SEO is an acronym standing for Search Engine Optimization. This was originally the study of the search engine algorithms in order to manipulate them to place the content closer to the top of the list of results returned from a query. It does continue to mean this but has become much more.
Much of the noise about SEO pertains to those companies that are selling to a global audience over the Internet in an atmosphere of heavy competition. For example, if you want to sell "socks", there could be thousands of competitors that will ship anywhere. Getting to the top of search results with an appropriate message is critical to you and you have hundreds of competitors trying to do the same.
Most businesses do not need such intense SEO. They just need the search engines to be able to find their information and index them properly. For example, a cobbler in Peoria wants to be found in searches of Peoria for cobblers or shoe repair. This means that their shop name and address needs to be properly presented. With location aware devices, that support local searches, the properly formatted address becomes critical.
As search services have evolved, search results are returning Store Hours and have other information supported information, such as keywords, so that the cobbler can be found for appropriate searches, such as handbag repair.
Even in low completion situations, the neglect of SEO can have an impact. In our cobblers in Peoria example, a search at the time of this writing, finds only three of the six shoe repair shops appearing on the first page of the google search due to those three listings existence in more than one "local directory".
Another aspect of is we have seen hijacking of names, by competitors taking unclaimed listings for existing businesses and placing their phone numbers and/or addresses on them.
The ListYourself Online Listing service allows "Normal Businesses" to:
* Claim their listing, and insure the accuracy of their business data preventing others from placing information in their name.
* Advertise accurate and complete information so that the business can be found when searched for.
* Duplicate their information across many "local directories" so that they can be found wherever their customers look.