Like pay per click, SEO, also known as search engine optimization, is a great source of search engine traffic. Visitors go to search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing searching for solutions to their problems. The search phrases they typed into Google is known as a keyword or keyword phrase. As a business you want your listing to show up at the top of the search engine for a key phrase typed in by prospect that is related to your product or service.

There are two problems for small businesses as it relates to search engine optimization. First is the amount of time it takes to rank for a keyword. The more competitive a keyword is the longer it takes to rank. Most visitors will click on the top 10 listings that show up for any given search engine. So if you’re listing is on page 2 or three, you will get less clicks.

If there are thousands of businesses competing with the same 10 spots then it becomes harder and harder for you to write in the top 10. That time frame can be weeks if not months.
The second challenge to a small business when it comes to search engine optimization is picking the right keywords.

Keywords give us an idea of the prospects mindset. Not all keywords that people type into a search engine leads to a sale. Someone who types in free oil change is not the same as someone who types how much is an oil change. You see… one person is looking for a freebie while the other is looking to hire someone.
The mistake that some people make is to pick random keywords that takes months to rank, only To find out people who type that keyword have no intentions of buying. For that reason alone, I always suggest to start with a pay per click campaign.

That way you can test your keywords quickly and determine which ones are good converting keywords. Once you have determined the good converting keywords, then you will do search engine optimization around those words.