Why search engine optimisation (SEO) matters to a first-time founder
Search is often where customers first describe their problem in their own words. If your pages do not appear, you pay for every visitor through ads or outreach, and that cost never stops. Good search engine optimisation builds a source of visitors that keeps arriving after the work is done. Because results usually take months to show, starting late delays them by just as long.
Examples of search engine optimisation (SEO)
A freelancer searches “how to chase an unpaid invoice”. Your page answers that question in plain language, and it is the one they open. That visit did not come from an ad budget. It also did not appear the week you published. The page had to earn its place.
Common misunderstanding
People treat SEO as a switch, or as the same thing as pay per click. Paying for a click puts you at the top until the budget stops. SEO is the unpaid result, and it can take months. Publishing a post and checking the rankings the next morning will disappoint you for reasons that are not mysterious.
When to use it
Use it when people already search for the problem in the words you can answer, and you can keep the page useful. If nobody searches, or you need customers this month, a paid click or a direct conversation will tell you sooner.
US spelling: search engine optimization.