--- title: "What is SEO?" description: "SEO explained in plain English: what it is, why it’s slow, and four things you can do today." url: https://dumbcmo.com/blog/what-is-seo category: "Getting found" tags: ["seo", "google", "basics"] published: 2026-10-22 updated: 2026-10-22 reading_time: 2 min author: "The DumbCMO" --- # What is SEO? > **TL;DR:** SEO is getting Google to trust you enough to show you when people search. Clicks are free, but it’s slow. Think months, not days. [Notebook](https://dumbcmo.com) › [Blog](https://dumbcmo.com/blog) › Getting found › What is SEO? ## In normal-people words Google is a librarian with billions of books. **SEO is making your book easy to find, clearly labelled, and recommended by other books.** Those recommendations are called backlinks (Other websites linking to yours. Like other books saying “go read that one.”). ## The chai stall version Two chai stalls. Same chai. One is on the main road with a big signboard. One is in a lane with no board. **The main road wins every time.** SEO is moving to the main road and putting up the board. ## Do this today - [ ] Google your own business name. Is the first result actually you? - [ ] Claim your free Google Business Profile, so you show up on Maps. - [ ] Make each page title say what the page is, in plain words. - [ ] Ask three happy customers for a Google review. ## Not-so-frequently asked questions ### Is SEO just stuffing keywords everywhere? That worked in 2009. Now Google reads more like a person does. Write for humans and use the words your customers actually type. ### Can I pay Google to rank higher? Not in the free results. You can pay for ads, which sit above them with a small “Sponsored” label. Different game, different budget. ### Why does my agency send me a 40-page report? Because 40 pages looks like work. Ask for three numbers instead: visitors from Google, leads from those visitors, and which pages brought them. ### Should I buy 1,000 backlinks for $50? Only if you’d also buy a Rolex for $50. Cheap links are usually from junk sites, and Google can ignore them or hold them against you. ### Is it too late to start? No. The best time was five years ago. The second best time is today. Smaller, specific topics are still wide open. ## Things your agency won’t say - Most of SEO is boring: fix pages, write useful stuff, wait. - Ranking #1 for a word nobody searches is **useless**. - Anyone who guarantees #1 on Google is guessing. Even Google says so. ## Jargon Jail **Locked up: “Domain Authority”** Sounds official. It’s actually a score made up by an SEO tool company, not by Google. **It’s a guess at how trusted your site is.** Useful for comparing, useless for bragging. ## Related notes - [Google rankings shook on 24 October. Should you do anything?](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/google-ranking-shake-october-24): Many rank trackers spiked on Saturday 24 October 2026, which suggests Google changed something. Google hasn't confirmed it. Wait a week, check Search Console, and change nothing in a panic. - [Google’s AI summary now shows on over 80% of searches](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/ai-overviews-on-80-percent-of-searches): Tracking tools now put Google’s AI summary on 80%+ of searches, up from about half in mid-2025. Your clicks may keep falling. Your job is to be the business the summary mentions. - [Does SEO still matter now that Google answers with AI?](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-answers): Yes, SEO still matters, but fewer people click through when Google shows an AI summary. Be the business the summary is built from: clear answers, real reviews and a name people search for. --- From [DumbCMO](https://dumbcmo.com): The marketing notes you were too embarrassed to take.