Search Engine Optimization skills do more for the new business owner than helping them get their startup website onto page 1 of Google.

SEO knowledge is akin to sharp consumer awareness and market research – meaning you greatly benefit in the area of business leadership when you learn how to think like a search optimizer.

Love a convenient instructional podcast? Hear this topic covered on Savvy Startup Marketer, Episodes 59 and 60.

Let’s Talk Straight: SEO Isn’t Dead, It’s More Valuable than Ever

I was chatting with a brilliant client of mine the other day and we were digging into their search engine optimization.

We were looking at how my SEO work was stacking up against their paid Google search ads and guess what we found?

This client’s organic search ranking was strong for the same keywords they were paying Google for.

Talk about overlap, right? We were essentially doubling their efforts (and expenses) for the same online real estate.

For further context, I started a partnership with this client with one of my usual big goals: To help them cut their marketing spend by leaning on organic methods. What they were paying on ads could have been prevented with more search optimization work.

Let me put this even further into context: What they were paying on paid ads could have covered my SEO services PLUS consulting time.

Can you tell I have this conversation with potential clients often?

Back to this “aha” moment with the client. As I’m showing them their search performance in Google Search Console, they drop this bomb: “Wow, our website developer told us, ‘Don’t even worry about SEO, it’s dead.'”

*Cue rewind record scratch*

Where are these web developers getting this outdated memo?! Because let me tell you, anyone who’s actually tracking their online visibility and website effectiveness knows that organic search is still a major player.

I’ve been hearing this “SEO is dead” line for a while now, especially from the web development community. And if I’m being completely honest? I think it’s from plain laziness.

Search is only getting bigger and more important.

When people are using ChatGPT or Gemini to get answers, what are those tools doing? A super-fast search. Social media? More and more search-driven. People are buying directly on Instagram and TikTok, finding local businesses through those search bars.

Search is woven into the very fabric of our online world.

Think Like a Customer, Rank Like a Boss

Understanding how search works isn’t just about ranking on Google. It actually makes you a smarter business owner.

To optimize for search, you have to put yourself in your ideal customer’s shoes.

What are they actually typing into that search bar? What are their pain points? What solutions are they actively looking for? This process helps you:

• Do better market research: You gain invaluable insights into your audience’s needs and language.
• Think like your customer: You start to understand their journey and how they look for solutions.
• Become a better salesperson: You learn to speak directly to their needs and desires in your online content.

So when I say improving your SEO skills is crucial, I’m not just talking about Google rankings. I’m talking about honing skills that will shape your entire business mindset.

Flashback to my SEO Entry during the Wild West of SEO

Let me take you back a bit – way back to 2005. Fresh out of college, rocking my journalism degree, I stumbled into the early days of SEO.

My friend was writing blog posts for an outsourcing company. She hooked me up, and suddenly, I was writing…er…thrilling content for credit card companies, auto insurance and prepaid mobile services.

The real intention? Keyword stuffing. To my 2025 SEO shame.

Google was still figuring things out, and companies were trying to game the system by cramming as many keywords as humanly (and often nonsensically) possible into their content.

Fast forward to 2025, and things have changed drastically. You can’t keyword stuff anymore. Google, Bing, Yahoo are all way smarter now, and low-quality, keyword-stuffed content will get you on the trashy, non-credible website list.

Today’s SEO is strategic, nuanced and magical when you do it right.

Search Engine Optimization Skills in 2025: Be the Expert

Here’s the modern reality: SEO in 2025 is about so much more than just ranking on Google or Bing. It’s about creating the kind of high-quality, expert content that even AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini will recognize as valuable and authoritative. You want your website and your content to be the go-to source that these AI tools pull from when answering user queries.

For those of you just starting out, or those who don’t have a massive ad budget? SEO can be your secret weapon.

By focusing on foundational search engine optimization skills that apply to everything you put online – your website copy, your blog posts, your social media captions, even your Google Business Profile – you can attract leads and build visibility organically, without constantly shelling out for ads.

The Future is Search (Thanks to AI)

As long as social search (think searching within platforms like Instagram and TikTok) and AI continue to be major trends – mastering SEO is going to be one of your biggest organic marketing strengths.

Even Instagram is showing potential search phrases right above the comments on your posts now. This stuff is everywhere, and understanding how it works is non-negotiable for your business success.

How Can You Improve your Search Engine Optimization Skills?

