The Quick Start Guide to SEO
Hi!
I’m going to explain what SEO is, and why it’s important for your website. I’ll also explain the elements that make up an SEO marketing strategy.
What is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a digital marketing strategy that improves the visibility of your website in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO involves practices such as keyword research, on-page SEO, placing backlinks, and technical SEO.
The goal of SEO is to attract free organic traffic from search engines by ranking high for keywords in your website content. Think of SEO as your gateway to visibility on the Internet.
Why is SEO Important?
SEO is important because it helps your business reach its target audience, increase website traffic, and enhance the user experience. However, SEO is not a one-time thing, but a continuous process that requires consistent effort and adjustment to constantly changing search engine rules.
For example, if your business sells bikes, but your website does not show up in a search for bikes, then you’re missing out on a ton of bike sales. While paid advertising, social media and other online platforms drive traffic to websites, the majority of online traffic is driven by search engines.
Also, free organic search results take up more space on the SERP page, look more believable to searchers, and get more clicks than paid ads. For example, only 4-6% of people click Google Ads. Those numbers tell you the importance of SEO.
How Does a Search Engine Find Your Website?
Search Engines have three primary functions:
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- Crawling
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- Indexing
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- Ranking
Crawling is the discovery process in which search engines send teams of robots, also known as crawlers or spiders, to find new and updated content on the Internet. The spiders, like bees in search of flowers, find a link and return the information to the search engine. Content can vary: it may be a webpage, an image, a video, or a PDF. Regardless of the type of file, its contents are discovered by spiders in search of links.
The Index is a huge database of all the content the spiders discovered and the search engine considers valuable enough to serve up to searchers as search results.
Ranking is the ordering of search results by importance. In general, the higher a website is ranked, the more the search engine believes that site is the answer to the searcher’s question.
SEO is a complex field, but it’s an important part of your digital marketing strategy. By understanding and using basic SEO practices, you can increase your website visibility, reach a larger audience, and grow your business.
What are SEO Best Practices?
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- Keyword Research
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- On-page SEO
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- Off-page SEO
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- Technical SEO
Keywords are the important words and phrases that users type into search engines. Keywords are the key to creating content that is important to your audience. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you find the right keywords for your business.
On-page SEO is about improving your website content for search engines and your users. This includes using your keywords in important places like the title, headers, and body of your content. On-page SEO also involves writing high-quality, engaging content that is important to your audience.
Off-page SEO involves placing your website link on another website. Links placed away from your site are often called backlinks. Although your backlink is not on your site, it still affects your rank in SERPs. Off-page SEO primarily involves placing high-quality backlinks. They’re your links on other websites that support your website in the rankings.
Technical SEO involves improving your website for the crawling and indexing phase. This can include making your website mobile-friendly, improving your site speed, and creating an XML sitemap.
In Conclusion
SEO is a complex field, but it’s an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. By understanding and using basic SEO practices, you increase your website visibility, reach a larger audience, and grow your business.
SEO is a marathon and it takes time to see your results, but the long-term benefits are worth the investment.
I hope this helps your SEO strategy.
Cheers!
Leo
PS – Need help with your SEO? Book a call with me!
