What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
The term SEO is bandied around a lot, but what does it actually mean? Simply put, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It is what we do to drive traffic to our website. As well as quantity, we also want to ensure quality. In other words, we aim to optimise the search engine results pages or SERPs. In this post we will explain some of the terms associated with SEO. SEO refers to free or organic traffic. It differs from PPC (Pay Per Click), which is paid for and will also appear in the search results pages. We offer a description of both in the text below.
We will give you an overview in layman’s terms. And hopefully you will have a better understanding of SEO and what it is trying to achieve.
Search Engines:
Let’s start at the very beginning. A search engine is a software system, which implements web searches. The most well known of all search engines is Google. Other search engines include Google, Bing, Yahoo, AOL & Ask.com. When we type a word, phrase or website into Google, the page that comes up, is referred to as the SERP. In other words, the Search Results Page. Google and other search engines are constantly scanning the web and indexing websites and content, so that users can easily find what they are looking for.
Organic SEO vs PPC
Organic SEO
There are 2 types of results which will appear in the SERPs. The main difference between the 2 is that one is paid, and the other is unpaid. The first is organic search results, which are calculated from the search engines’ algorithms. Whilst you can always employ outside help with Organic Search Engine Optimisation, it is also something you can take on yourself. It is more of a slow burn and can take up to 6 months to show results, but it is a sustainable and worthwhile exercise to grow your business very cheaply.
What you can do to improve your SEO
There are many ways to improve your SEO, but key to all of them is good quality content. It won’t matter how many people find you, if when they get to you, they can’t find what they are looking for. And they certainly won’t return for more.
Blogging is a great way to improve your SEO. If you can work out what your customers are looking for by doing a little bit of keyword and long tail keyword (see explanations below) research, you can include them in your blogs to optimise your content. We look at quality content for SEO in further detail below.
Make sure that your website is mobile friendly. This is a key aspect of Google’s algorithm and sites that work well on mobile, will rank higher than those that don’t. Google’s algorithm is looked at a little more closely below. Worth noting is that Google’s algorithm is constantly changing, so keeping an eye on any important updates is key.
Adding backlinks, should be part of your SEO strategy. These are links, which direct users from a website to your site. Having good quality backlinks to your site, will add authority. This is crucial for Google’s algorithm and will ensure that Google directs traffic to your website. Equally, outbound links to good quality websites are also important for Google’s algorithm. These also add authority to your website and let Google know, that you are someone worth directing traffic to.
PPC
PPC or Pay Per Click are paid for online ads. Key to this type of online advertising is that the advertiser will only pay when someone searching actually clicks on their ad. Pay Per Click is usually implemented when people are selling a product or a service and a user is searching online to buy something. Hence, the main goal of the ad is to encourage the user or potential client to click through to wherever they can complete their purchase or other key action. The paid ads will appear above the organic searches in the SERPs.
PPC is completely scalable and an advertiser can set their daily budget. PPC is run a bit like an auction. It is actioned when certain keywords are searched for. Whoever has paid the most or who has the best quality ad will win and appear at the top of the searches. The principles behind keyword and long tail keywords are the same. It makes sense to choose words that describe your niche. Or long tail keywords, that less businesses are likely to be bidding for.
How do Search Engines Search?
Search engines use something called a search engine spider, or a web crawler to search websites and web content to index. These bots are basically searching websites, so they can match someone’s search to the right website. A successful Search Engine Optimisation campaign is based around understanding how search engines search a website, so the search engine spiders can successfully recognise what the website is selling or providing. The search engine’s main aim is to figure out what the person searching is trying to achieve and to match it to the right search results.
Search Engine Algorithms
Search engines such as Google and Yahoo use an algorithm to search all the websites they have indexed to decide which ones should appear in the search engine results pages (SERPs). It will also determine how relevant they are to the search and list them in order of relevance. We have already mentioned a number of things you can do to improve your SEO in line with Google (or other search engine’s) algorithm, but just to re-cap:
- Your website should be mobile friendly
- Ensure correct and relevant use of keywords in meta title tags etc (see descriptions below)
- Your pages should load quickly
- Your website should include backlinks, outbound links and internal links
- Make sure your content is good quality and relevant
Quality Content for Search Optimisation
Before you even think about SEO, it is important to understand what your customers want from your site. Good quality content, will mean that when search engines find you, your customers will stay longer, buy from you and ultimately this will positively affect your SEO. It is absolutely pointless to have a website, which ranks highly on Google, if your customers can’t find what they are looking for. Google, or any other search engine, will pick up on this and you will find yourself slipping down the rankings. Make your text easy to read and break it up with images and headings. Too much text in one single block will be picked up on.
