What Is SEO Marketing? A Complete Guide in 2024

Learn the ins and outs of SEO marketing in 2024. Discover its definition, importance, and the different types of SEO strategies to boost your online visibility and drive organic traffic.
Managing Director Benjamin Paine at Digital Nomads HQ

Written by: Benjamin Paine

Managing Director at Digital Nomads HQ

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SEO Marketing: Introduction

SEO marketing is a form of digital marketing that consists of optimising web pages for search engines like Google, it consists of optimising web pages for search engine with the goal of aligning content with your target audience – increasing your visibility and website traffic.

 

What we will cover;

  • What is SEO marketing?
  • Why is SEO marketing is important in 2024
  • Types of SEO marketing
  • 4 SEO marketing tips & tricks
  • SEO marketing FAQ

Search engine optimisation (SEO) has come a long way, and in 2024 its still evolving into a more complex channel of marketing – long gone are the days of keyword stuffing in order to rank.


Today, ranking strongly in SERPs requires a far more rounded approach to your SEO strategy – High-quality content optimised to match potential visitors’ intent, developed to be engaging, and helpful content… all of which is required!


The process of optimising your website for SEO comes down to understanding how search engines work and how your potential traffic searches by intent.


In this guide, we will learn about the different types of SEO marketing how to improve your organic search results and a few expert tips along the way to make the process a little easier.

What is SEO marketing?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy with the objective to improving a website’s visibility with SERPs (search engine result pages). 

This is achieved by leveraging SEO techniques such as; keyword optimisation, content creation, link building, technical SEO, site performance and mobile-friendliness.

Why is SEO marketing important in 2024?

Search engines serve as the primary gateway for users to find websites. 

Therefore, whether you create informational content or sell commercial products, gaining visibility in search results is essential for a successful online presence.

In fact, 59% of shoppers utilise Google Search to research purchases they intend to make, either in-store or online, while nearly half of consumers turn to Google to discover new products.

With this statistic, eCommerce SEO becomes vital for ensuring that your site appears prominently and frequently in search engine results for relevant terms associated with your offerings. 

Regardless of how outstanding your website may be, if your search rankings are low, visitors are unlikely to discover you.

Types of SEO marketing

SEO is segmented into three main categories;

  • On-page SEO
  • Off-page SEO
  • Technical SEO

1. On-page SEO

The largest segment of SEO in 2024 is on-page SEO and the optimisation of content – or the creation of new content. 

This includes the optimisation of images, texts, and videos on-page and ensuring search engines can correctly identify the intent of the information being written about.


Search engines crawl and assess on-page content that you provide on your website, looking at topic relevancy, title tags, metadata and URLs being utilised, all of which impact your rankings and are considered a ranking factor.

relevant content

Relevant Content

Pages that do well in SERPs are content that is optimised for the search intent of the users… therefore being relevant.

This means that you need to understand the user’s intent when they search particular keywords and what information they would be looking to find on the page being created.

Expert Tip: High-quality content will include information that is unique, factual & staying within your websites niche expertise.

Example: If your website is in the real estate sector, writing content on topics in trades and services isn’t advised.

Additional Tip: Unique content is important… This means keeping duplicate content to a minimum and not plagiarising content from competitors or other sources.

Metadata

Metadata isn’t visible to website visitors, rather it is meta information contained in your websites for search engine bots & crawlers to read and digest for another level of information surrounding the topic you are writing about.

Optimisation of this meta information is important for your content, these generally include working on areas such as;

Title tags – The name of the webpage

Meta descriptions – Visible in SERPs and summarises the content being delivered on-page.

Heading and subheading tags – The heading structure in order of importance on-page.

Robot tags – This indicates to crawlers whether on not the page should or shouldn’t be indexed.

URL (or Slug)

The web page URL or slug is what identify your page withing the website sitemap. The page URL is what appears after the “/” in the website’s URL.

Example: The URL or slug of this page is “seo-marketing”.

Both visitors and search engines read the page URL, and a URL closely matching the topic or content being written about is extremely important in SEO.

2. Off-page SEO

Your website is not the only avenue for SEO marketing; you can enhance your search engine rankings through efforts on external sites as well.

Off-page SEO primarily focuses on creating backlinks that enhance your domain authority — these are links from other websites that direct traffic to your site.

Graph displaying backlinks and the correlation of its effect on search engine ranking positions

Backlinks

Analysing the connections between websites is a fundamental aspect of Google’s PageRank algorithm and is what Google search was established around

This ranking system was one of the pioneering methods by which Google evaluated its search engine outcomes, and it continues to play a crucial role in SEO marketing strategies.
Acquiring links from reputable (niche) websites enhances your authority on specific topics and boosts your ranking potential.

In essence, the greater the number of quality backlinks you possess, the more credible your website appears to search engines. This concept is founded on the premise that content from authoritative sites will likely be linked and shared organically.

Domain authority

By increasing your organic traffic, build new links, create content your website will increase in its domain authority.

Domain authority represents the credibility of a website as perceived by search engines. Established websites with high domain authority tend to achieve better rankings in search engine results pages for keywords pertinent to their specialisation.

Brand authority

In 2024, the topic of brand authority and sentiment is becoming a growing topic and area of focus for many businesses. 

While domain authority is important, it can also be manipulated and falsified. 

