Search engine optimization (SEO), is a set of strategies used to increase website traffic through organic search results. While SEO requires time and dedication to achieve maximum benefit, its results can be truly rewarding.
SEO’s primary purpose is to increase your site’s rankings on Google. Achieve first page search results is crucial as this can bring in between 40-60% of total traffic for any given query.
Keywords
Keywords are terms people type into search engines to locate what they’re searching for. As one of the primary components of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), keywords help attract potential visitors to your website.
Keyword research involves discovering words or phrases likely to be searched for when looking for products and services offered by your business. To do this effectively, take a look at your competitors’ top performing keywords as well as researching what people are typing into Google or other search engines when looking for these items.
Keyword research involves understanding user behavior. This may involve tracking conversion rates, assessing frequency and types of searches most effective, as well as monitoring what language users use when searching for your products or services.
SEO involves more than keywords; it involves creating high-quality content optimized for search engines. This involves writing meta descriptions, URLs, titles and other tags to inform search engines what each page on your site is about.
On-page optimization
On-Page Optimization (OPO) refers to the practice of optimizing a website in order to increase search engine rankings and gain more visitors. OPO involves aligning elements like title tags, headings, content and internal links with relevant keywords in order to increase organic search visibility and traffic.
Techniques designed to enhance user experience on your site and make search engines recommend you more often to visitors include accessibility measures, faster page load times and structured data.
On-page SEO relies heavily on the primary copy of a page, as this provides users with what they’re seeking while helping search engines understand your content. Furthermore, regular updates show search engines that your site remains active.
Search engines have become more adept at understanding content meaning, making these methods less relevant than before.
Off-page optimization
Off-Page Optimization (OPO) refers to optimizing your online presence outside of your website in order to increase search engine rankings, such as link building, content marketing, social media strategies, guest blogging opportunities, podcasting or video promotion.
Off-page SEO can be an effective strategy for improving your website’s rankings, as it gives search engines a complete picture of your brand and provides it with more exposure online, which may result in increased traffic and sales.
Google uses off-page SEO factors to determine which pages are the most trustworthy for users, so having other reputable sites link back to yours is an invaluable off-page SEO tactic.
Links are an easy and quick way to gauge a website’s authority, trustworthiness, and expertise – not to mention one of Google’s primary ranking factors.
Link building
Link building is an essential aspect of search engine optimization (SEO). This involves the practice of acquiring backlinks that lead to your website; these backlinks help Google rank it higher in its search engine results pages (SERPs).
An effective approach to link building is generating a list of keywords your ideal customers may enter into search engines, including words and phrases that speak directly to their pain points, needs, and goals.
Once you have your seed list of keywords, research what links other websites have for those terms. This step in SEO allows you to gain a good idea of which tactics might work for your website.
Conduct competitor research by studying which keywords are driving traffic to the top-ranking page for that term using an SEO tool such as Ahrefs.