The world of marketing and advertising is constantly changing. One of the most revolutionary developments that’s changed how we view digital marketing today is search engine optimization or SEO. At Write it Right, we understand that the concept of SEO is hard to grasp. We’re here to break things down with this simple guide.
What is “SEO”?
Search engine optimization, often referred to as SEO, is a combination of techniques and practices to improve the quality and quantity of traffic coming to your website through organic search results. To break it down a little further, SEO practices aim to improve the following:
- Quality of website traffic. Your website traffic is the amount of people that go to your website via a search engine like Google or Yahoo. When considering who comes to your website, you want to make sure the people who find you are finding you for all the right reasons. For example: you don’t want your website to pop up for Facebook Marketplace search results when you offer Facebook Marketing and Advertising services. Ensuring website users are high-quality is one of the benefits of SEO marketing.
- Quantity of website traffic. We live in a world where any question can be answered on search engines like Google. In fact, BrightEdge Research has found that 68 percent of all online activity begins with the use of a search engine. Using SEO tactics to position yourself on the first page of organic search results will not only increase your quality of leads, but also your quantity.
- Organic search results. For those who are digging into SEO for the first time, it’s important to note that not all search engine results are equal. When searching online, you may notice the first and last three to five search results are paid ad slots indicated by an “ad” sticker. Paid advertising on search engines is beneficial, but can also get expensive. Using SEO tactics throughout your website and online activity can enhance your organic search results, or the results you see between paid ad slots.
How SEO Works
Let’s be honest – search engines feel like they work through some sort of magic. All you have to do is type what you’re looking for into a box and your search engine gives you hundreds of websites that potentially contain exactly what you need. In reality, search engines use a series of complex algorithms to pick and choose the results that you see on the first page. Each search engine uses special bots to crawl through your website and determine how relevant your website is to the user that’s searching for your product or service.
The optimization portion of SEO is exactly what professionals do to ensure you reach the first page of organic search results for qualified users. This optimization can be done in multiple ways including structuring your website copy in a way that’s easy for readers to scan, using certain keywords and phrases throughout your website copy, and even coding and structuring your website to accommodate search engine algorithms.
Why SEO is Important for Your Business
SEO is the new wave of marketing that’s just beginning to break the surface. With search engines like Google growing exponentially every year, it’s crucial for your business to be present online and competing with those who do show up in the first page of organic search results. To learn more about how you can further optimize your website copy for search engines, we encourage you to schedule a free consultation with our founder, Sarah Schick, today! She’ll be happy to sit down with you, talk to you about your ultimate business goals, and put together a personalized plan to help your business better optimize its website for organic search results.