To combat this “brand authority” is the concept of understanding a brand’s reach and interest across the search, through PR, brand mentions and branded search.

3. Technical SEO

Technical SEO focuses on optimising the backend and infrastructure of your website to enhance its search performance. This aspect involves ensuring that your site loads quickly, is easily accessible to search engine crawlers, and is fully optimised for mobile devices.

Follow these 4 SEO marketing tips

If you’re looking to implement SEO marketing for your website, here are a few SEO marketing tips and tricks from our SEO team to help you increase your rankings.

  1. Keyword research
  2. Competitive analysis
  3. Link building & Internal links
  4. Content Marketing

1. Keyword research

Each page on your website that ranks in search engine results is linked to one or more keywords, often called search queries. 

The initial step in any SEO initiative is to identify the keywords that your visitors are employing to find your site. 

For sellers, even if your products are groundbreaking, failing to target the correct search keywords may result in potential customers missing them online. 

To conduct effective keyword research, utilise SEO tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Moz. 

These platforms will provide insights into the keywords driving traffic to your site. Use this information to evaluate which existing keywords are most vital for your website and to identify new keywords worth targeting. 

Ideally, you’ll want to choose keywords that are popular enough to attract substantial traffic yet not so competitive that you are up against firms with significantly larger marketing budgets. Utilise these tools to refine your list of attainable and relevant keywords that align closely with your site’s content.

2. Competitive analysis

Once you’ve identified the keywords to target, the next step is to examine your SEO competitors who are already achieving high rankings for those terms

By analysing their SEO strategies, you can devise tactics to boost your own search rankings and surpass them

Even small businesses can utilise high-quality, relevant, and comprehensive content to leverage SEO, allowing them to outshine larger competitors and connect with customers first.
A practical approach to competitive analysis involves identifying your competitors’ top-performing pages and understanding their organic traffic sources. 

For example, if a competitor attracts considerable traffic from an insightful blog post, consider using that post as a source of inspiration for your content development. You can conduct this analysis using many of the same keyword research tools previously mentioned.

3. Link Building & Internal Links

While it may require significant effort, link-building is a recognised method for improving your search engine rankings.

Securing links from reputable websites indicates to search engines that your content is valuable to visitors. 

To kickstart your linking strategy, ensure that you have a strong presence on social media platforms and local business directories.
The initial links you acquire from these credible sources can boost your visibility in search results.

Next, reach out to relevant websites or media outlets that cater to your target audience, proposing your business or products.

If you possess expertise in a particular field, consider submitting a guest blog post that links back to your site.

Alternatively, if you’re struggling to gain traction, you can invest in a PR campaign to elevate your profile.

Expert tip: As links are built to dedicated pages on your website, these individual pages will increase in page rating – By internal linking from these pages to important pages on your website (naturally) you can transfer link juice from one page to another.

4. Content Marketing

Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a defined audience.

Focus on understanding your target audience’s needs and interests. Create content that resonates with them, whether it’s blog posts, articles, videos, or social media posts.

Use SEO best practices to improve your content’s visibility in search engine results. Promote your content through social media, email marketing, and other channels.

Expert Tip: Consistently analyse your content’s performance to measure its effectiveness and make data-driven improvements.  

SEO Marketing FAQ

What does SEO stand for in marketing?

SEO, or search engine optimisation, is all about using a smart and measurable strategy to let search engines know that your web pages are worthy of a higher spot in Google’s search results. By doing this, you increase organic search traffic from major search engines as search terms improve within SERPs.

What is SEM?

Search engine marketing, often referred to as SEM, involves generating targeted content on a website to engage potential customers through organic search outcomes and effective paid search advertising strategies. By developing new web pages or refining existing ones, you can boost traffic and enhance visibility.

What is SEO in digital marketing?

SEO in digital marketing refers to the method of enhancing organic traffic to your website by optimising existing pages for improved search engine rankings, developing new content to effectively target keywords, and refining your site architecture to facilitate better understanding by search engine crawlers.

Is SEO a marketing skill?

Absolutely, SEO is indeed a marketing skill as it focuses on enhancing a website’s content and driving traffic through deliberate strategies. To excel in SEO, one must grasp the concepts of keyword research, optimisation techniques, and technical elements to ensure that websites align effectively with search engine algorithms.

What is an example of SEO marketing?

A great example of SEO marketing is creating blog posts that highlight specific keywords that resonate with your target audience’s interests. By doing this, you boost your chances of landing higher on search engine results pages. Plus, it helps attract customers who are looking for information or solutions, making it easier to connect and convert!

How do I start SEO marketing?

  1. Find a keyword that has search volume and is relevant
  2. Understand the search intent of your keyword.
  3. Create a page or the content on a keyword.
  4. Optimise your page title, URL and description.
  5. Publish your page.
  6. Build backlinks to your new page
  7. Share your page through social channels, google business profiles & email

Is SEO marketing paid?

No, SEO marketing is not considered paid because it focuses on improving organic search rankings – however, SEO marketing is generally considered to have a cost as often a full SEO marketing campaign requires an SEO agency or SEO expert to assist with the implementation.

What is the difference between SEO and SEM?

The distinction between search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) lies in their approaches: SEO primarily aims to enhance organic traffic, whereas SEM encompasses both the optimisation of organic traffic and the use of paid advertising to boost overall website traffic.
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