3.5 billion Google searches are made every day.
With a number that high, there’s no doubt that people are already searching online for something that your business offers. But how can you leverage all of that potential? That’s where SEO comes in.
SEO stands for search engine optimization.
At its core, SEO is the process of making your site rank as high as possible in Google when someone types in “Business…….” (or whatever it is you sell, promote, or talk about.)
The higher your site ranks, the more visible your business is, and the more traffic and sales your business is likely to generate.
If you are just getting started in SEO, though, you might be a little lost. SEO is a never-ending battle to get more eyes on your website and convince Google that your site is worth sending searchers to.
All small details matter, but the backbone of SEO is high-quality, optimized content. If you get that right, the rest of SEO will be much easier.
If you want to crack the first page on Google, you need relevant, well-optimized content that earns links.
To understand the true meaning of SEO, let’s break that definition down and look at the parts:
- Quality of traffic. You can attract all the visitors in the world, but if they’re coming to your site because Google tells them you’re a resource for Apple computers when really you’re a farmer selling apples, that is not quality traffic. Instead, you want to attract visitors who are genuinely interested in the products that you offer.
- Quantity of traffic. Once you have the right people clicking through from those search engine results pages (SERPs), more traffic is better.
- Organic results. Ads make up a significant portion of many SERPs. Organic traffic is any traffic that you don’t have to pay for.
Why SEO?
SEO is just another component of any great digital marketing strategy, albeit the most integral one. There are plenty of other marketing activities that can grow your business online, including:
- Social Media
- Email Marketing
- Video / YouTube Marketing
- Facebook Ads
- LinkedIn Ads
The list goes on and on.
What sets SEO apart from other forms of digital marketing is that people are already looking for something and Google is the default way of finding information!
Facebook Ads essentially disrupts someone who was browsing mindlessly through their feed. Instagram posts are seen by people as they’re scrolling through hundreds of other photos of friends. You may catch their attention, but you might not.
When someone takes to a search engine, they’re already looking for something. This is the SEO effect. SEO is about putting yourself in front of people who already have a need, in front of persons looking for your products/services.
How Long Does SEO Take to Work?
Well, it depends…. and nothing worth having comes easy… Only Google knows exactly how its algorithm works.
They do release updates daily, and there are a few lists out there of the most crucial ranking factors.
The truth is SEO takes as long as it takes – that might be weeks or even months, depending on your strategy. If someone else does something just a tiny bit better, you might get bumped off the top of the SERPs.
Content Creation
Here are a few things to keep in mind when developing content:
Keywords are critical, but context matters more…
Google crawlers now analyze the context and look for related secondary keywords that share the searcher’s intent.
Include Clear, Keyword-rich titles, meta descriptions, Alt attributes, H1 Tags, and URLs. These factors tell google that your website is relevant and helps the ranks. Length matters, but relevance matters more. Google says: “ The amount of content necessary for the page to be satisfying depends on the topic and purpose of the page”.
And of course, ensure you test and measure to check the effectiveness of your content. Click on the article below to learn more about this.
Meta Data Matters
Meta data is the title and lines of text that show up in the search results page. Meta data tells the user what they can expect to find if they click on the page
Optimizing your meta data is pretty simple:
- Include relevant but not repetitive, Keywords, and variations in the title and description.
- Keep it short, but not too short. Google cuts off meta descriptions around 160 characters, so aim for less than that always.
- Be clear and concise, so users know what to expect.
User Experience (UX) Impacts Rankings
User experience (UX) plays a substantial role in how well your website will rank on Google. However, user experience depends on a ton of factors like site infrastructure and layout, content, and so forth, making it hard to measure.
Search engine algorithms change frequently and SEO tactics evolve in response to those changes. So if someone is offering you SEO advice that doesn’t feel quite right, check in with the specific topic page.
Let’s Go forth and SEO. Check the articles below to get started with your website and then towards starting your SEO journey
