Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It refers to the process of obtaining traffic by natural or organic means through search engines. When you post a webpage, all major search engines will rank it on their listings in accordance with what they find to be the most relevant. SEO does not involve payment, unlike paid ads that generally appear on the top 3 listings.

Ten years ago, ranking highly with SEO was a much easier process than it is now. Nowadays, with the increased online competition, it’s more and more important to have a clear SEO strategy in place so that your website can work its way up the rankings.

As well as quantity of traffic obtained by SEO, you will also achieve quality of traffic. Search Engine Optimization improves the quality of traffic coming to your site, meaning that it is directing the right users towards the right content.

How it Works

When you type a query into a search engine, the search engine will come back with a long list of links that it believes will be potential answers to your query. What has happened is that the search engine has sent a ‘crawler’ out to find all the information relating to your specific query. The crawler brings all of its matches back to the search engine to build an index, which is then fed through an algorithm that aims to match all of the found data with your query. The optimization part involves the website owners adapting their content so that the search engine and users alike will be able to understand what they are showcasing on their site. There are many techniques that can be used for optimization, and more are becoming known thanks to authors such as those shown below, as well as search engine tools and services.

For example,

• Wordstream

• KeyWord Eye

• Youtube KeyWord Tool

Why Do I Need SEO?

1. Doing SEO properly isn’t just about better rankings; it’s about a better user experience. Search engines don’t only scroll through your key words. Search engines evaluate your whole site. They want to see things like a good mobile site, relevant pictures and videos, users staying on your website for a long time, etc. The better your user experience, the higher you will rank, and the more users you will have. As well as this, user experience has a direct correlation to brand loyalty, trust, and conversion rates.

2. You’re saving money! As much as paid ads and social media are now to thank for a good amount of referrals, organic search still accounts for 64% of all traffic according to a study conducted by Conductor. This means that it pays to work on your SEO strategy.

3. If you’re a local business, ranking highly in your local search will lead directly to increased sales and visits. A study by Google has shown that 50% of consumers that searched for a local business on their phone visited the store that same day.

If you’d like to read more about SEO, see:

Beginner’s Guide to SEO

The Top 10 Reasons You Need SEO

Why Is SEO Important