What Is SEO?
Are you just finding out about search engine optimization (SEO)? Perhaps you’ve heard that it can help attract new site visitors and convert them into paying customers, but you’re not sure how it works. To help you get started, this blog post covers all the basics.
But first, let’s dive deeper into the burning question, “What is SEO?”
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What is SEO?
SEO refers to optimization techniques that enhance a website’s visibility and rankings in unpaid search engine results. The top organic search result on Google receives about 33% of all search traffic — so, the higher your sites appear in the search results, the more attention you will receive from potential and returning clients.
How do search engines work?
You can compare search engines to libraries, except instead of storing books, they store web pages.
A search engine uses algorithms to determine which sites in its entire website inventory provide the most relevant and informative answers to a user’s query. The results may include blog posts, product pages, YouTube videos, and more.
How important is SEO in digital marketing?
SEO is the backbone of a comprehensive digital marketing ecosystem since organic search is frequently the primary source of digital traffic for businesses.
A prominent online profile and better search engine rankings than competitors may significantly impact revenue by increasing site traffic and the likelihood of converting those visitors into paying clients.
3 types of SEO
Let’s look at a few types of SEO you can use to boost your rankings and earn more site traffic.
1. On-page SEO
On-page SEO is the process of ensuring that your site’s content is relevant and optimized for visitors and search engines.
The best on-page SEO practices include:
- Giving each page a unique URL that incorporates your target keyword phrase.
- Writing compelling titles and meta descriptions.
- Linking to relevant internal pages.
- Referring to reputable external sites.
- Integrating SEO keywords into headings and content.
Optimizing your on-page content will increase the likelihood that search engines like Google will consider your site relevant to a user’s query.
2. Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO is a technique to improve a website’s ranking position in the search engine results pages (SERPs) by modifying factors outside the site itself.
The most common off-page SEO method is link building, where you get other websites or online channels to link back to your site. (We call those “backlinks.”)
Some of the best ways businesses can gain backlinks include:
- Partnering with other brands
- Using social media platforms for promotion
- Submitting guest blog posts to other websites
- Participating in industry-specific forums
Off-page SEO increases your site’s credibility and improves your visibility to search engines.
3. Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves implementing SEO-friendly practices when creating, redesigning, or maintaining your website.
Some of the best technical SEO practices include:
- Ensuring your site is responsive and mobile-friendly.
- Creating an XML sitemap file to help search engines understand your site.
- Creating Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools accounts for your website.
- Improving your website’s page speed and loading time.
- Installing a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate ensures your site is secure.
This process is all about organizing your website’s content in a manner that is natural to the user experience and enhances site performance.
5 Best practices for SEO success
1. Perform keyword research
Keyword research helps you discover what people are searching for and improves your chances of ranking well for those keywords. By analyzing the most successful keywords and phrases your rivals use, you can develop a plan to outrank them.
2. Create original headings and meta tags for each page
One of the best SEO practices is ensuring that you include the keyword that best describes the page’s content in the title.
In addition, meta-description content needs to summarize the information a user may anticipate finding on a page. These aspects of SERPs better describe a page’s content to users, increasing the likelihood that people will click on the result.
3. Create original, high-caliber content
Once you have established a solid plan for incorporating your keywords, you can move on to creating a strategy for your content. For your page to rank better in the SERPs, it must have relevant, high-quality content.
High-quality content in the eyes of your users and search engines relates to how you interact, inform, empower, and satisfy your users. Your content’s primary purpose should be to provide readers with a positive experience.
4. Use alternate text when uploading media files.
Alternate text (alt text) is for describing an image or any form of media on your web page. It provides a verbal description of all your media files. Web crawlers are “blind,” so including alt text is crucial for helping search engines understand your multimedia elements.
5. Optimize URL slugs
The “slug” in a URL is the part of the address that is distinctive to a single page. This element is another spot where your page’s emphasis keyword should go to draw attention to its relevance.
Advantages of SEO for businesses
SEO is a vital marketing strategy for increasing a brand’s online visibility, and businesses can reap several other benefits.
Some advantages that SEO might have for your company include:
- Gives you a competitive edge: Achieving first-page search rankings will give you a leg up on the competition since more people can find and visit your site.
- Cost-effective: SEO is still more cost-efficient than traditional marketing methods. However, organizations must put time and resources into having a good SEO strategy.
- Builds rapport and credibility: Ranking well in SERPs is often seen as a sign of the site’s excellent quality and reliability for search engines and users.
- Reaches a larger audience: SEO assists in developing a solid web profile, which allows you to attract a wider audience.
Search engines are the starting point for almost 93% of all online encounters, so if you want to expand your online reach and conversions, SEO is a smart investment.
At WebFX, our comprehensive SEO solutions help you meet searchers at the top of results when they’re looking for your business, products, or services.
Elevate your SEO efforts
Are you looking for a custom strategy, top-tier tools, and a knowledgeable SEO team to improve your Google rankings?
At WebFX, we have a team of experts ready to combine our in-depth research with your company’s goals and specifications, industry, and current SEO performance to develop a unique SEO strategy for your business.
Check out our SEO services and get in touch with us today to get started on your revenue-generating SEO strategy.