If you have just launched a website and want it to appear higher in search results, one way to get there is to apply SEO (search engine optimisation) to your website.
SEO is something we should all understand from the moment we decide to build a website, and it can be our main tool for competing with rivals in search engines. So let's learn together what SEO is, what its benefits are and what types of SEO there are, by reading this Webzoo article to the end.
What is SEO?
SEO (search engine optimisation) is the way you optimise a website so that search engines can find its pages more easily, and it helps a particular page or website appear higher in search results for certain keywords.
Keywords are what users type in, based on what they need. So by applying SEO properly, we can reach the right users, who will then visit our website or the pages on it. Those users then benefit from the content on the website.
There are plenty of benefits to applying SEO to a website. What are they? Read on to the end of this article to find out.
Why should you apply SEO to your website?
There are 5 benefits you can get from applying SEO to your website:
Organic traffic
Websites that appear near the top of search results tend to get more clicks, because many users choose the first results they see. Applying SEO improves your chances of reaching those positions, so your organic traffic grows without paying per click.
Greater trust and credibility
Imagine you are looking for information about a particular company or brand on a search engine such as Google, but you cannot find anything about it. Wouldn't that make you a little doubtful?
That is why websites that appear on the first page of search engines like Google tend to be trusted more and seen as more credible by users. The recommendations search engines give are seen as relevant and as providing the information users need.
Reaching the right target market
Everyone who owns a website has a particular target market. SEO helps you reach that market by matching what those users need. Search engines lead users to what they are looking for based on the keywords they type in.
Data on customer behaviour
SEO can give you a range of data showing how the customers or users who visit your website behave. You can see this data in Google Analytics, Google Search Console and other SEO tools. For example, SEO tools can show that visitors look at product pages a lot but do not buy. Perhaps the photos, product descriptions or prices do not appeal to them yet, which tells you what to improve.
A long-term promotional investment
Promoting a website does not have to rely only on Google Ads, which costs money and only runs for a set period. SEO can be your long-term promotional investment in search engines. You should also know, though, that SEO does not work quickly. SEO techniques keep changing with the latest search engine (Google) algorithm updates, so it is important to keep monitoring and following developments to get the most out of the SEO work you have done.
Types of SEO
There are 4 types of SEO you should know about. Let's go through them one by one.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO focuses on optimising the content within a website, from the structure of your articles to their topics. It involves digging into keywords by researching trends, and optimising headings, meta descriptions, titles, images and so on.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO focuses on optimisation carried out outside your website to improve its search engine rankings. Ways to strengthen your SEO beyond your own site include getting more websites to link to yours, sharing your website's links on social media, influencer marketing and taking part in forums.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is about optimising the technical side of your website so it meets search engine algorithm criteria. This covers page loading speed, mobile-friendliness and site architecture.
Local SEO
Local SEO is a strategy for increasing your business's visibility in local or nearby search results. You do this by creating listings on Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), Bing Places and Apple Maps.
That is all for our introduction to SEO for now. After reading this article, you know what SEO is, what its benefits are and what types of SEO there are. Now it is time to read more SEO articles on the Webzoo blog to take your knowledge further.
Webzoo also offers SEO services for business websites. Book a free initial consultation if you would like our help.