If you’re feeling lost in the world of search and know you need to up your game, especially when it comes to creating online content that actually gets found, then you need to grab my Conversion Boost Bundle.

Inside, you’ll find a whole SEO mini-course that unpacks my go-to strategies. Plus, it includes TWO other SEO-heavy trainings on copywriting and website building.

You can find the Conversion Boost Bundle at lindseywagnon.com/resources

How do you actually optimize a website? Here are a few of the steps I follow for a new website system.

1. Obviously, Your Front-Facing Copy is the Starting Point

Of course, the words you put on your website pages are foundational.

This copy needs to clearly describe your business and, ideally, naturally incorporate some of the keywords and phrases people would actually use to search for what you offer. As a business owner, take a look at your website copy with fresh eyes. Does it clearly explain what you do?

Font also matters. I’ve seen websites struggle to rank simply because the font was too small or too delicate to be easily read by search engine bots. These bots are essentially robots crawling your site, so make sure your text is clear and legible.

2. Don’t Neglect the Back End

Every website platform has areas where you can add keywords and phrases behind the scenes. Think meta descriptions, image alt text and other designated fields. The exact location of these will vary depending on your platform (WordPress with a plugin like Yoast is a common example that offers guidance).

The key is to explore your platform’s back end and find these opportunities to add relevant content.

3. Balance Obvious and “Offshoot” Keywords

Search engine optimization skills are at their best when your strategic thinking is cranked high. You’ve likely got the obvious keywords covered in your website copy. But what about the less obvious, yet still relevant, search terms people might use?

For a driver’s education school I recently worked with, “driver’s education” is a no-brainer for the website. But in the back end, we also added phrases like “driving school for teens in Charlotte” and “driver’s license preparation in South Charlotte.” These are the kinds of specific searches parents might actually type in because they’re not necessarily thinking of the most formal, precise way to describe what they’re looking for when they go to the search bar.

How do you find these less obvious search terms?

Tools like SEMrush and UberSuggest can be invaluable for seeing what people are actually searching for related to your main keywords. You might be surprised by some of the results. The goal is to think like your potential customer and consider even the slightly “off” phrases they might use. If you’re the only one optimizing for those, you could tap into a valuable niche.

Remember, though: don’t stuff keywords. Just because you find a good phrase doesn’t mean you should cram it everywhere on your site. That can actually hurt your ranking. Aim for natural integration and variety. And definitely, don’t copy and paste the same descriptions across multiple pages, especially in e-commerce.

4. Emerging Trends are Your Friend

Keep an eye out for what’s gaining traction online. Exploding Topics is a fantastic resource for this. They send out emails with data on rapidly growing search trends. Sometimes, you’ll find an emerging trend that directly relates to your industry, offering a chance to get in early and optimize before the competition gets fierce.

My SEO Secret Weapon: Re-indexing in Search Console

Okay, I don’t usually share this one, but here it is. Every single time I update a web page (for myself or a client), I head over to Google Search Console and request a re-indexing of that page.

In Search Console, there’s a bar at the top where you can paste the URL of your updated page. This tells Google to take another look. Sometimes, you’ll even find pages that you thought were indexed but weren’t! Re-indexing helps ensure that Google recognizes your fresh content sooner rather than later.

Google’s bots typically crawl websites around every 30 days. By manually requesting a re-index, you’re essentially bumping your page up the queue and getting that new information out there faster. This can make a real difference in how quickly your updates start to impact your rankings.

Think Like a Searcher, Not Just a Business Owner

Ultimately, effective SEO comes down to understanding how real people search for what you offer. Are you describing your business in a way that aligns with realistic search phrases? Forget the polished, internal jargon. Think about the everyday language someone who doesn’t know your business inside and out would use.

Pay attention to the language your leads and customers use. What are they saying in your comment sections? How do they describe your business when they first reach out? These are clues to the search terms you should be considering.

I know this can feel like a lot, but it’s about being intentional and curious. You’re already writing and posting content online – understanding and implementing these SEO basics when you do this is just another way to make sure that hard work gets seen.

If you want to dive deeper into this, I’ve got a Conversion Boost Bundle with mini-trainings specifically on SEO, copywriting (which has a strong SEO component), and website formatting for better ranking.

You can find that at lindseywagnon.com/resources.

Search Engine Optimization skills can be your entrepreneur secret weapon by making you a powerhouse content creator that gets found in search on multiple platforms.