So if you’ve ever thought to another individual — What is SEO? you’re not alone. Search engine optimization — abbreviated as SEO–is another term that is popular in the world of digital marketing, however not everyone really knows what it means. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly what SEO is, how it works and why it’s so essential to your website’s success.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization or SEO SEO is the act of enhancing a website to rank well on search engines like Google, Bing, yahoo etc. Most often, when an individual enters a query into the search bar they are attempting to find one thing in particular: information or product / service. SEO: If done properly, SEO can make your website appear in the first few search results and helps you get more visitors to your site.
In simple terms, what is SEO? The next level of SEO is the practice to optimize your site that makes it rank higher in search engines, which help you receive more traffic and / or customers.
How does SEO work?
Alright, now that you have learned what SEO is about let’s dive in deeper on how it operates. SEO is a set of tactics and methods employed by search engines to rank websites. These include three main categories of strategies:
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Technical SEO
1. On-page SEO:
By contrast, on-page SEO covers anything you do to your website get or Else, It includes:
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Keyword optimization:
Publishing relevant keywords in your content to make search engines know what is all about. So, if you have a website about the kitchen, keywords like best recipes would be natural or cooking tips or healthy eating.
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Great content:
When you provide valuable, helpful and sought after written material for your target audience. Search engines view favorably content that answers the questions of users and offer useful information.
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Meta tags :
These are briefs of words stored in the page source code which explain what is on a web based document. Title Tag, Meta Description: The major meta tags for search engine optimization
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Internal linking:
Linking to other pages on your website will help search engines crawl your site better, but also keep the visitors engaged for longer periods.
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Images Optimized:
Proper Alt Text, File Names and Image Compression for Faster Load Time. Images: it increases the visuality and helps search engines to rank a page also through images.
2. Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO are activities conducted outside of your site to increase results in search engines. It includes:
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Inbound Links or Off-Page links:
All the other websites which link to your website. Getting high-value backlinks from qualified authorities can increase your search engine ranking significantly.
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Social Media Engagement:
When you share your content on social media platforms, chances are that they will lead people to visit your website and improve its visibility.
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Contact Your Guest Posts:
Write for other sites and include a link back to your website. This is one way to increase exposure and credibility in search engines as well.
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Influencer marketing:
Working with influencers to spread your content can drive even more traffic, and build a stronger reputation for your site.
3. Technical SEO
The technical SEO is in charge of improving the infrastructure that will help search engines have access to all areas and content more easily. Key aspects include:
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Site speed:
Site annoying trend from both user experience and on-site SEO point of view. Google simply tends to favorite websites that load faster.
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Mobile Friendly:
It is thus important to make your website mobile-friendly because more and more users browse websites on their smartphones.
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XML sitemap:
This is very helpful in letting the search engines know what all pages you have on your website.
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Secure Sockets Layer {SSL} :
This stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and it helps to let search engines know your website is secure by giving you the “https” prefix.
Why is SEO important?
The next question to answer is why SEO is so important, but we need first clarity on what SEO actually means. Here are some reasons:
1. Its visibility:
Websites that appear on the top which give it a facility to access and more possible for visitors so they become very improved in SEO, some other benefits is as we can mention right here : More traffic = more visibility, customers and sales!
2. Low-cost marketing:
SEO is a one-time cost if properly set up that can continue to generate traffic without any more investment.
3. Establishes trust and credibility :
Websites that appear on the first page of search engines are usually seen as reliable. SEO, This is also used to build authority in your industry byproducts.
4. Better user experience:
When you observe neat SEO disciplines, your website will automatically become more navigable and hence easy for users to find what they need.
5. Long Term Strategy:
SEO is a long-term strategy. It takes time to be implemented, but it also lasts longer than any other source of leads that you have managed your marketing with.(benefit). The good news, once your website ranks it will take consistent work to keep the above position.
Common SEO mistakes to avoid
So now that you know especially with everything related to SEO, what not do? Let us discuss the common SEO mistakes.
1. Keyword stuffing:
Using too many keywords in your content makes it difficult to read and hurts more than helps you with search engines. Use natural language with focus keywords.
2. Not focusing on mobile optimization:
As the number of users using smartphones for browsing is increasing, having a non-mobile optimized website can be very damaging to your SEO efforts.
3. Ignoring content quality:
Even the best SEO tactics in the world will not overcome garbage material. The primary goal is always creating some sort of value or information first.
4. ignoring technical SEO:
great content alone will not rank you, your site must work properly from a technical standpoint as well And do not forget to consider factors like page load time and mobile responsiveness.
5. Forget Analytics:
Without regular monitoring, you cannot identify what is working for SEO. Monitor performance using tools such as Google Analytics.
How to get started with SEO
When you’re new to SEO, the idea of optimizing your website for search can feel like an enormous chore. Don’t worry, I have written a simple step by step guide below to get you started;
1. Conduct keyword analysis:
Identify what keywords your audience searches for. Well relevant keywords can be discovered using tools such as Google keyword planner.
2. Optimize your content:
Use keywords in a natural way throughout your page, eg; titles, headers and meta descriptions.
3. Solidify the technical foundation of your website:
Ensure your site is quick, mobile-responsive and secure. Good SEO relies on this technical aspect.