In the next few days, I will attempt to provide some insight, information and hopefully a little “de-mystification” about search engine optimization (aka S.E.O.).

This topic has risen with a big red flag as I have met with a number of entrepreneurs who have sunk a good deal of money into what they THOUGHT was an optimized, lead generating website, only to be sorely disappointed. Next week I’ll have a guest blogger or two with expertise in the best practices of  optimization. The goal is you come away with a “checklist” of what IS and what IS NOT an optimized site.

As a PR professional, it’s become increasingly important that clients are committed to sites that are properly optimized, especially if they desire not only an increased awareness of their brand but an increase in sales leads as well. Utilizing optimized press releases and pushing links via social media are vital in driving the all important “organic search” (what happens when folks arrive at your site by searching for a particular service or product — NOT to be confused with “ad words”).

Earlier in the week, the New York Times Small Business section featured an outstanding “tale of S.E.O.” I would encourage you to click through and take a look. After several months and thousands of dollars, entrepreneur Catherine Wood Hill and her mother Michelle Wood (co-founders of La Grande Dame, an online retailer of high-end, plus-size designer clothing) concluded that successful S.E.O. had three components: the content on your pages; getting other sites to link to yours; and the way in which your site is coded. You can read just how they achieved an impressive benchmark: In June, the company spent just $30 on marketing, but had sales of $6,053 — up more than 50 percent from the previous June when Ms. Hill spent almost $14,000 on marketing.

And, if you say, “But I don’t have the TIME to devote to those social media connections,” know that Pickett&Associates  stands ready to assist with both traditional and social media relations!

Good thoughts on which to end the week. Happy, happy Friday!