Like accounting, marketing and sales search engine optimization (SEO) has become a skill that all business owners need to have in order to compete in today's marketplace. Why? More and more consumers are turning to Google before making a purchasing decision --meaning they either see your business or one of your competitors. If you're invisible in Google, you may as well be invisible to most of your potential business.

While SEO is a complex and evolving field, there are a few tips that can help you rapidly increase your visibility in Google and the other major search engines.

Get Schooled

If you don't know a backlink from a back rub, it's probably time to learn the basics of SEO. While there's no need to become an expert, you should at least have at least a grasp on the basics which will help you even if you decide to outsource your efforts. While there is no shortage of SEO knowledge on the web, there are a few web-based resources that have comprehensive and simple tutorials for those new to SEO, particularly SEOMoz.org and SEOBook.com.

Once you learn the ropes, you'll have to make a decision on whether or not to outsource your SEO. If you decide to go at it alone, you'll need to stay current with the latest trends in the industry --which is a time commitment not all business owners have available. However, if you outsource, be sure to keep tabs on what your SEO firm is up to. Google has a low tolerance for gaming their algorithm and have been known to slap sites caught cheating the system.

Choose Keywords Carefully

Keywords are what potential customers use to find your business. While many small business owners breeze through this stage of their SEO campaign, wise, SEO-saavy businesses take the time to pick keywords that aren't overly competitive and have enough search volume to bring them consistent traffic over the long-term.

When doing keyword research, be sure to use Google's keyword research tool which gives you accurate information about the popularity of your potential keywords. It also gives data about how much people spend per click in pay per click campaigns which may be helpful if you choose to compliment your SEO with paid traffic.

Reach Out

The success and failure of your SEO campaign depends on how many backlinks you have. However, most people will not naturally link to a local business. To get the links you need, you need to be the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. Consider reaching out to your local chamber of commerce and other local businesses and ask them to link back to your website.

Get Social

Social signals from websites like Facebook and Pinterest are becoming more important in search engine algorithms. At the very least you should have a Facebook and Twitter account set up and linked to from your website. The more people that share your site around the web, the more your ranking will climb in Google. Don't be afraid to ask site visitors and happy customers to like and share your content on their social media profiles, especially Google +.

Go Local

If you serve a specific area, consider signing up to Google Places. Google Places is a free directory of local websites that often appear above the "normal" top 10 results on the first page. Like any page you're trying to optimize for search, make sure to sprinkle in your target keywords in the description of your business.

Spencer is an avid local business SEO adviser and niche site owner. His latest website, SurveySpencer.com, aims to be the most comprehensive paid surveys blog on the internet. His latest surveys for money review can be found at http://surveyspencer.com/npd-online-research-review/.