If users land on your pages, but don’t stay for long, then Google and the other search engines’ AI powered algorithms will soon pick up on this and you will start to rank lower in the SERPs. Google is really very clever and whilst you can optimise your content, you can’t fool Google in the long run by posting poor quality and irrelevant content.
Keywords and Long-tail Keywords
Understanding keywords and long-tail is important when discussing SEO. Keywords are single words or short phrases (no more than 3 words) in a search, whereas long-tail keywords are made up of a short phrase of no more than about 5 words. Long-tail keywords tend to have a lower search volume than short keywords. They also allow you to be more specific, so you can attract your niche audience.
For example, if you are looking for a tutor for your child, if you type in the word tutor, it would return huge amounts of information. If you typed in French tutor based in Brighton, it would return much more niche and relevant information. Competition for shorter keywords is much stronger and when using PPC (Pay Per Click) the cost of them is likely to be much higher as more businesses want to use them. Identifying long-tail keywords, that your customers are searching, and using them in your content will improve your SEO in the long-run.
On Page vs Off Page Search Engine Optimisation
SEO takes place in 2 distinctive areas. We have already discussed the importance of content in the paragraph above. The content is what the user sees, and we refer to as On Page. Always keep the users’ needs in mind when creating your content. It is also beneficial to your SEO, though, to have keywords in mind. Familiarise yourself with Google Analytics and what people are searching for and incorporate them into your text. Use keywords, which are relevant to your website and what you are providing. It also doesn’t hurt to do a bit of digging on your competitors. Particularly if they are successful.
Bear in mind though, that if a word is at the top of a search, it is going to be very difficult to get to the top of the rankings with that word. Off Page, is what we do to optimise the SEO and it goes on in the background. There are some terms you may have come across, which we give a quick layman’s description of below.
Title Tag:
Title tags are important to SEO, so it is important to get them right. The title tag appears in the search results and is the title of your web page. When your results come up in the SERPs, you will see the title tag appear in blue text below the URL and above the meta description. Always make sure you include your keywords in the title tag. This will benefit your SEO.
Meta Description:
The meta description appears below the title tag in the search results. This is where you tell the search engines and people searching in them what your text is about. It is vital to incorporate your keywords into this section, to optimise your SEO. Also, make sure it is engaging and interesting enough to make people want to click on it.
Alt Text:
Alt text describes an image in a post. It is primarily for the visually impaired, but it can also be used to insert keywords and to enhance your SEO.
If it Seems too Good to be True..
Then it probably is. Google and the other search engines are tuned into people who are trying to play the system and any shortcuts will soon be found out by their algorithms and you could soon find yourself blacklisted if you try to hoodwink them. SEO can take months or years, but rest assured your hard work will pay off.
White Hat vs Black Hat SEO Techniques
The difference between white and black hat SEO techniques is basically that one sticks to the rules of the search engine’s algorithm, and the other tries to get round them. Black hat SEO techniques tend to be unethical, and will not work well in the long run. As we have alluded to before, Google’s AI algorithm is clever, and it will eventually work out if someone’s techniques are not above board. Ultimately, you will fail as once Google has picked up on your black hat techniques, it will penalise you by dropping you down the rankings. The exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve.
Good quality content with clever use of keywords and long-tail keywords, is always the path to a high rank on the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). If you keep the user in mind, and ensure you are creating content, which is relevant and engaging, your results will be optimal. The user experience is key.
To Sum Up
Basically, good content is key. So is having a sound website architecture and a website, which renders well on mobile as well as other devices. As long as your website is providing a solution and a positive experience for your user and you are maximising your SEO potential you will work your way up the SERPs.
It might take a few months to really see the results, but it is worth persevering and you will get there in the end. Good luck, and if you need any assistance or advice on your SEO, then our experts are ready to lend a hand.
