What do you do if your non-technical audience doesn't understand the importance of SEO?

The way I explain SEO to non-technical people is by just comparing Google rankings. "You see this brand on the first ranking" "Yes" "Well, people hire me to get that first place" "Ohhhhhh"

When explaining SEO concepts to people who might not have any background knowledge of technology, start by breaking it up into its most basic elements. Avoid industry-specific terms and just make use of simple, unambiguous language. Picture SEO like making your website easier for others to find on the internet, just like one would place a signpost along a highway in real life

Explain that SEO helps your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This means more people will see your website when they search for relevant terms, leading to increased website traffic and brand awareness. Focus on explaining the overall concept of SEO and how it benefits their business. If you have any past SEO success stories, share them with your audience. Show how improved SEO led to increased website traffic, leads, or sales. Research your competitors and see how they rank for relevant keywords. Explain how good SEO can help your business outrank competitors and capture more market share.

Imagine you have a store with amazing products, but it's hidden down a dark alley. SEO is like putting up bright lights and a big sign so people can easily find you online. It helps your website rank higher in search results, like Google, when people search for things you offer. This means more visitors who might become customers, all for free! Think of it as free advertising that keeps working over time.

SEO may be complex, but most people understand what Google is and what search results look like. If I am speaking with business owners or business leaders, I know they are either concerned with cost, profit potential, or what their shareholders think. Focus on the numbers. Are you pitching a content strategy? Show them a list of article ideas with target search volume (TSV =10% of SV if you get on page 1) for each idea and tie it to revenue potential (assume 1% convert and buy). Make sure you are conservative with your numbers and emphasize that their competitors either use SEO already or can be overtaken with your help. It helps if you know already what their competitors are doing and talk about how it relates to their industry.

Utilize analogies to make SEO relatable. For example, search engines should be like libraries that can easily retrieve your content for any customer by making it possible to find it, properly organize its cataloging and it is in librarian’s recommendations. Analogies also help to bridge the gap between complex technical processes and everyday experiences.

Imagine you're looking for love online. Dating sites match you with compatible people based on your profile. Search engines work similarly! They use complex rules to connect users with websites that best answer their searches. Optimizing your website with the right keywords is like building a great dating profile. It increases your chances of being the perfect match for someone's search, leading them to your website!

When discussing search engine optimization is necessary to stress out its specific business benefits. Showing how SEO works in increasing visibility, generating web traffic, improving leads and driving sales for organizations can help you appreciate why this is a critical area of focus for marketers. These include facts and figures that demonstrate measurable impact of search engine optimization efforts on businesses.

Picture this: Your website is a fantastic store, but on a deserted street. SEO is like moving it to a bustling avenue. More people see your storefront (website) in search results, leading to more visitors and potential customers. Think of it like prime mall real estate! Not only do you get more traffic, but being well-ranked builds trust, just like established stores in a good location. SEO helps your website shine and get chosen, bringing more business your way.

It is also greatly helpful to have some examples where other companies were positively affected by SEO. These success stories would help those without technical expertise understand what your organization could achieve through SEO. Be sure to outline measurements being used such as outcomes that came out of the work done on SEO.

Simplify Concepts: "Great post! SEO is like organizing books in a library—helps search engines find your website easily." Use Analogies: "Love the analogies! SEO is like a matchmaker connecting users with the best websites." Highlight Benefits: "Fantastic points! SEO boosts your website’s visibility like moving from a back alley to a busy street." Share Success Stories: "Awesome tips! I’ve seen SEO increase traffic by 150% for clients. It’s a game-changer!" Offer Resources: "Great overview! For more, check out Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO—very helpful."

You might also consider giving your audience educational materials, guides or even recommended reads about SEO basics. With this knowledge they can gain more understanding at their own pace. You could recommend going out together for an SEO event or workshop and solidify how serious you take such a major marketing function.

Show them the data - show them the reports and the key phrases and explain why those phrases need to be in there. Explain the traffic numbers to them. I have actually worked with clients who would give lots of pushback over how critical SEO elements on their website were worded (even in discrete places, like the footer and in the primary header) because it didn't describe their product or service the way they liked. When I explained the numbers to them and then later showed them the spike in traffic, they began to understand. One other way to solve this is to create SEO landing pages and sales pages separately, so you can have the best of both worlds.