The first page of Google is where any website wants to be. How do some websites fare better than others while others are down in oblivion on a search engine’s second to last page? The simple answer is SEO.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of ranking a website in search engine results pages (SERPs) like Google or Bing. Getting to the front page of any SERP is the dream destination for every budding brand, and implementing SEO techniques is a sure way to help with that.
It may be daunting if you’re a business that has never dealt with SEO before. There are differing opinions on the timeline, results, and SEO techniques. Therefore, it is important to work with someone who knows exactly what your business needs.
In this SEO guide, we aim to walk you through the basics of SEO and its importance in growing your business.
WHAT IS SEO?
As mentioned above, SEO is the process of optimizing a website and its content to improve ranking and visibility in SERPs. Search engines are getting smarter due to technological advancements. The algorithms they use are getting more progressive in determining the sites and pages that best match a user’s search query.
Implementing changes such as keyword targeting, link building, and off-page optimization helps you follow the algorithms’ criteria and improve your SEO ranking.
HOW DO SEARCH
ENGINES WORK?
Search engines use bots (also called crawlers or spiders) to crawl the web. These bots follow links from one page to another to gather and store information in the search index. So, when a user enters a search query, the search engine uses its algorithm to determine the most relevant pages and display them in the SERPs. The more relevant and informative the content is, the higher it ranks.
SEO TECHNIQUES
1. KEYWORD RESEARCH
AND MAPPING
Keyword research is the first step before establishing keyword mapping. Identifying keywords or phrases customers use when searching for your product or service is the purpose of keyword research. Knowing which keywords to target is crucial when building your content because it should align with your user's intent.
Keyword mapping, on the other hand, means placing the relevant keywords on each page. Having a structured keyword map improves your content relevance and improves your SERP rankings.
2. TECHNICAL OPTIMIZATION
Speed, functionality, user experience, and website structure all contribute to SEO as well. In technical optimization, improvements are made to the backend code to enhance a website's load time, mobile responsiveness, and navigation structure.
3. ON-PAGE OPTIMIZATION
On-page SEO focuses directly on the changes needed in a website’s content and HTML source code. Examples of these are title tags, which can be seen as a web page’s title; meta descriptions; the short snippet users see before clicking on a link; and header tags that improve the readability of the content on a web page.
Ensuring that your website's content is well-written and contains relevant information about your business and services is also key to optimization.
4. OFF-PAGE OPTIMIZATION
Off-page optimization is a process of SEO activities done outside of a website. This typically involves link building, blog posting on article-hosting sites, directory submission, classified ads, and publishing press releases.
Above all these activities, link-building to create backlinks is seen as the most important, as it signals to search engines that your website is valuable and relevant. Building backlinks is tedious, but it's essential for improving your website's authority and ranking.
5. CONTENT CREATION
Authority and relevance are two of the most crucial factors in SEO that improve a website’s ranking. To check off these factors, the content you create should always align with user intent and provide value to your target audience.
Publishing content that addresses your audience's pain points, answers their questions, and provides solutions to their problems are just a few examples of high-quality and relevant content.
6. SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media can help you build brand awareness and increase the visibility of your website. To improve your online presence, share your content on social media platforms and engage with your followers. Doing these can also help improve your website's authority and ranking.
MONITOR YOUR RESULTS
Monitoring your website’s traffic, ranking, and performance is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of your SEO strategy. Doing this will help you identify gaps and opportunities. A lot of tools, both paid and free, are available online to help track results.
INCREASED VISIBILITY
The higher a website ranks, the more visible it is in a SERP. This increased visibility can drive more traffic, leads, and sales.
ESTABLISHES CREDIBILITY
Algorithms decide website authority, which is why websites that rank high are seen as more credible by users. This credibility is a key factor in building trust with potential customers and in increasing the likelihood of them doing business with you.
COST-EFFECTIVE
Although SEO can be a long process, it is a cost-effective marketing strategy compared to paid advertising. Once a website is optimized, you can continue to see the benefits without having to spend more money on ads.
LONG-LASTING RESULTS
As long as you continuously update the content and maintain the website, SEO results are long-lasting. However, doing the opposite will have adverse effects and might possibly cause a website to rank lower.
IMPROVED USER EXPERIENCE
SEO isn’t limited to content optimization; it also requires enhancing your website's structure and navigation to make it more user-friendly. A well-optimized website can improve the user experience and lead to higher engagement, lower bounce rates, and increased conversions.
HIRE REMOTE SEO EXPERTS
The Remote Group connects businesses with SEO specialists at every level of experience needed. Our SEO services have helped over 20+ clients (and counting!) climb to the top of the SERPs in their respective industries. Start your SEO journey with us today and get in touch with our outsourcing experts!
