What is SEO, and why is it important?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines using multiple factors like keywords, content, off-page SEO, local SEO, and Search Engine Marketing.
Companies turn to search engine optimization to gain awareness and to have their company rank higher on a search engine, such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, Bing, etc.
Paying attention to each element of SEO will lead a business to success.
Keywords are words and phrases that connect to a brand. It is imperative to start looking for keywords with high search rates and low competition when beginning to use SEO tactics. A business should have short-tail, long-tail, and local keywords to work into their content.
Content is what a business gives to audiences to increase visibility. For example, an owner of a car shop starts posting a blog about choosing the right car for specific occasions or putting up promotional videos on social media. That is content that the business owner is pushing out to build trust with the consumer. Content can be any medium or media.
Off-Page SEO is an external optimization practice that happens away from the business' website rather than on it. Off-page SEO uses backlinks, also known as hyperlinks, to reference an external source. Backlinks are the primary technique used for off-page SEO since quality backlinks tell search engines that the business website is valuable, creating authority. Another form of backlink building is mentioning influencers in your content, which is the latest trend.
Local SEO is when someone searches for a nearby business on their phone or tablet. Eighty-eight percent of searches from a mobile device will result in either calls or visits within twenty-four hours. However, a mobile-friendly website also attracts consumers. Sixty-one percent of mobile device internet search users are more likely to contact a local business if that business has a mobile-friendly website.
Search Engine Marketing is all about paid marketing efforts such as ads and pay-per-click. Search Engine Marketing is a technique seen often on the internet because it reaches new audiences; however, it is not the main component in reaching your target audience like other components.
If a business focuses on the factors of SEO, then it will help them achieve its business goals.
Do you want to find out how you can have your business listed in the most popular search engines?