Search engine optimisation, or SEO as it is commonly referred, is an approach we use to gain more traffic from free or “organic” search results in search engines such as Google or Bing. The aim is to boost a website’s ranking in the search results page, resulting in said website appearing higher up or more prominently when somebody searches for a relevant term. This will, if implemented correctly, not only drive more traffic to your website, but also hopefully attract the right potential customers to ensure more conversions! Successful SEO is achieved through a number of processes, including creating quality content that people are searching for, optimising it through thorough and relevant keyword research, finding high quality links from websites with a high domain authority, and measuring the results. In the modern era, SEO is considered an essential part of any business’ marketing strategy.
How it works is that search engines use algorithms to find web pages and decide which ones to rank higher for potential search phrases. The search engine algorithm is programmed to look for clues and bits of text that can show people using the search engine what they are looking for. There are three steps to this: Crawling, Indexing, and Ranking. Crawling is where search engines send out web crawlers or “robots” to find new pages and discover new information about existing ones such as updates. These robots crawl pages via following links from other pages and sites, so orphaned pages on your site may not be accessible to the search engine. The Indexing stage is where the search engine algorithm decides whether your page is worthy of inclusion in potential search results. For example, if your website has a lot of duplicate or “spammy” copy, this is less likely to be indexed than a page offering high-quality, original content. The final stage, Ranking, is where the algorithm decides which websites to display at the top of the page when somebody searches for a topic and in what order. Search engine algorithms are inherently complex beasts that use hundreds of different factors to decide which websites to rank highest, including the presence of the searched for phrase or keyword in the content and title tags, the load speed of the website, how mobile friendly it is, and the amount of links to said website from other reputable sites. SEO is where we optimise your website based on search engines ranking criteria to appear as highly as possible in relevant search results!
There are three main pillars to SEO: On Page Optimisation, Off Page Optimisation, & Technical Optimisation. On Page Optimisation is the practice of making sure the content of your website is relevant and user-friendly. This includes finding out which phrases (keywords) relevant to your business are being searched for by potential customers, and using these keywords in your website content, allowing the search engine to see that your website is one of the most relevant for what the potential customer is searching for. Off Page Optimisation is the way we enhance your website’s rankings on search engines via activities outside of the domain. This is largely achieved through generating backlinks from other websites to your own, which will build up your site’s reputation in the eyes of the all-powerful search engine algorithm. Technical Optimisation is the process of undertaking SEO tasks on your site that go otherwise unseen by the general public and do not feature in the website’s content. Implementing all three of these strategies is the best way to ensure that your website is seen by the right potential customers on search engines.
Search results are presented in an ordered list by search engines, and the higher a site ranks, the more clicks it is likely to get from potential customers. Often, the very first result that comes up will receive between 40-60% of the total traffic from that search query, whereas only a very small percentage of users are likely to go past the first page of search results, making your business significantly less likely to be seen if it doesn’t make the top ten for the relevant search query. To learn more about how SEO could supercharge the success of your business, book a free consultation with our SEO expert today!