What is SEO?
SEO, short for Search Engine Optimisation, is the process aimed at increasing a website’s visibility on search engines like Google. It is one of the most important, and beneficial, digital marketing techniques for any business who has a website.
Note: While it often focuses on optimisation efforts for Google, SEO applies to any search engine like Bing and Yahoo.
Why is SEO Important?
Without SEO, there is little chance of your website being found by potential customers when they search for products, services, or information related to your business. Even the most beautifully designed websites can remain hidden without a successful SEO strategy.
While paid advertising like Google Ads can offer immediate visibility and leads, it comes at a cost. SEO, on the other hand plays the long game. It is a set of strategies and techniques that help your website rank organically in search engine results over time, without the ongoing costs of paid ads.
A well-executed SEO strategy can provide sustained, long-term visibility and traffic, making it a cost-effective approach to reaching your target audience. Plus, organic search results are often seen as more trustworthy by users. Google put’s in a lot of effort to show the best, most relevant result to its users so if your website shows up, it automatically builds credibility for your brand.
What is Involved in SEO?
A lot goes into an SEO strategy, and varies significantly from one website to another. However, no matter the website, there are a few common components that make up a successful strategy. These include:
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the foundation of a successful SEO strategy. Without it, you can’t effectively target the right audience, create relevant content, or optimise your website for search engines.
It helps you understand what your potential customers are searching for, the terms they use, and the level of competition for those keywords. However, effective keyword research goes beyond finding high-volume terms; it also includes finding medium and long-tail keywords that may have less competition but allow you to create relevant content that attracts highly targeted traffic. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush can help you identify the best keywords for your site. By understanding what keywords are relevant to your audience, you can create content that ranks well in the search results.
Content Creation
Once you have identified the right keywords, the next step is to create high-quality content around them.
Content is one of the most important elements of SEO because it is what users engage with. Good content provides value, answer questions, and solves the problems related to your audience’s needs. Content can come in various forms, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, and product and service pages, each tailored to the intent of the users.
On-Page Optimisation
On-page optimisation refers to optimising individual pages on your website to help search engines understand your content better. It includes elements like:
- Title tags: The clickable headline that shows up in search results.
- Meta descriptions: A brief summary of your page’s content that appears in search listings.
- Headers: Properly structured headers (H1, H2, H3etc.) make it easier for search engines and users to navigate your content.
- URL structure: Clean, keyword-rich URLs are easier to read and rank better.
- Internal linking: Linking to other relevant pages within your site helps search engines crawl and index your site more effectively.
Off-Page Optimisation
Off-page optimisation refers to activities done outside of your website to improve its authority and ranking potential. One of the main off-page strategies is building backlinks—links from other reputable sites that point back to yours.
Search engines see backlinks as votes of confidence, signalling that your site is trustworthy and your content is valuable. However, not all backlinks are equal—quality matters more than quantity. A backlink from a high-authority site carries more weight than links several from lesser-known sites. Guest blogging, influencer outreach, and partnerships can help earn quality backlinks.
Technical SEO
While content is essential, technical SEO ensures that your website is built in a way that makes it easy for search engines to crawl, index, and understand your content. It can have a major impact on how your site performs in search results, even though they may not be visible to users. It includes optimising:
- Site speed: Faster-loading pages improve user experience and are ranked higher by search engines.
- Mobile-friendliness: A mobile-responsive design ensures your site works well on smartphones and tablets.
- Security: Having an SSL certificate (HTTPS) is crucial for ranking and building user trust.
- Structured data: Adding schema markup helps search engines better understand your content and can enhance how it appears in search results (e.g., rich snippets).
Local SEO Optimisation
For businesses serving specific local areas or have brick-and-mortar locations, local SEO is key to showing up in searches made by people in those areas.
By ensuring your Google Business Profile is complete with accurate information, your NAP (business’s Name, Address, and Phone number) is consistent across all online directories, and you gather reviews from satisfied customers, you can increase your chances of appearing in local search results.
Can You Do SEO By Yourself?
While it is possible to do SEO by yourself, it is time-consuming and requires a lot of learning. SEO is constantly changing and evolving, so it can be difficult to keep up if you are already busy managing a business.
Keyword research, on-page optimisation, content creation, link building, and technical SEO demands a good understanding of how search engines work. While beginners can find useful tools and resources to help them get started, hiring an experienced SEO professional or agency can often yield faster and more effective results.
They bring specialised knowledge, experience, and tools that can help streamline the process and ensure your strategy is up-to-date with the latest SEO best practices. They also provide in-depth insights into your website’s performance, identifying opportunities for growth and areas that need improvement – ones that you might miss! While doing SEO yourself can save money in the short term, investing in expert help can lead to better rankings, more traffic, and ultimately, greater business success in the long run.
What to know more? Check out our latest SEO guide.
