How SEO works

You may have heard that SEO is essential if you want to increase traffic to your website.

If you want to drive store visits, phone calls, and online orders, you need to be visible in Google Search.

Optimizing your webpage can help you rank higher and convert more searchers into customers.

But how does SEO work?

This article describes the process marketers use to optimize their websites for search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Let’s start by learning what SEO is.

What is SEO, anyway?

SEO stands for search engine optimization.

At its core, SEO is the process of making your site rank as high as possible on Google when someone types in it. [burrito blanket] (or whatever you sell, advertise, or talk about).

The higher your site ranks, the more visible your business is and the more traffic and sales your business can generate.

If you’re new to SEO, you might be a little lost.

There are many sites, books, and guides to help you get started (I also wrote one here at Search Engine Journal). However, you may find that many resources provide conflicting information.

One of the reasons so many people are frustrated with SEO is because it’s constantly changing.

why? Because once marketers are comfortable with a new “strategy” they like to implement it.

Essentially, that’s why we can’t get great things.

There is also the fact that Google is constantly updating its algorithms.

SEO is a never-ending battle to get more attention to your website and to convince Google that your site is worthy of driving searchers.

How SEO works Answers to frequently asked questions about SEO

So what is important when it comes to SEO?

• Is it all about links?
• URL structure TRUE Matter?
• What exactly is a meta description, anyway?
• Need to write four 2,000 word blog posts daily?

Before diving into the more technical aspects of SEO, let’s answer some frequently asked questions about SEO.

Is SEO Dead?

yes. completely dead.

our work is done. You should quit now.

Just kidding, mostly.

I would argue that SEO is dead all the time. Think like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

Strategies we have come to know and love are being replaced by newer, more effective strategies. SEO best practices die and new best practices are born.

So SEO isn’t dead, but it’s always changing. If you want to be successful with SEO, you have to be proactive.

What are the most important SEO factors?

There is no single golden SEO factor that outperforms all others.

One of the most common answers I get in SEO is “well, it depends…”.

As frustrating as it may be, this is the truth.

• Are links important? Yes, but it should make sense.
• Need a link to rank? Perhaps, but not necessarily.
• Does Content Length Matter? Yes, but a crappy long post will never outweigh a short great post.

I could go on but I think you get the point.

How long does it take for SEO to work?

Well, it depends. (sorry!)

Only Google knows exactly how that algorithm works.

They’ve released an update with a list of some of the most important ranking factors.

The truth is that SEO takes as long as it needs to. Depending on the strategy, it can take weeks or even months.

Someone else doing just a little bit better could get you knocked off the top of the SERPs.

What is the difference between on-page SEO and off-page SEO?

On-page SEO refers to changes you make to your site that affect SEO.

For example, add an XML sitemap to boost your SEO.

Off-page SEO refers to SEO strategies that take place outside your website, such as building links to pillar content.

Building Links Is Hard – Can You Just Buy Links?

you could. You can also run your hands through the blender. nobody is going to stop you. However, it is often an ineffective SEO strategy.

Rather than buying links, we recommend starting with our link building guide.

SEO factors governing now and in the future

Now that you’ve covered the basics, you’re ready to get your hands dirty.

Below we highlight some of the most important SEO factors.

Keep in mind that SEO trends are constantly changing and what works today may not work in a few months.

Relevant, high-quality content wins

There are many technical SEO factors such as site structure, anchor text, URL structure, etc.

These details are important, but the backbone of SEO is quality content. Once he can do that, the rest of his SEO becomes a lot easier.

If you want to crack the first page on Google, you need the right, well-optimized content that can earn links.

What does high quality content mean?

As you create your content, keep the following in mind:

• Keywords are still important, but Context is more important. Google crawlers analyze context and look for relevant secondary keywords that share searcher intent.
• Include clear, keyword-rich titles, meta descriptions, alt attributes, H1 tags, and URLs. These factors tell Google your site’s relevance and help it rank better.
• Length is important, but relevance is more important. According to Google, “The amount of content required to satisfy a page depends on the topic and purpose of the page.”

In other words, make sure all your content is written for humans first and optimized for Google second.

Metadata issue

Metadata is the title and lines of text on the search results page.

For example, Google [who killed Carole Baskin’s husband]the metadata displayed is:

Metadata tells users what to expect if they click on the page.

Optimizing metadata is very easy.

• Include relevant but non-overlapping keywords Variations on the title and description.
• Keep it short, but not too short. Google truncates meta descriptions at around 160 characters, so aim for less.
• be clear and concise Users will know what to expect.

Think of metadata as advertising for your content.

Why do users click? What can you tell them?

