What is SEO and why does your website need it?
Updated: Jan 12
The internet is an amazing place. It's like a magical kingdom where you can find anything you want, from information about the history of pandas to cat memes and everything in between. But how does it work? What makes Google such a popular search engine? The answer is pretty simple: SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it involves using strategies and techniques to boost your website's visibility in search engines like Google or Bing (which is also very important).
When you think about Google, which is the most popular search engine in the world, what do you really think? Do you think of a complex algorithm that incorporates hundreds of different factors to determine search results? Do you envision a team of people working to ensure that people around the world are able to get relevant and accurate search results from their queries? Or do you simply use Google as a tool to find relevant information quickly and easily, without giving much thought to the inner workings of the company or how it got so important to the way we use the internet?
Google is the most popular search engine in the world.
Google's algorithm incorporates hundreds of different factors to determine search results.
A team of people at Google work to ensure that people around the world are able to get relevant and accurate search results from their queries.
Search engine optimization (SEO) involves using strategies and techniques to boost your website's visibility in search engines.
Search engine optimization (SEO) involves using strategies and techniques to boost your website's visibility in search engines. SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engines.
The key word here is "optimizing," which means doing things that allow Google, Bing, and other search engines to understand what your site is about. If a search engine can't figure out what you're trying to say, or if they think you're spammy or fake, they'll drop you from their results pages altogether—and nobody wants that!
That said: optimizing doesn't necessarily mean making changes to
your website right away. In fact, it rarely does—the most effective SEO strategies are long-term ones (and a lot of them take months). You might want to check out an agency like Distilled if you want help with this stuff!
It's easy to view Google as an invisible, trusted entity. We know that it's out there and that it can provide us with information, but we don't often stop to think about how it works. Yet its inner workings are somewhat fascinating, especially if you're someone who owns a website or is interested in marketing or web design. The truth is that behind all those search results, there's an entire system designed to connect people with relevant websites. It's called SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, and it's one of those things you should know a little more about if you want your site to succeed.
So what exactly is SEO? At its core, it's a process of optimizing your website for search engines. That sounds simple enough—but what does that mean, exactly? The truth is that it's not as simple as just slapping some keywords on your site and hoping for the best. Here are some basics:
SEO is a long-term strategy. You can't just "do" SEO once and expect to see results immediately; you need to stay committed to building out your website over time in order to get real results from all this research and effort.
SEO takes time. Because SEO takes so much time and energy (not to mention money), many people give up before they even begin their work because they assume they'll be wasting their time if they don't see immediate success with the first few things they try out—but this isn't true! It takes weeks or months of content creation before Google will start showing any significant traffic toward our websites:
You can generate content around these keywords so your site shows up when someone searches for the keywords you've chosen.
The idea is to generate content around these keywords so your site shows up when someone searches for the keywords you've chosen. The best way to do this is with a keyword research tool, like Google's Keyword Planner or WordStream's AdWord Tool, which will tell you how many people are searching for your target term and where the search volume is highest.
Once you've identified some keywords that have good search volume and low competition, it's time to insert those terms into all of your website pages. You should use these keywords:
Your title tag
Your meta description (this may already be set on pages by default)
Your page content
The benefits of SEO include getting organic leads, improving conversions, and increasing your brand awareness.
If you're not leveraging SEO to drive more organic leads, increase conversions and increase brand awareness, then you're likely missing out on a significant opportunity to grow your business.
SEO can help your website rank higher in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. This means that if someone searches for products or services similar to yours (i.e., "digital marketing agency"), they'll find you more easily than they would without the proper optimization strategies in place. When people search online for information they want (in this case, digital marketing services), they want it now — so don't miss out on an opportunity by failing to optimize your site!
Conclusion
If you're still not convinced that SEO is worth your time, consider this: it's a proven way to get more customers. It's also a great way to increase brand awareness and improve conversions. When people see your website in search results or on social media, they'll think of you as an expert in whatever field it covers—and trust us, people love being able to trust someone! SEO Rank Local is the best place to find affordable SEO services for local business owners.