Business owners often ask us, "What is SEO?" If you read about internet marketing and inbound marketing, you most likely run into terms like "local SEO" and "WordPress SEO."
If you have a website, you probably are already doing Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If Google or Bing crawled and indexed your site, then their bots also ranked and categorized your site. Did they do a good job in deciding who is interested in your content?
If not, you may benefit from a more strategic SEO plan. But first, take a moment to learn some SEO basics. Whether you are interested in WordPress SEO or Joomla SEO, the basic concepts are the same.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is optimizing your website to make it easier for search engines to categorize, classify, and rank your website, so they include your content within relevant searches. Since so many of your potential customers use search engines, you probably want to put your best face forward.
According to Moz, SEO is the "practice of increasing the quality and quantity" of organic search traffic to your website.
A Few Basic SEO Terms To Get Started Organic Traffic
Organic traffic refers to search engine referrals that you did not pay for. For example, if someone searches "Pittsburgh SEO" and Google refers them to our website, that counts as organic traffic. Businesses also buy Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising through Google and Bing, referrals from these ads are paid traffic.
Local SEO
One factor that search engines use is your location. Your customers often search for products or services that are near them. Local SEO is essential to any business who seeks local customers or clients. If you live in Pittsburgh, then Pittsburgh SEO is important. The goal of local SEO is generally yo make it obvious where your business is located and to establish you are a well-respected local business.
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO refers to all the optimization you can control by improving your website. On-Page SEO factors include:
Website structure, hierarchy, and organization
Page load speed
Use of keywords
Image and graphics optimization
Whether your website is mobile-friendly
Whether your website seems secure and has an SSL certificate
The quality of your content
And more!
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO refers to your website's reputation online. Some Off-Page factors may include:
How many other websites link to or mention your website
Your social media activity
Whether your site appears spammy or whether your business engages in "spammy" practices
The quality and reputation of the websites that mention or link to you
This list is not comprehensive, but it gives you an idea. SEO is further complicated by the fact that Google and Bing do not want you to know all the factors they use. Their goal is to present relevant and high-quality content to searchers. They don't want to give spammy websites who produce low-quality content a sure-fire plan. However, well-qualified SEO professionals understand the kinds of things algorithms look for when evaluating websites.
How Do You Get Started With SEO?
A skilled SEO consultant can do an SEO audit and find ways to optimize your website. The good news is that once you understand a few basics, you are well on your way to ensuring that Google presents your content to the right people.
Don't let your business remain buried in search listings! Contact Red Lab Media today, for an SEO audit.