SEO (search engine optimization)
SEO means Search Engine Optimization and is the process used to optimize a website’s technical configuration, content relevance, and link popularity so its pages can become easily find-able, more relevant, and popular towards user search queries. As a consequence, search engines rank them better.
How SEO Marketing Works
Search engines want to provide the best service for their users by delivering results on the search engine pages that are high quality and relevant to what the searcher is looking for. To do this, search engines will scan, or crawl, different websites to better understand what the site is about. It helps them deliver more relevant results to those searching for specific topics or keywords. Similarly, the search engines will scan the site to determine how easy it is to navigate and read, rewarding user-friendly sites with higher rankings on SERPs.
SEO is the process that organizations go through to ensure that their site ranks high in the search engines for relevant keywords and phrases.
Factors That Impact SEO Definition, SEO Meaning, And SEO Marketing
Now that you know the SEO definition and how it works, you may be wondering, “how do I do SEO marketing?” or “does SEO optimization work?”
The truth is that SEO marketing works, and proper implementation can help anyone generate great results.
Search engine giant Google will never give away the exact algorithm to rank sites.
However, we have a pretty good understanding of some of the factors impacting search engine results page (SERP) rankings. These factors include both on-page and off-page factors discussed below.
Factors That Affect On-page And Off-page SEO Optimization
Content Marketing
- Content is effective in attracting search engines and helping your organization connect with site visitors.
- Can emphasize SEO meaning even further through your visual and written content.
- The more quality, relevant content pieces that you have on your site, search engines will rank your pages higher on the search engine results page.
- Similarly, the more engaging and compelling content you have on your site, the more likely your visitors will spend some time on your website.
The secret to creating content that is optimized for both the search engines and visitors is:
To create a variety of different types of content pieces. They should be well-written and on topics most relevant to your audience. Here are just a few types of content that you can focus on to help improve your content offering.
And thus, your search engine rankings:
- Blog posts and articles
- Social media content
- eBooks and whitepapers
- How-to guides and tutorials
- Videos and audio recordings
- Infographics or other visual content
SEO keywords and phrases are other vital things to consider when creating your site. These are relevant words and phrases that a search engine user might type when looking for answers to their questions or relevant products and services.
Creating content around these keywords improves your chances of ranking higher on the search engine results page.
You can also freshen up your content by updating posts, rewriting them to make them more effective, or adding new information and statistics over time.
Though creating content takes time and resources, it will more than pay off in the end. Search engines love great content, and consumers need quality content to understand better the value your organization can provide.
Start by creating a few blog posts and building a following on social media. Once you have a group of loyal fans and followers, your organization can create different types of media to attract and engage new leads.
On-Page SEO Optimization
The on-page SEO factors are those elements that happen on your website.
These are the things that you have complete control over, meaning that you can improve these factors over time by following best practices for SEO.
This goes beyond just your content marketing to the deeper levels of your site’s HTML.
Here are just a few of the on-page SEO factors that can help you improve Google search results ranking:
Title Tag
The title tag on each page tells the search engines what your page is about.
This should be 70 characters or less, including the keyword your content focuses on and your business name.
Meta Description
The meta description on your website tells search engines a little more about what each page is about. It should include your keyword and provide enough details to tell the reader what the content is about.
Sub-headings
Not only do sub-headings make your content more accessible for visitors to read, but they can also help improve your SEO.
You can use H1, H2, and H3 tags to help search engines better understand what your content is about.
Internal Links
Building internal links or hyperlinks to other content on your site can help search engines learn more about your site.
Image Name and ALT Tags
If you use images on your website or within your blog content, you will also want to include your keyword or phrase in the image name and alt tag. By including this information, you also help give your SEO definition.
It will help search engines better index your images, which may appear when users perform an image search for a specific keyword or phrase.
Off-Page SEO Optimization
In addition to the on-page SEO elements that your organization controls, off-page SEO factors can impact your ranking. Though you don’t have direct control over these off-page factors, there are ways for you to improve your chances of having these factors work out in your favor. Here are a few of the different off-page SEO factors that can impact your search engine rankings:
Trust
Trust is becoming an increasingly important factor in a site’s Google ranking. This is how Google determines whether you have a legitimate site that visitors can trust. One of the best ways to improve trust is by building quality backlinks from authority sites.
Links
One of the most popular ways to build off-page SEO is through backlinks. You want to be careful here, as spamming sites with your links is a quick and easy way to get your site banned from the search engines. Instead, take the time to build relationships with influencers and fans who create quality content and will link back to your site in their content.
Social
Another essential off-page SEO factor is social signals, such as likes and shares. When it comes to boosting SEO, you want to look for quality shares from influencers. The more quality content you publish, the more likely you will get people to share your content with others. The more people trust your content, the more the search engines will. Interested in learning more about how SEO can work for your business? Want to build and give your SEO meaning? We provide quality SEO services to improve your search engine rankings and bring in more relevant organic traffic.
Contact us today to get started!
