Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a marketing discipline dedicated to producing visibility in organic, or non-paid, search engine results.SEO incorporates a variety of techniques, including complex technical and artistic elements. There are no simple answers with search engine optimization. SEO is a science, but it’s also an art that requires the ability to create quality content.
Optimization isn’t just about building search friendly websites, however. It’s also about crafting better websites from a user experience perspective.
Of course, none of it would be possible without search engines. Therefore, it’s important to know how search engines work before you can understand how to optimize for them.
Crawling and Indexing
Imagine each website is its own subway system. Each webpage on the site would be a stop, and search engines need a way to find their way from one stop to the next. This is known as ‘crawling.’
Search engines use links to transport from one webpage to the next. That’s why it’s important to organize your site with the user experience in mind. Google, Bing, and Yahoo judge your link order and how content organization is presented to users.
Providing Answers
The main purpose behind search engines is providing answers. Their goal is providing users with the best content that matches their inquiry.
You have a question. You Google it for the answer. That’s why search engines match the relevance and popularity of your webpages to searched terms known as keywords. If your site is popular, it’s more likely your content is relevant.
Popularity and relevance aren’t determined manually. Engines employ mathematical equations to sort relevance (matching content), and then rank it in order of popularity.
Conclusion
The intricate algorithms of search engines may seem incredibly complicated. Indeed, search engine companies themselves provide little insight into how to achieve better results or garner more traffic.
While it may seem complicated, SEO is several elements combined to give the user the quality experience they are looking for. What this means is building relationships and getting people to link to your site is just as important as any technical element.
If you have any questions or would like to run an internal audit on where you currently stand, HeadsUp Marketing is offering free SEO audits. Just click on the box below to sign up.