All businesses need search engine optimization (SEO), whether they are large financial corporations, chain restaurants, or local yoga studios. In fact, whether you are rolling out your mat or rolling out your new marketing campaign, some of your strategies could use a little overlap.

•    You want to be flexible. Successful SEO tactics should incorporate a plan that allows adaptable Web page design and malleable site structure, so that quick changes can be made to your layout, image settings, and general content as your company grows and expands. You want to shape your site to fit client needs and readers’ attention. What’s more, you want to be open-minded about incorporating the results you discover from tracking tools such as Google Analytics into your pages. Your site, like your company’s model, strategies, and human-driven potential, should remain a flexible entity. Just ask any yogi you know: he or she didn’t learn to pull off a stable headstand or a stellar scorpion pose by sitting around on the couch; stretching, not stagnancy, proved to be the key!

•    You want to be focused. Great SEO starts with the user, but also considers the robot crawlers that will be discovering it. You should only be using relevant, targeted, well-researched keywords and keyword chains. Take advantage of a tool such as Google’s Website Optimizer in order to figure out which keywords will generate the most traffic for your site. And don’t forget: stuffing a page with keywords rather than genuine, user-desired content isn’t going to lead to results. Readership is built through quality and value – not offering a visitor a massive advertising link farm. When in doubt, remember this formula from Craig Tomlin as a guideline:

o    SEO + Bad Usability = short visits = Bad ROI

o    SEO + Good Usability = long visits = Good ROI

•    Like great yoga, great SEO requires faith, trust and discipline. Anyone engaged in the art of learning the balance required by yoga knows that part of the process is falling out of the posture. But the more important insight is this: the possibility of failure is not a reason for not trying. It’s important for any SEO-practitioner to keep in mind that building results is a process, not a single step, and by remaining diligent and regimented with your actions you will have a higher chance at success. Also remember that the Internet is nothing but one big trust game where site visitors decide in a matter of seconds whether or not your content is worth their time, energy and confidence. As Michael Martinez at “Best SEO Blog” says, we trust sites where: we participate in the discussions, we contribute content, we use the site as a personal source of   information, we use the site as a personal resource (like an extended search), we make purchases, and we can count on consistently high-quality content (so we read on a regular basis).

•    The more it hurts, the more you probably need it. Since its early origins, regular yoga practice has been used by many as scientific medicine for the body. And as some instructors remind us, oftentimes the postures that hurt the most, or those which we most want to avoid, our bodies actually most need. The same is true of SEO: for the companies out there who most fear and loathe SEO, it’s probably a practice most required for their growth. For a business that’s affected by technophobia, navigating the ever-changing and frequently hard-to-discern online space can be not only a downright challenge, but also a process riddled with doubts, anxieties and disappointments. By hiring an expert SEO service-provider, doing some basic research, and keeping up on top-notch blogs, the process will begin to hurt less over time, especially as it leads to positive business results.

•    Yogis and the Internet-savvy both know: the benefits go beyond just the physical. No, incorporating high-quality SEO tactics into your corporate strategy will not be a particularly spiritual experience, but it will impact your company’s reach, revenue and overall influence in your industry. Make a decision to make an impact: be a part of the conversation and impress your clients with a polished and elegant digital footprint, not a muddy one. As we like to say in the yoga room, commit to both quality and depth so that you do the best backbends, compressions and stretches you can without risking an injury. Seth Godin has some interesting remarks on balancing influence with value when it comes to engaging an audience. Check out his clever graphic and post here.

By starting with these simple ideas, you’ll be well on your way toward guru status in no time!