How SEO Works

Traditionally, the process of optimising websites and their content for search engine results pages (SERPs) is known as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Due to the fact that most online encounters start with a search engine, it is an essential component of digital marketing.

It’s shame then to see a lot of hazy confusion resides on the topic. It is overly technical? Is it less accessible than social media? How does SEO work? Crikey! What does SEO even stand for?

Knowing how SEO works can assist business owners to create successful organic strategies that not only boosts the visibility of their website but their visibility across the entire web.

Let’s take a deeper dive to uncover the true nature, and value of SEO for your business.

What Does SEO Stand For?

The answer is Search Engine Optimisation. But what does that even mean? To start to understand it, let’s break it down. There are two words to get comfortable with.

1. The “SE” is Search Engine

You may ask “What’s a Search Engine?” It’s a website such as Google, Bing and Yahoo!. I’m sure you’re familiar in using them to search for and find information and answers you want to resolve.

Traditionally the results of SEO activity are seen in search engines, in the form of appearing higher up in their results. This is where the majority online experiences begin.

However, we all know the web is so much more accessible now. This means online experiences also happen beyond Google and co.

For instance, searching:

• YouTube for video content
• Facebook for a community group
• Instagram for an expert
• Buzzsprout for a podcast
• Spotify for a playlist
• Apple’s App Store for a productivity app

This means the principles of SEO activity are needed on many platforms. Why? To help you get discovered on them when your clients search on them for someone like you.

2. The “O” in SEO means Optimisation

Though you may ask: “Optimisation of what?” “Of search engines?” Not quite. The “O” stands for optimisation of your marketing activity. That’s the things you do to promote your business online.

What does “optimisation” mean? It’s the intention to make something as good as it possibly can be. Which in itself is a heartfelt, positive intention to strive towards.

So now we’ve peeled back the layers of SEO to reveal it’s true meaning! Let’s stitch what we’ve learned together so far.

SEO is making our daily marketing activity as good as it can be for search engines, social media and other content platforms.

Why You Should Optimise For Search Engines & Online Platforms

Here’s the thing.

Algorithms are used by search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo to evaluate websites and rank them according to numerous criteria.

In order to understand how SEO works we need to understand how search engine algorithms work. To start, these algorithms consider hundreds of ranking factors, including user experience, content quality, linkages, and keyword.

Website optimisation is the main objective of SEO in order to raise their placement and visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).

The following are some essential SEO elements and how they can help you:

Keywords

The words and phrases people use to search for information online are known as keywords. SEO specialists find pertinent keywords for their websites and thoughtfully map them to individual webpages before incorporating them naturally into their content.

Because it enables marketers to comprehend the terminology and interests of their target audience, keyword research is a crucial component of SEO.

Off-Page Optimisation

Off-Page Optimisation is the process of improving a website’s ranking through measures conducted off-page. This covers content marketing in general as well as link development and social media marketing.

Creating links to the website being optimised is known as link building, however I prefer the term link earning, as it’s more aligned to modern day SEO; gaining links through content marketing and digital PR.

The domain authority rating of the website will be impacted by the connecting site’s authority and relevance to the link.

On-Page Optimisation

On-page optimisation is the process of improving the text and HTML code on the individual web pages that make up a website. Page titles, meta descriptions, header tags, and content can all be optimised for particular keywords.

Making sure that the website’s pages load quickly and optimising the website’s pictures and videos are also part of on-page optimisation.

User Experience

SEO must take into account the user’s experience. When ranking a website, search engines take user interaction into account.

This covers elements like website speed, navigational simplicity, and responsiveness to mobile devices. Better user experiences on websites lead to greater rankings in search results.

SEO is a long-term strategy that needs constant maintenance and optimisation. It’s critical to stay current with the most recent updates and modify your SEO methods in light of the fact that search engines alter their algorithms frequently.

Businesses can increase their online presence and attract a wider audience by simply putting SEO strategies into practice