Optimizing for Search: Basic SEO Guide

This is your simple guide to SEO.

To start with the first question on everyone’s mind,

What is SEO?

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It’s the practice of increasing both the quality and quantity of website traffic, as well as exposure to your brand, through organic search engine results. SEO is about understanding what individuals search for online, what are the answers they are searching for? What words are they using? What type of content do they wish to consume?

Knowing the answers to these questions helps optimize your website so that search engines understand its relevance and rank it accordingly in search results, thus better connecting you with the people who are looking for what you offer.

How do search engines evaluate your content?

Once you create a website, search engine bots crawl your website to understand the information it contains and index it accordingly, so that it appears in related search results. Search engine bots are now capable of understanding contextualized information (text, structure, and non-text content) on your website and index based on different factors, such as relevance and authority. This process can be enhanced by understanding Meta Tags Explained, which help search engines understand your page content better.

How to optimize SEO for your website

A. Keywords: Research, Relevance, and Placement

A keyword plays an essential role in SEO. Choosing the right keywords makes it possible for people to find your article or website once they make an online search for a topic of interest. Keywords are essentially what people will type into a search engine. Thus, it is wise to make sure your keywords are aligned with the search intent of your target audience. Using a mixture of long and short keywords can help increase the search volume while also increasing the ranking of your website.

Ideally, the best placements for your keywords are:

• The post’s title
• The URL
• The first and last paragraph of the post
• In the text organically throughout the post
• The tags of images used
• Permalinks

B. Better content for better performance

Crafting the right content is vital. They should find it engaging and informative, providing answers that cater to their needs. With that said, writing in a clear and concise manner works wonders, but integrating keywords shouldn’t be done at random and your website shouldn’t be overcrowded with them. Trying to cheat the system by placing as many keywords as they can doesn’t work, and many will actually get penalized for it. Search engines are highly intelligent and can recognize keyword stuffing.

Technical SEO

Technical SEO goes beyond just permalinks and choosing the right keywords. It’s about creating a responsive design for your website. This topic is, as the name would suggest, very technical, and for optimum results, it is best to work with technical SEO experts to better understand how the ideal website structure and design should look for your target audience. Customized SEO strategies can greatly benefit your website’s performance and rankings.

SEO vs. SEM

It's also important to understand the difference between SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and SEO. SEM involves paid strategies to increase traffic and visibility, while SEO focuses on organic strategies. Both have their own advantages, and sometimes a combination of both can be beneficial depending on your business goals.

We hope our guide gave you some ideas on how to improve your website’s ranking and make it SEO-friendly! For more detailed strategies and personalized assistance, visit our SEO service now and request a proposal.