Search engine optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website to achieve the highest possible ranking on the search engine results pages.

When millions of people performing searches each day to find content on the Internet, it makes sense that marketers want their products to be findable online. Search engines, the channels through which these searches happen, use closely guarded algorithms to determine the results displayed. Determining what factors these algorithms take into account has led to a growing practice known as search engine optimization (SEO).

Search engines need to help users find what they’re looking for. To make sure they list the best results first, they look for signals of:

  • Popularity
  • Authority
  • Relevance
  • Trust
  • Importance

SEO can be divided into two main strategies:

  1. On-page optimization is achieved by making changes to the HTML code, content and structure of a website, making it more accessible for search engines, and by extension, easier for users to find.
  2. Off-page optimisation is generally focused on building links to the website, and covers activities like social media and digital PR.

SEO is an extremely effective way of generating new business to a site. It is a continuous process and a way of thinking about how search engines see your website, and how users use search engines to find your website.

The average website receives a significant proportion of its traffic from search engines, highlighting the importance of SEO.

SEO road map

There are two types of search results:

  • Organic or natural results
  • Paid results

SEO aims to improve a website’s ranking in the organic results. Search engine optimization is a fairly technical practice but it can easily be broken down into five main areas:

  1. A search engine friendly website structure
  2. A well-researched list of key phrases
  3. Content optimized to target those key phrases
  4. Link popularity
  5. User insights

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