What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving a website’s visibility and ranking in organic search engine results pages (SERPs). This is achieved through various techniques that make the site more discoverable, crawlable, and understandable to search algorithms.
How Does SEO Work?
SEO involves optimizing a website’s:
- Content – Conducting keyword research and crafting quality, relevant content
- Structure – Ensuring a logical site structure and easy navigation
- HTML – Optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, etc.
- Backlinks – Earning links from other reputable websites
- User Experience – Improving site speed, mobile-friendliness, etc.
When done effectively, these tactics can boost SERP rankings, organic traffic, and conversions.
The Three Main Types of SEO
- On-Page SEO: Optimizing individual webpages’ content and HTML tags
- Off-Page SEO: Building quality backlinks and brand mentions across the web
- Technical SEO: Improving website and server elements to enhance crawlability and indexing
The Business Impact of SEO
Effective SEO strategies drive higher rankings for important keywords. This leads to increased visibility in search results, attracting more qualified traffic and potential customers. Organic search is often the primary traffic source for websites.
SEO vs. Google Search
SEO aims to optimize websites for higher rankings and visibility in Google and other search engines. Google Search is the actual search engine platform. Ranking well in Google SERPs is the main goal of SEO, since Google dominates the search market.
Learning SEO
Many free resources exist to learn SEO fundamentals:
- Online guides, blogs and courses
- YouTube tutorials
- Industry publications
- Podcasts
SEO Best Practices
- Target relevant keywords in page titles, headings, meta descriptions and content
- Create quality content that matches search intent
- Build a logical site structure with clear navigation
- Optimize page load speed and mobile friendliness
- Earn backlinks naturally from authoritative, relevant websites
By implementing SEO best practices, website owners can improve their organic search visibility, traffic, and overall marketing results. Learning the core concepts is key to getting started with an effective SEO strategy.