Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process to improve the visibility and search engine rank of a website. The results are evident in the form of increased traffic on the website.
Did you feel overwhelmed after reading that sentence? It seems like a lot of words and processes have been packed together.
In order to clarify, let’s unpack these words and elaborate on them.
1- What is SEO?
SEO is the act of improving and innovating web pages, so they appear higher in search engine queries.
It is a set of rules that websites and web pages follow to optimize their search engine rankings. Moreover, there is no payment involved.
It is a term that will emerge in conversations very often in the world of digital marketing.
This is because good SEO leads to ranking highly in search engine results.
It is a known fact that the higher you are ranked in search listings on search drives, the more visitors you will have browsing your website or web page.
According to a statistic by Search Engine Journal, 75% of users never go beyond the first page of results when they type in their query.
Therefore, it is essential that you rank among the top results on search engines.
A good SEO will ensure that traffic to your website grows consistently and steadily.
With the help of SEO, professionals are essentially optimizing the communication between the website and the search engine.
The better the search engine’s algorithm recognizes and understands your website, the more likely you are to appear at higher rankings during search results.
2- How does an SEO work?
SEO understands and works according to the workings of search engines..
In order for your page to appear at the top of a search engine, you need to take certain factors into account.
One such aspect that you need to be wary of is that the words you use must match the words typed in by the user in his/her search.
Another key concern is that the content (including images and videos) that appears has to be germane and relevant.
A web page in search results is dependent on both these factors. It will be difficult to match a word you have used with the one the user uses if a multitude of other web pages has also used it.
In a case like that, if your website is one of those that are ranked highly, it will be the one that is most relevant.
SEO is not a stagnant process but a comprehensive framework with a plethora of processes. The entire action comprises of two main stages:
2.1- On-site SEO:
These are the techniques that you can use and apply to your site to make your page search engine. These are factors that are within your control. It comprises of simple techniques such as unique page titles, permanent link structure, internal links, page speed, keyword density, page links and content that increase the search engine visibility of your website or web page.
2.2- Off- site SEO:
These are methods to promote your website or blog so that it can rank better in search results. This is generally known as link building or website promotion and is dependent on users’ perception of your page’s popularity and credibility. In essence, search engines are trying to find the most significant pages on the web and show those first when a user enters a search query.
Two factors that ensure the position and appearance of a web page in search results at a higher rank are the site’s popularity and the number of incoming links.
The fame of your page or site can be scrutinized by how well it does on social media and how often it is visited.
The incoming links – how many other pages have linked your page to theirs so that users who browse those end up browsing yours as well – is dependent on a few other factors.
Other reputable Internet sites will only vouch for your page if you have built that trust, relevance, and authority.
These links can greatly affect your ranking position: an impact will be positive if the links are coming from credible, reliable and well-known sites and negative if they are coming from links that are paid or from article directories.
3- The significance of SEO
You might be producing high-quality content, but it may remain hidden and invisible, waiting to be unlocked. That is where SEO becomes crucial.
Millions of users are searching for answers to their questions. Millions of them are in search of solutions to their issues each day. A comprehensive SEO approach can drive more traffic to your website or web page and assist you in gaining more customers, building a stronger clientele base, increasing your sales and help you achieve and surpass your business purposes and goals.
- According to a study, marketers see SEO as an extremely effective tool to employ. At least 82% of a study group stated that the effectiveness of SEO was increasing dramatically. Another42% of the same group remarked that the effectiveness of SEO was highly important and was consistently on the rise. This means that more and more businesses are relying on SEO to help users find them.
This stance gets buttressed by the claim that there is a high probability that a majority of search engine users will click on one of the top five suggestions that appear on the search results page.
In order to capitalize on this opportunity and gain visitors to your website or more customers to your online store, you need to be in those top five suggestions, the top 5 position.
According to MOZ, a study from Slingshot SEO for a particular search engine revealed that 18.2% of people clicking on links suggested by a search engine go to the one that occupies the first position, around 10.1% of them click on to the one suggested in the second position and at least 7.2% of them click on to the one that shows as their third search result.
- SEO becomes even more vital for businesses that are highly competitive. This optimization tool ensures that your web page is more conspicuous, accessible, and visible so as to attract more users.
Businesses that ensure that their name and title makes use of a strong keyword are more likely to rank higher in search results.
The slots can be higher by 1.5 numbers than those ventures that make no use of keywords in their business names.
- SEO is also a great way to increase the quality of your website. This is because to become more approachable, you will end up designing a site or page that is user-friendly, faster, and easier to navigate
SEO is an investment and forms an essential part of your marketing mix. While working out your marketing techniques and the allocation of your marketing budget, it is important that you realize that your profits outgrow your costs.
Spending money on SEO will increase your sales without increasing your marketing costs exponentially, thereby resulting in rising and steady profits over time.
If an SEO company is expensive and costly but ensures that you reach your financial goals and growth targets in a shorter amount of time and at a much higher price, you can hardly say that high costs were incurred during the process.
SEO sells itself because it is one of the most fundamental bricks of any business today.
An online presence for most businesses is vital, and for that presence to be visible and felt, it needs to be effective. SEO serves as a tool that can ensure your business and/or web page remains relevant and conspicuous on search engines.
It makes sure that you remain easily accessible and continue to attract traffic, which will bring in more customers and clients and subsequently increase your sales and profits.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 03, 2017, and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.