What is SEO and why is it important 2023

 

What is SEO and why is it important 2023

What basically is SEO? What does it stand for?

SEO the short form for Search Engine Optimization, is the practice and routine of increasing the quality and quantity of traffic to your website through various methods so that you can achieve a higher ranking in search engine's organic results.

The fundamental objective and ultimate goal of SEO is to generate organic traffic. In other words, get people who search for something on google, to click on your website from a search engine results page (SERP). Getting more traffic to your website means having more opportunities to convert prospects into customers.

SEO helps establish an online presence like no other. If done with the right mindset, it can help build brand awareness and create relationships with the online world, which in turn helps generate revenue.

How do Search Engines Work

Search engine optimization is crucial for the success of any online business. Before we discuss the various methods of how you can perform SEO, let’s understand how Search Engines work...

So, have you ever thought about how your website shows up on Search Results? What is the process behind it?

  Well, Google is a completely automated search engine that uses software known as web spiders or web crawlers. These crawlers explore and survey websites regularly and find new pages or new content. This information is then added to Google's search engine Index - a large database, containing a complete record of all the page content and its metadata.

Now when you type a query in the search bar and click on search, the search engine looks through the Index for the most relevant and relatable results, and those results are then displayed on Google's Search Engine Results Pages.

 

Why SEO is a must for any business

The importance of SEO lies in its prime desire which is generating organic traffic. Performing SEO guarantees to make your website more visible. We live in an attention economy, and anything that can garner attention can sell. Customers are on the lookout for the fastest and best result they can find during their search.  If you can optimize your website in a way in which the customer could easily find it due to its ranking, and fulfil his/her needs and wants then you have won the race.

It is important to note that great SEO practices don’t only revolve around search engines but also help improve the user experience and usability of a website.

 

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS AND VARIOUS METHODS TO SEO

Keyword Research

Keywords yet to this day play an important role in determining your performance. The procedure in which an SEO company finds and analyses search terms or words that people (prospects, customers or general audience) enter into search engines could be described as Keyword research. This finding is done with a goal in mind which is to know and keep up with search behaviour before rest of the competition.

 

Local SEO

As the name suggests, Local SEO is the type of SEO strategy that supports your business or company to be more visible in Local search results.

Let’s imagine you own an apparel store, then Local SEO would make certain that when people in your area went finding for the best apparel store in town, they’ll fall upon your site.

Methods to develop Local SEO include using local keywords, claiming directory listings, creating pages for your business on Google (doorway pages), and creating location-specific pages for your site.

 

Content Writing

Content writing is the focal point of SEO, as it’s the instrument you use to reach and engage your audience. Knowing your niche and effectively targeting your audience through your message is an art that needs to be perfected.

For instance, if you own a restaurant and wanted to increase your visibility and build awareness, you should publish a series of blogs about food, the type you serve, what makes it different, health benefits, what are the best deals you can offer, etc. The main idea being when a person looks online for “best places to eat”, your blog or content description shall appear first by being the most tailor-made for his/her search.

 

Off-Site SEO

 Off-site SEO or Off Page SEO involves all efforts made on websites outside of your own, to help your main website get a higher ranking. The main strategy used for off-page SEO is link building or “backlinks” which is an effort made to have external sites tell search engines that your site is a valuable and high-quality site. It helps build reputation and authority.

 

Meta Tags, Titles, and Descriptions

Meta Tags are pieces or snippets of code that inform search engines necessary information about your website, such as how they shall be displayed and presented on Search Engine Results Pages (SERP).

SEO planning contains numerous amounts of elements, with Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions being the fundamental ones.

- The page title that google and other reputable search engines display in search results are also known as Meta Titles. Titles are important as it’s the first thing that a user comes across who would then decide whether it’s convincing enough for him to click on it and open the website.

- Meta Descriptions are usually a summary of what your website has to offer. Customers shall form a preconception in their minds on what they’re about to click on just by reading the Meta description.