Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization is part of Digital Marketing. Search engine optimization is a process in which a company’s visibility in search engines is optimized by making its pages appear at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) for search queries initiated by a user.

We are living in a Digital world as people are engaging with computers more as part of their daily routine. Be it buying their groceries or communicating with friends through Facebook or Instagram or shopping for products online, people seem to go online to get basic needs, for entertainment, and for various other reasons.

With the popularity of Digitalization spreading like wildfire, it’s no surprise that people use Google to find businesses or products they intend to research or buy online. In the old days if people were looking to buy a product or service and if they had no clue as to which product was good or which was bad, they would use the traditional approach, which was to ask as many people as possible about what product they should buying and which product or service is good or which was bad. In today's Digital world that has changed with the rise of Google.

When a person searches for a product or service in Google to buy, the product page or service page at the top of Google search results will be the product page that the person is looking for. The person need not brainstorm whether that product page is good or bad, as a product page or service page listed at the top of Google search results is good because it was endorsed by many users of Google who visited that product page frequently through Google search. The page with the most visitors and most backlinks usually appears at the top of search results and is a strong signal that the page’s owner is highly reputed for his product or service. Also, in Google, a page with the most visitors is usually listed at the top of Google search results. Furthermore, a page has to satisfy a few criteria laid out by Google to appear at the top of search results. If a page appears at the top of search results, that means people liked the content they saw on the company’s website. It also means the website was appealing and professional with lots of interesting and relevant information thereby attracting many people to visit that website who were looking for products or services that the website owner was offering. If the business provides quality service, then through word of mouth, the company will gain popularity and authority which will result in many people visiting their website.

From the above information, it is understood that highly reputed businesses will rank at the top of Google search results. Another reason companies should rank higher in Google search results is that people don’t have the patience to check the fourth or fifth page in Google search results and usually will check the URLs listed on the first page to buy a product or service. Due to the above reasons, it becomes imperative for companies to rank higher in Google search results, this is where SEO comes into the picture because it helps URLs to rank at the top through some techniques.

There are Two Main Types of Search Engine Optimization

  • On-page Optimization
  • Off-page Optimization

On-Page Optimization

On-page Optimization is changes done inside the website, for example, modifying the title tag in the HTML coding of the page to make the page rank higher for a few keywords. Keyword research is done to find the keywords used by users who intend to research or buy something online. There are several tools available online to do Keyword research. Some of the techniques of On-page optimization are as follows

  1. Include the target keyword in relevant places
  2. Make URL SEO Friendly
  3. Add internal links in useful Places
  4. Write Comprehensive Content
  5. Boost Page Speed
  6. Image Optimization
  7. Fill Content Gaps
  8. Optimize for featured Snippets
  9. Make the site mobile Friendly
  10. Adding External Links to the website
  11. Include breadcrumbs on each page.

Off-Page Optimization

Off-page SEO is optimizations that you do outside your site(externally) to boost your ranking in Google search results. Without any doubt, backlinks are the biggest off-page SEO factor. Other examples include social media and PR. Backlinks are a very important factor as they are one of the main ranking signals that Google uses to rank websites. Even though backlinks from social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are not considered a ranking signal, however, it can be used for brand awareness and promotion. The best backlinks to get from will be third-party sites. For example, you can write an article on a third-party site mentioning your brand and also provide a backlink to your site.

Some of the Best platforms or third-party sites where you can get backlinks to improve your ranking are as follows.

  • Forums
  • Blogging Sites
  • Press release Sites
  • Guest Posting Sites

Benefits of Search Engine Optimization

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Offers a Financially Economical Strategy for Expanding your Business

One of the primary advantages of search engine optimization is that it is essentially cost-free, provided that you do not engage external services for SEO or content development. Moreover, numerous free resources and tools are available to assist you in enhancing your website and its content.

2. Search Engine Optimization Enhances Brand Recognition

An effective SEO strategy (where you appear in search results often), fosters the impression that your business is a reliable authority in its field.

3. SEO Enhances your Understanding of Customer Behavior

Search engines always strive to deliver the most relevant information to users. Insights and data from SEO reveal the desires and requirements of customers, enabling you to fulfill these expectations and achieve a higher ranking in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

4. SEO Improves User Experience

User experience (UX) refers to the overall experience a visitor has while navigating your website. A significant benefit of search engine optimization (SEO) is its ability to enhance UX, which can subsequently lead to higher conversion rates. User experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO) are closely interconnected. To provide an exceptional UX, it is essential to adhere to SEO best practices, such as ensuring mobile compatibility and optimizing for quick loading times.