Who do I optimize my website for?

A study from iCrossing in the summer of 2005 found that 40 percent of people do online research prior to purchasing products.

In 2005 studies showed that 80% of site traffic originated from search engines. That may not be the case in 2008-20010 even, but the numbers are still high and quantifiable. If the viewer is a returning customer or a referral, chances are they already know your website address and are going to be a direct visitor. On the other hand for customers who want to shop around, know nothing about the industry (your industry), people who can't remember your name, someone looking for your site but not sure what its called, or someone who just randomly stumble upon your site.. those are the people who you are optimizing your site for.

So in the long run you will want to spell your name wrong, or the way you've heard people accidently spell it the most. You will want to use the keywords YOUR CUSTOMERS would think to look for, not your industry jargon. Well you will actually want to use both industry jargon and advanced terms. For example if your a plastic surgeon in San Francisco, like Dr. Kulick, you will want to use terms like breast augmentation and breast implants. If you are a holistic massage studio and not neccessarily a day spa, like Sabai, you may want to use both terms because thats whay your audience may think to search for you.