What is SEO and How It Works?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is the process of optimizing your website to get organic or un-paid, traffic from the search engine results page.
In other words, through the use of search engine optimization , certain changes can be applied to your website appearance and content making your site more attractive to a search engine. This is being done in the expectation of having your website on the top of results page of a search engine.
Though search engine optimization may look like quite complex when it comes to all the different factors that impact your ranking, the basic process is not as difficult to understand.
The aim of search engines is to provide the best service for their users. This means delivering results on the search engine pages that are not only of high quality but also relevant to what the searcher is looking for.
In order to do this, search engines will scan or search different websites to better understand what the site is about. This helps them deliver more relevant results to those who are searching for certain topics or keywords.
Search engine optimization is beneficial to businesses. In improving your search engine optimization, you can expand your visibility on the search engines. This will help you to reach and engage to more potential customers. In creating a more engaging and content-focused search engine optimization, you can increase your chances of bringing in more targeted organic traffic.
To help you better understand and appreciate how to optimize your search engine, here are the basic tips you can apply to boost your visibility.
Here we have 5 basic SEO tips that even beginners can implement:
- Research & use relevant keywords
- Optimise page titles & meta descriptions
- Optimise page content
- Optimise your business around the web
- Build relevant links
1. Research & Use Relevant Keywords
Keywords are the starting point of a successful search engine optimization.
There are some tactics we can use here to ensure that we acquire a good selection of keywords together.
Brainstorm potential keywords – Here, we merely write down each thing that is related like, what we do, what services we provide, and the area in which we offer those services. When you have all of these elements you can merge what you do with where you do it and create a basic list of keywords.
Use keyword research tool – there are numbers of keyword research tools out there that can help you recognize new keywords.
Search for your keywords – when you look for your keywords you will frequently see suggestions in the search bar as you type and there will also be a list of suggested keywords at the bottom of the page. Add any relevant variations to your list. What you are really wanted to do here is end up with a set of keywords that have similar basic meaning and purpose.
Tip: Identify and prioritize the keywords that your expected client may use when searching for the products and services you provide.
2. Optimise Page Titles & Meta Descriptions
The goal here is to get your keywords into the title of the page in a natural way. You have to bear in mind that page titles are what is visible in search results and focus on clearly indicating what the page is about to entice a user to click on our listing. What you can usually do is include the what, where, and who if possible. Your page titles should include the keywords.
Page titles can have the biggest SEO impact, however, the meta description functions as the description for the content on your page. Your title should catch people’s attention, however, your meta description should help out in convincing them to click.
Tip: Write descriptive titles and meta descriptions that include the keywords and weave in your key marketing messages to improve your organic traffic and rankings.
3. Optimise Page Content
Once you are done optimizing your title page and meta descriptions, you also would want to optimize your page content. Your keyword research should have provided the list of keywords to weave into your copy in a natural way.
There are various components to a page with the main elements being:
- Header Tags
- Body Content
- Images
First, consider the heading and subheadings on the page. These can be optimised to include your keywords where it is natural to do so.
Second, create copy that accurately describes and boosts your business and aim to use all of your keywords. You don’t have to worry about the keyword volumes or specific instances of the term– just write in a natural manner and make an effort to use the terms that you pick out in your keyword research.
Images can also be optimised with the name of the image, alt text, and the description being the primary factors. If the image also sits close to related text that can also help more. Alt tags also help blind users by providing a description of the image.
Tip: Optimise your headers, content and images to improve visibility for a wider range of search terms.
4. Optimise Your Business Around the Web
Search engines use this details accompanied by description of your business to help build trust and better understanding of what you do and where you do it.
You should update all possible business listings that are related to your business with your accurate address and a sumarizaton of what services you provide. You should also put in your most significant keywords into these business listing accompanied by a mention of any key points..
Make sure you clearly describe what you do, where you do it and why they should consider your business.
Tip: Update business listings and social media profiles with what you do and where you do it.
5. Build Relevant Links
Link building is a critical element to driving visibility for competitive keywords. However, link building has a bad reputation – and often rightly so. Links can help and damage your search engine visibility.
Yet, having strong visibility needs accurate links that would direct the searchers to your website. These links help Google and other search engines determine your relative significance.
Tip: Build relevant and quality links to your website and content.