to be sure that this Client is going to be happy of us. If a Client is happy, other Clients will be happy too.

This time I was longer, I hope you will forgive my english, and I hope this will help you to understand that SEO is forever, PPC is temporary and that optimizing a website doesn't mean spending a lot of money.