Search Engine Optimisation
Get more traffic with a targeted search engine ranking system. Optimise your website and content to gain authority & higher positions in the SERPS.
What is SEO - Search Engine Optimisation?
If you have just happened onto this page without knowing what SEO is, then let me explain.
Search Engine Optimisation is a specialised service where we take your existing website and make changes to it to help boost your rankings when it is searched in a search engine, mainly Google.
When people search for specific keywords related to your business, you want your website to appear as high as possible in the search results, because this increases the chances that people will click on your website and visit it.
The goal of SEO is to increase the quality and quantity of traffic to a website from search engines, which can be done by improving the website’s ranking in search results for relevant keywords.
There are many different techniques that can be used to improve a website’s ranking on search engines. Some of these techniques include optimizing the content of the website, using keywords in the website’s titles and headings, and building backlinks from other websites.
SEO is important for businesses because it helps to increase the visibility of their website and attract more potential customers. By optimizing their website for search engines, businesses can reach a wider audience and increase their chances of success.
Ok that’s great and all, but what is a keyword?
A keyword is a word or phrase that describes the content of a web page or website. Keywords are used by search engines to understand the topic and theme of a web page or website, and to match it with relevant search queries. For example, if a web page is about “dog training,” some of the keywords for that web page might include “dog training,” “train a dog,” “how to train a dog,” and “dog obedience.”
Keywords are an important part of search engine optimization (SEO) because they help search engines understand the content of a web page and determine its relevance to a particular search query. By including relevant keywords in the content of your website, we can improve the chances that your web page will rank highly in search results for those keywords.
Got it, but I saw you mentioned backlinks, what are they?
A backlink is a link from an external website which directs to your website.
Backlinks are also known as “inbound links” or “incoming links.” When a webpage links to another webpage, it is said to be “linking back” to that webpage.
Backlinks are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because they are one of the factors that search engines use to determine the relevance and importance of a webpage. When a webpage has many high-quality backlinks, it is an indication to search engines that the webpage is popular and valuable, and it may rank higher in search results as a result.
There are several ways to get backlinks for a webpage. One way is to create high-quality, original content that other websites will want to link to. Another way is to reach out to other website owners and ask them to link to your webpage. It is important to avoid using unethical techniques to get backlinks, such as buying backlinks or using spammy link-building tactics, as these can result in penalties from search engines.
It’s important to note that not all backlinks are created equal. The value of a backlink depends on the quality and relevance of the linking web page, as well as the context in which the link is placed. Search engines may place more value on backlinks from high-quality, authoritative websites, and may penalize websites that engage in link schemes or other tactics to artificially inflate their backlink profile.
How is SEO different from SEM?
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is different from SEM (Search Engine Marketing) or PPC (Pay-per-click) advertising as SEO is a long-term approach aimed at increasing a website’s organic rating on search engine results pages. SEM encompasses both paid and organic search marketing tactics, whereas PPC is a subset of paid advertising that entails paying for each ad click.
In order to raise a website’s rating on search engine results pages (SERPs) naturally, SEO entails optimising its content and architecture. This implies that there is no financial transaction between the owner of the website and the search engine. Creating high-quality content, obtaining links from other websites, and making sure a website is technically sound are the main objectives of SEO, a long-term approach.
SEM is a more general phrase that covers paid search marketing strategies like SEO. It alludes to the method of promoting a website on search engines through paid advertising. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads, display ads, and other forms of paid advertising can all be included in SEM. Website owners pay for the placement of advertisements on SERPs and other websites when using SEM. SEM aims to boost website traffic and swiftly produce leads or purchases.
Types of SEO
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There are three types of SEO:
- Technical SEO: Optimizing the technical aspects of a website.
- On-site SEO: Optimizing the content on a website for users and search engines.
- Off-site SEO: Creating brand assets (e.g., people, marks, values, vision, slogans, catchphrases, colors) and doing things that will ultimately enhance brand awareness and recognition (i.e., demonstrating and growing its expertise, authority and trustworthiness) and demand generation.
You maintain 100% control over content and technical optimizations. That’s not always true with off-site (you can’t control links from other sites or if platforms you rely on end up shutting down or making a major change), but those activities are still a key part of this SEO trinity of success.
Imagine SEO as a sports team. You need both a strong offense and defense to win – and you need fans (a.k.a., an audience). Consider off-site optimisation as a strategy to attract, engage, and keep a devoted following while technical optimisation is your offence, content optimisation is your defence.
Technical optimization
A website’s technical elements must be optimised if SEO is to be successful.
You want to make it easy for search engines to discover and access all of the content on your pages (i.e., text, images, videos). What technical elements matter here: URL structure, navigation, internal linking, and more.
Technical optimisation also includes experience as a crucial component. The significance of pages that load quickly and offer a positive user experience is emphasised by search engines. Elements such as Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness and usability, HTTPS, and avoiding intrusive interstitials all matter in technical SEO.
Another area of technical optimization is structured data (a.k.a., schema). Adding this code to your website can help search engines better understand your content and enhance your appearance in the search results.
Plus, web hosting services, CMS (content management system) and site security all play a role in SEO.
Content optimization
In SEO, your content needs to be optimized for two primary audiences: people and search engines. What this means is that you optimize the content your audience will see (what’s actually on the page) as well as what search engines will see (the code).
The goal, always, is to publish helpful, high-quality content. You can do this through a combination of understanding your audience’s wants and needs, data and guidance provided by Google.
When optimizing content for people, you should make sure it:
- Covers relevant topics with which you have experience or expertise.
- Includes keywords people would use to find the content.
- Is unique or original.
- Is well-written and free of grammatical and spelling errors.
- Is up to date, containing accurate information.
- Includes multimedia (e.g., images, videos).
- Is better than your SERP competitors.
- Is readable – structured to make it easy for people to understand the information you’re sharing (think: subheadings, paragraph length, use bolding/italics, ordered/unordered lists, reading level, etc.).
For search engines, some key content elements to optimize for are:
- Title tags
- Meta description
- Header tags (H1-H6)
- Image alt text
- Open graph and Twitter Cards metadata
Off-site optimization
There are several activities that may not be “SEO” in the strictest sense, but nonetheless can align with and when optimizing content for people, there are several factors to consider. First, the content should cover relevant topics with which you have experience or expertise. This helps establish your authority on the subject matter and ensures that your audience finds the content helpful. Additionally, you should include keywords that people would use to find the content, making it more discoverable. It’s important to ensure that the content is unique and original, well-written, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. Keeping the content up-to-date and accurate is also crucial.
To optimize content for search engines, there are specific elements to consider. Title tags, meta descriptions, header tags (H1-H6), image alt text, and open graph and Twitter Cards metadata all play a role in SEO. By optimizing these elements, you can help search engines understand the content and its relevance to users.
Off-site optimization involves activities that indirectly contribute to SEO success. The most commonly associated activity with off-site SEO is link building, which involves acquiring links to your website from relevant, authoritative, and trusted websites. The quality of these links is more important than the quantity. Other activities that can help improve off-site SEO include brand building and marketing, PR, content marketing, social media marketing and optimization, listing management, and managing ratings and reviews.
Overall, SEO involves optimizing the technical, on-site, and off-site elements of a website to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages. By understanding the different aspects of SEO and implementing best practices, you can improve your website’s search engine visibility and drive more traffic to your site.