Using meta to drive clicks drives traffic and leads to more business.

Links are important, but…

Links have been an important aspect of SEO for as long as Google has existed.

Links act as “votes” that tell Google that other sites find your content useful and relevant.

The more quality and relevant links you get, the higher your site can rank for relevant keywords.

In short, links are still fundamental to SEO.

But quality is more important than quantity.

When investing in link building as part of your SEO efforts, target links from popular websites that are niche and relevant to your topic.

User Experience (UX) Impacts Rankings

User Experience (UX) plays an important role in how your website ranks on Google.

However, user experience is difficult to measure because it depends on many factors such as site infrastructure and layout, content, and more.

If you want to win at SEO, UX should be your top priority.

Here are some best practices to follow.

• Track internal metrics like time on page, CTR, and bounce rate. While these signals are not direct ranking factors, they indirectly help you optimize your site for high engagement. These statistics tell you how your content is performing. Happy users, happy Google.
• Make the site easier to navigate. Improve website navigation to help users find the page they’re looking for faster. The “simple is better” approach works perfectly here. Navigation bars, drop-down menus, internal links, and site search help.
• Site speed is very important. In an ideal world, your site should load within 2 seconds. Image compression, code and structure optimization, and fast servers can help. Start with Google’s PageSpeed ​​Insights tool to see where you stand.

UX will play an even more important role in the future as Google gets smarter.

Now is the time to learn the basics and implement best practices on your site.

Mobile is more important than ever

In 2018, Google moved to mobile-first indexing. This means search engines use the mobile version of your site to rank your site in their results.

With over 50% of traffic worldwide being generated from mobile devices, Google’s move makes sense.

What does that mean for SEO?

First, Google suggests investing in responsive design. Your content should be consistent across desktop and mobile devices, and your site should load quickly on mobile and desktop.

In short, you want your mobile game or site to appear at the bottom of Google search results.

Don’t Ignore Voice Search

There is a lot of conflicting information when it comes to voice.

Google said in 2016 that voice searches accounted for about 20% of all searches performed in the Google app.

Today, more than a quarter of Americans own a smart speaker. However, 72% of marketers have no plans to optimize voice search.

Is Voice Search Important? To do.

Voice search is growing in popularity and will continue to do so. While not a top SEO priority, it makes sense to start optimizing voice search.

Here’s why:

Most voice search optimization strategies are also suitable for semantic search.

Here are some steps to optimize your site for voice search.

Voice search optimization isn’t mandatory right now, but voice search optimization generally makes sense for Google and could be an advantage in the future.

3 Tips for Real SEO Success

There are two types of SEO advice. The technical stuff discussed above and the basic principles of SEO. The tech will change, but these SEO tips will stand the test of time.

If you think it’s suspicious, you’ll get burned

You may have heard of black hat, white hat, and gray hat SEO.

Black Hat SEO is a complete violation of Google’s Terms of Service.

It’s like building 10 sites and cross-linking them to make Google think your shitty bitcoin site is legit.

This is where the acronym PBN comes into play.

Then there’s the gray hat, which may not be technically wrong, but follows a thin (gray) line.

White hats are on the board and perfectly legitimate SEO. Some convincingly argue that white hats are no longer an issue.

Many SEO professionals walk the gray hat line. And many of them get burned.

To be successful in SEO, you have to do things the right way.

If you feel something is wrong, like buying or selling links, it will probably burn you and ruin your chances in search.

trust me. Not worth the long term risk.

Read Real Experts

There are many SEO “experts”.

Some claim it’s “guaranteed” to be at the top of Page 1 on Google.

Others haven’t really done SEO but have written a lot about it. Make sure the source is trustworthy.

Consider everything you read with a grain of salt, because nothing is universal.

What works for a tech e-commerce site may not work for a restaurant supply store.

Beware of things sent directly to Google from people like John Mueller When Gary Ellies.

test, test and retest

SEO is about determining what works for sites within your industry based on your unique landscape.

The only way to understand it is to test it, and keep testing iteratively.

If you’re using shady tactics, all your work can go to waste when Google’s latest algorithm update changes things. But if you apply SEO best practices and test consistently, you’ll be prepared when the tide turns.

Testing is an eternal part of any successful SEO strategy.

Conclusion

SEO is always evolving.

Every SEO professional wants to find the magic formula that will make their site skyrocket to the top of the SERPs and keep it there forever.

Unfortunately SEO doesn’t work that way.

There are rules and best practices, but the heart of SEO is understanding what works for your site and your clients, and changing it when it stops working.

My final advice is:

• Be aware of your competitors.
• Follow best practices.
• test.

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Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal