What is SEO? An explanation for beginners

The main objective of SEO is to improve a website’s visibility in search engines, so that a website ranks higher. It’s a strategy for boosting the number of organic visitors from search engines.

There are many different factors that contribute to good SEO, and it can be a complex and ongoing process to improve rankings.

However, the basic principle is relatively simple: by optimising a website for relevant keywords and phrases, making sure the site is easy to navigate and adding quality content marketing, as well as optimising other ranking factors, such as backlinks, a site can attract more organic visitors from search engines and improve its position in search engine results pages (SERPs).

SEO can be broadly divided into two main categories: on-page optimization and off-page optimization.

On-page optimisation refers to techniques that can be used on a website itself to improve its organic SEO, such as using relevant keywords in titles and headings, adding meta tags, and creating well written content marketing.

Off-page optimisation, on the other hand, refers to activities that take place outside of the website itself, such as link building and advertising a business on social media, such as Facebook.   

 

Both on-page and off-page optimisation are important for successful organic SEO, but which one is more important depends on the individual website and the competition for the target keywords. In general, though, a good mix of both is essential.

If you’re new to organic SEO and are looking for ways to improve your website’s visibility, start by focusing on the basics of on-page optimisation.

Once you’ve made some progress there, you can then begin working on more advanced off-page SEO techniques. And, as always, keep an eye on your competition to see what they’re doing and how you can stay one step ahead.

Google’s algorithm

Google’s algorithm uses a set of ranking factors which determine how it ranks websites in its search engine results pages (SERPs). These rules are based on factors like backlinks.

Google’s algorithm is constantly changing, so it doesn’t stay the same for long, which can be a challenge for organic SEOs who need to keep up with the latest updates.

However, by understanding how Google’s algorithm works, you can make sure that your website is well-optimised and has a good chance of ranking higher in SERPs.

One of the most important aspects of Google’s algorithm is relevance.

This means that your website needs to offer useful advice to your visitors, that should be about the same topic as the keywords that you are targeting. So what do we mean by this?

Well, in a nutshell, if you sell electric bikes, you should offer a lot of advice about these bicycles, such as how to fix a broken chain, how long it takes to charge these bikes, how to repair a broken tyre quickly.

If your website is not relevant to the keywords that you are targeting, then it is unlikely to rank well in SERPs.

Popularity is also an important factor in Google’s algorithm. This means that websites that are popular, or have a lot of high quality links pointing to them, are more likely to rank well in SERPs. Google looks at both the quantity and quality of links when determining a website’s popularity.

 

Authority is another important factor in Google’s algorithm.

This means that websites that are seen as authoritative, so for example if you want the latest news in the UK, you might go to say the Guardians website, as it offer quality work by journalists.

So if you have a lot of high-quality content marketing, are more likely to rank well in SERPs.

Google looks at factors like the age of a website, the quality of its content marketing, and its backlink profile when determining its authority.

Google’s algorithm is complex and constantly changing, but by having some knowledge of how it works, you can optimise your website accordingly and improve your chances of ranking well in SERPs.

 

In summary

The term “SEO” stands for “Search engine optimisation.” It’s a long-term marketing approach used to boost the visibility and organic search results of a website in Google and other global search engines.

 SEO should not be confused with SEA (Search Engine Advertising) which refers to paid placement in search engine result pages.

SEO can be achieved through optimising website content marketing, structure and on-page elements like titles, metatags, anchor texts and meta descriptions. Another way to optimise your website for search engines is through link building which is the process of acquiring quality links from other websites.

SEO takes into account both on-page and off-page factors to improve a websites ranking.

On-page SEO factors include things like title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, image optimisation and interlinking.

 

Off-page SEO factors include things like links, social media signals.

 

SEO is an important part of any digital marketing strategy.

It can help you improve your website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), increase organic traffic to your website and improve your brand awareness.

 

 

 

There are two types of SEO: White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO.

 

 

White hat SEO is a technique that follows the guidelines of search engines and uses ethical methods to improve a websites ranking. Black hat SEO is a technique that does not follow the guidelines of search engines and uses unethical methods to improve a websites ranking.

 

 

The benefits of organic SEO can be:

 

– Improved website visibility

 

– Increased organic traffic

 

– Improved brand awareness

 

-Long-term marketing strategy

 

If you want to improve your website and get more organic traffic, why not call us?