You can achieve this by aligning the website’s content and structure to match what it is the user is searching for online, to ensure you are found in the search engine results.
If you have never tried your hand at SEO before, it can seem a little complicated. In this guide, we’ll explain more about what SEO is and how it can help your business.
How does SEO work?
SEO practices help Google’s purpose of ranking the most relevant websites based on the user’s search terms. It relates to organic search only; the search results you see on Google that are listed below the ads.
For this reason, SEO is all about making sure your website is relevant for the search terms you want to appear for. Does your website answer the users’ questions? Do you talk about your services, offer advice and make it easy for them to get in touch? Even if the answer is yes, there is always room for improvement.
SEO is a long-term, continuous strategy that you can build on over time, resulting in consistent visibility for your website online.
On-page and off-page SEO
You can engage in two different types of SEO; on-page and off-page. On-page SEO is the practice of optimising the pages of your website, which can include factors like keyword-targeted content, the title of each page and a coherent URL to explain the hierarchy of the website.
In other words, on-page SEO ensures that your website makes sense and that the topic of each page is completely clear to Google.
Off-page SEO, on the other hand, refers to what is happening outside of your website. Off-page SEO tells Google what others think about your website; for instance, through link building, which consists of other websites linking back to your site. Off-page SEO can also include reviews, online forums and local business listings.
Deciding on your SEO strategy
It is essential to understand what you are trying to achieve from your website. Do you want users to purchase something, get in touch or fill out a form? This can help you to decide on the right SEO strategy for your business, by ensuring the right content is there for users to find.
You may want to find out more about your website’s positioning before you begin any work, to set the benchmark. The mark can help you to look back and see your results.
It would help if you also considered what your competitors are doing. What are they providing that you currently are not? How can you increase the value of your website to your customers, and ensure they find you instead of your competitor?
Once you have a clear picture of where your website currently stands, determine a list of relevant keywords that you want your website to be optimised for. These keywords can be based around your business type, products and services. Carry out some analysis on your website to see how well your pages are optimised for these keywords, and where you could improve.
It’s important to note that you shouldn’t over-stuff your content with keywords, as Google may penalise your website.
Tracking your success
Tools like Google Analytics can be very helpful in tracking the success of your website. Once you have set up Google Analytics, it can tell you how many visitors you have had and how those visitors interacted with your website.
There are also numerous tools, such as SEMrush, that can help you determine where your website ranks on Google for certain keywords.
What difference can SEO make to your business?
SEO is vital because most of your traffic will come from organic search; this means your customers are on Google looking for your services. If you aren’t there, you could potentially lose business to your competitors.
Good SEO can also ensure better user experience, as your SEO strategy will ultimately lead to a coherent website that flows well, to help customers reach what they are looking for.
You can also utilise local SEO strategies, which allow you to become visible to customers in your vicinity. Consider setting up a Google My Business listing as well as optimising your website for local keywords.
When all the elements of your website are working together and are optimised effectively, you are on your way to achieving brand awareness, increased traffic and more sales.
Want to learn more?
Watch the recording of our recent SEO fundamentals webinar.