Everyone uses the internet to find things. You can search for a cool restaurant to eat at, a store that sells your favorite brand of shoes, or a dentist to fill your cavities. Any way you look at it, people use the web to search for something. And businesses want their information findable online. That’s what SEO is – the practice of optimizing your content to appear higher in search results.
What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of optimizing websites so they rank high on search engines through organic (non-paid) searches.
Search engines
Search engines use bots that crawl web pages to determine what content they contain. Once enough information is gathered, they add these pages to their index. Then their algorithm matches a user’s search query to the relevant information in their index and then they provide an accurate answer to the searcher’s query.
Keywords
In your website content and the backend, you need to use words and phrases that people will use to search for you. On your website, they must be used in a way that makes logical sense. They can’t just be placed on the page. They must be part of the text in a readable way.
For the backend SEO, your webmaster will work with you to determine the right keywords and phrases to include. If you are a small local business, your location might be one of the phrases used to help local customers find you easier in their searches.
Mobile-friendly
Because more than 50% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, your website must be mobile-friendly. This will not only help boost your business, but it’s important to Google. Google uses a mobile-first indexing which means it crawls the mobile version of your website to determine how it should rank in search results.
Page speed
Google also looks at the page speed or loading time of your website. How fast your site loads is important for the user experience.
How to make sure your site loads quickly? Don’t overload it with media or features. Optimize your image sizes and use only one or two fonts throughout the site.
Are you an Authority?
Being an expert in your industry gives you authority and gains trust both from your site visitors and Google. Google looks at the information on your website to determine if you are an authority.
A blog, where you discuss industry topics, is a great way to show Google, and site visitors, that you are an expert in your industry. So, write about the products or services that you know about and post them on your website.
Keep your SEO up to date by maintaining your website. Check-in and make sure everything is working correctly. Change your keywords and phrases as you add or alter your products or services. Implementing all these tactics will help raise your site in search results.