Search engine optimization refers to techniques that help your website rank higher in organic (or
“natural”) search results, thus making your website more visible to people who are looking for your product or service via search engines.
SEO is part of the broader topic of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), a term used to describe all marketing strategies for search. SEM entails both organic and paid search. With paid search, you can pay to list your website on a search engine so that your website shows up when someone types in a specific keyword or phrase. Organic and paid listings both appear on the search engine, but they are displayed in different locations on the page. So, why is it important for your business‟ website to be listed on search engines?
On Google alone, there are over 694,000 searches conducted every second.
1. Think about that. Every second that your website is not indexed on Google, you’re potentially missing out on hundreds, if not thousands of opportunities for someone to visit your website, read your content, and potentially buy your product or service. Practicing SEO basics, as well as more advanced techniques after those, can drastically improve your website’s ability to rank in the search engines and get found by your potential customers.
What about paid search? Yes, you can pay to have your website listed on the search engines. However, running paid search campaigns can be quite costly if you don’t know what you’re doing. Not to mention, about 88% of search engine users never click on paid search ads anyway.
2. Because the sole purpose of a search engine is to provide you with relevant and useful information, it is in everyone’s best interest (for the search engine, the searcher, and you) to ensure that your website is listed in the organic search listings. It is probably best to stay away from paid search altogether until you feel you have a firm grasp of SEO and what it takes to rank organically.
Types of Seo:
- On-Page
- Off-Page
- Technical
- Local
- Voice Search
- Video
On-Page SEO:
- On-page SEO refers to optimizations made directly on the website to improve its search engine ranking.
- Keyword optimization: Using relevant keywords in page titles, meta descriptions, headers, and content.
- Content quality: Creating high-quality, valuable, and relevant content for users.
- URL structure: Creating clean and SEO-friendly URLs.
- Internal linking: Linking to other pages within the same website to enhance navigation and distribute link equity.
Off-Page SEO:
- Off-page SEO involves activities conducted outside the website to improve its authority, relevance, and reputation. Key off-page SEO factors include:
- Backlink building: Acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites.
- Social signals: Engaging with social media platforms and promoting content to increase visibility.
- Online reputation management: Monitoring and managing online reviews and mentions.
Technical SEO:
- Technical SEO focuses on the technical aspects of a website to improve its crawlability, indexability, and overall performance. Key technical elements include:
- Website speed optimization: Ensuring fast loading times for better user experience.
- Mobile optimization: Making the website responsive and mobile-friendly.
- XML sitemaps: Creating and submitting XML sitemaps to help search engines understand the site structure.
- Canonicalization: Resolving duplicate content issues with canonical tags.
Local SEO:
- Local SEO is crucial for businesses targeting local audiences. It includes strategies to enhance visibility in local search results.
- Google My Business Optimization: Claiming and optimizing the business profile on Google My Business.
- Local citations: Ensuring consistent business information across online directories.
- Local reviews: Encouraging and managing customer reviews on platforms like Yelp.
Voice Search SEO:
- With the rise of voice-activated devices, optimizing for voice search has become important. This involves understanding and incorporating natural language queries into content.
Video SEO:
- Video SEO focuses on optimizing video content for search engines. This includes using descriptive titles, tags, and transcripts, as well as creating engaging thumbnails.