What is SEO?

By now, you probably already know what the acronym stands for; Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engines are Google, DuckDuckGo, Brave, Bing, Yahoo, StartPage, etc. They have billions of bits of information at their disposal, so how do they know to show the person living in your area, "googling" for a service you provide, your website over one somewhere far away? 

That's where the Optimization comes in, because, well, they don't. Not inherently at least. Google roughly knows where you are, based on which servers you're connected to while on the internet. Obviously if you're searching on google maps, with your location turned on it's a different story. But let's say it knows you're in the Okanagan area. How does it know whether to show you a (for instance) plumber in Kelowna, over a plumber in Vernon? 

I'll answer this question in three tiers. If I do it right, I'll answer the question "What is SEO?" well enough in simple terms for you to move on without reading the other tiers, unless you want a deeper dive.

How google works

Think of Google as a very fast matchmaker.

When someone in the Okanagan searches for something like “plumber near me” or “web designer Kelowna”, Google isn’t searching the internet live. It’s pulling results from its own library, or index - those billions of bits of information mentioned earlier.

From there, it has one job: Show the most relevant, trustworthy, and nearby results for that specific search.

To do that, it looks at a few key things:

• Relevance
  Does the website clearly talk about the service being searched for?‍
• Location
  Is the business close to the person searching?
  Someone in Kelowna will see different results than someone in Vernon.
• Trust
  Does this website look credible? (content, links, reviews, overall quality)
• Usability
  Is the site fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to use?

Now here’s the important part:

Google doesn’t just know your business exists or where to place it. It relies on the information your website gives it. If your site clearly says:

     - what you do
     - where you do it
     - and does it in a structured, accessible way

Google can confidently show you to the right people. If not, it guesses - or skips you entirely.
The importance of SEO then? Not getting skipped by the people looking for you.

How to influence what google sees

Let's get a little more technical. So if Google relies on the information your website gives it, the next logical question is:

How do you give Google the right information?

This is where SEO becomes a bit more practical. At its core, SEO is about making your website easy for both humans and Google to understand. There are three main levers you can pull:

1. Clarity (what you do and where you do it)

Unlike AI, google isn’t good at guessing. If you’re a plumber in Kelowna, your site should clearly say things like:

   - “Plumbing services in Kelowna”
   - “Serving Kelowna and surrounding areas”

Not buried somewhere, but visible, structured, and repeated where it makes sense. If you don’t say it clearly, someone else will and they’ll show up instead.

2. Structure (how your content is organized)

Google doesn’t read your site like a person. It scans it, sort of like Churck Norris does. That means your site needs:

   - clear headings
   - logical sections
   - dedicated pages for services
   - proper titles and descriptions

3. Signals (proof that you’re legitimate)

Anyone can say they’re a business. Google looks for proof. Things like:

   - reviews
   - other websites linking to you
   - consistent business info (name, address, phone)
   - active, relevant content

These all tell Google “This business is real, active, and trusted.”
So how does Google decide between a plumber in Kelowna and one in Vernon? It looks in it's library for the business that:

   - clearly says it serves Kelowna
   - has a well-structured, relevant website
   - and shows strong trust signals

Not necessarily the best business, just the one that’s easiest to understand and trust.

So how deep does this go?

Ok, now you gotta buckle up if you're still reading. SEO is a seven headed hydra, and yet it really isn't. Confused? Welcome to SEO. Most of the info I'm listing here comes from Reddit, specifically the r/SEO and r/SEOGrowth communities.

First off, here's a chart to visualize what flows into relevance and prominence: 

In order for me not to blow this blog out of proportions, I won't go into too much detail for all the following points, but here's what you can do to improve your site's (primarily local) SEO.

1. Google Business Profile (GBP) Optimization & Reviews – Claim and fully populate your GBP. Use the exact legal business name (no keyword stuffing), select precise categories, and add photos/products. Reviews help too.
2. NAP Consistency & Local Citations – Ensure your Name, Address, Phone (NAP) appear identically on your website and all local directories (Google, Yelp, Apple Maps, etc.). Add your business to key industry and local listings (Chamber, Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.).
3. On-Page Local SEO – Create dedicated pages for each service or product offered, especially combining service + location (e.g. “Kelowna Kitchen Remodeling”). Optimize each page’s title tag, headings, and content with those local keywords. Don't stuff.
4. High-Quality Local Content – Publish useful, authoritative content related to your business and community. This could be FAQs, blog posts(like this one) about local projects/events, or case studies showcasing your expertise.
5. Site Performance (Mobile, Speed, User Experience) – Make sure your website loads quickly and is mobile-friendly. Use modern web standards: compressed images, responsive design, and consider a fast host or CDN. Users bounce within 3 seconds if your site is too slow.
6. Local Backlinks & Community Partnerships – Tough, but try to earn links from reputable local or industry sources. Ideally these will also give you general PR, which is good for your business too.
7. Local Content Marketing (Community Engagement) – Produce content tied to the Okanagan community, or wherever you're from. For example, write about local events you service, seasonal tips for your trade, or community news. Share these on social media or local forums/groups. Offering tire changes in your town? Spread the news everywhere.
8. Internal Linking & Site Structure – Use a clear site hierarchy with intuitive menus and internal links. Link from high-traffic pages to new or important local pages. Group similar services under hubs (e.g. a “Services” page linking to all detailed service-location pages).
9. Schema Markup (LocalBusiness, Reviews, Events) – Implement structured data for your business. Use LocalBusiness schema on your homepage or contact page, and Review/Rating schema on testimonial pages (if allowed). If you list events, use Event schema.

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Here's a table that compares the methods' effort to impact: 

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The tricky thing is, that most of these methods have varying results for various people. Some swear on backlinks to boost SEO, others say internal page linking is more important. The general consensus is that SEO is just a waiting game. Once the 'basics' are set up, it requires monitoring, testing, and trial and error to be truly optimized. If you don't feel like tackling this hydra on your own, consider hiring a developer to help.