Websites are our business, which means search engine optimization (SEO) is always on our minds. Search engine optimization plays a vital role in the success of any business. SEO is never done, it’s constantly changing and evolving, which means your website needs to do the same to stay ahead of the game. With billions of websites available on the internet, it’s crucial to ensure your website stands out from the competition. Below we have everything you need to know about SEO whether you building a new website, looking to redesign your existing website without losing your SEO, or enhancing the SEO on your current website.
What Is SEO?
Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing a website to increase its visibility and rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). That rank on the SERP is determined by how well your site matches not only the search terms entered but also how easily the search engine was able to evaluate your site for information. WordPress makes SEO easy for users to optimize their websites for search engines.
How Do Search Engines Work?
Search engines use automated programs called crawlers or spiders to navigate the internet and collect information from websites. These crawlers follow links and index the pages they encounter. Then, search engines use complex algorithms to evaluate and rank these indexed pages based on various factors, such as relevance, authority, and user experience. When a user performs a search, the search engine quickly scans its indexed pages and provides the most relevant results based on the search query.
How Is It Determined?
SEO is largely determined by Google Ranking Factors. While not all of the 200+ factors are made public, there are some that are more commonly known. These factors are as simple as having accurate image information to as complex as code that optimizes your website on mobile devices. Others include:
- Security
- Link quality and quantity
- Page speed
- Accessibility
- Content including:
- Age
- Magnitude of updates
- Page Structure
- Titles & Subheads
- Quality (grammar, spelling, punctuation)
On-Page Vs. Off-Page SEO
Both on-page and off-page SEO are important for improving your website’s visibility and attaining higher search engine rankings. It is important to understand the difference between on-page and off-page SEO when implementing SEO strategies in order to achieve the best results,
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO focuses on optimizing individual web pages to rank higher on search engines On-page SEO refers to anything on a website, both what is visible to visitors and what is behind the scenes. This includes anything that helps to improve your ranking on a search engine. These areas would include the following:
- Keywords
- Internal links
- Alt text, captions, and image descriptions
- Blogs
- Title tags, header tags and metadata
- URL Structure
- User Experience (UX)
- Mobile Optimization
Off-Page SEO
Much like the name implies, off-page SEO is just that: any kind of content that exists outside of your website and that points back to your website, including:
- Backlinks
- Directories
- Thought leader content such as trade shows and speaking engagements
- Social Media
Technical SEO
Technical SEO refers to the process of optimizing your website’s infrastructure and backend to improve its visibility and indexing by search engines. Technical SEO plays a crucial role in improving your website’s search engine rankings and overall online presence. Key factors to consider include:
- Website speed and performance
- Mobile-friendliness
- Proper website structure
- Enhancing wesbite security
Local SEO
Local SEO offers businesses a way to connect with potential customers in their target geographical area and attract increased foot traffic to their brick-and-mortar establishments. Local SEO helps businesses appear in relevant local search results, which can significantly increase their visibility and drive targeted traffic to their websites or physical locations.
- Google My Business (GMB) – One of the cornerstones of Local SEO is Google My Business. This free tool ensures that you appear in local search results and on Google Maps by creating a business profile on Google,
- Local citations – Local citations refer to mentions of your business across various online platforms, such as business directories, review sites, and local listings.
- Online Reviews and Ratings – Customers increasingly rely on online reviews and ratings to inform their purchase decisions. Positive reviews and high ratings can significantly influence potential customers and establish trust in your business
- Local schema – Local schema is schema code that is specific to your local business. It codes things such as the hours your business is open, currency accepted, department information, and so on.
Quick and Easy Ways to Improve
In addition to implementing the items above, organically improving your SEO score can be done by regularly updating and auditing your website. Below are some easy things you can do to improve your SEO.
- Blogging – Consistent posting of blogs gives big content updates to your site. In addition, having good structure, keywords, and backlinks is key to ranking higher.
- Google Business Page – Regularly Update your Google Business Page by adding specials, pictures and collecting reviews.
- Updating Links – Go back to older blog posts and link to newer posts. Quality and quantity of internal links are important.
- Images – Updating images, as well as completing all of the descriptive information, can make it easier for web crawlers to analyze your site.
- Regular Maintenance – Website maintenance plays a critical role in your site’s SEO and overall success.
How Long Does it Take to Improve
It’s not possible to say exactly how long it takes to for SEO to start working and improve your rankings as there are so many factors that go into SEO. But, generally, if you are creating fresh content and putting the effort into improving your SEO, you should start to see an increase in traffic and rankings within 3-6 months on an existing website and 9 to 12 months on a new domain.
We Can Help Unlock Your Website’s Potential
Our comprehensive SEO service is designed to increase website traffic, improve your search engine rankings and help convert those additional visitors to customers. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation and let’s talk through your questions and discuss how our SEO service can help grow your business.
Additional SEO Resources
General SEO Resources
- How to Organically Boost SEO
- How Long Does It Take For SEO To Start Working?
- How WordPress Makes Website SEO Easy
- Redesign Your Business Website Without Losing SEO
- Your Website’s SEO Checklist: Everything You Need to Optimize You rSite
- Keywords: What They Are, Why You Need Them, and How to Find the Right Ones
- Does Website Maintenance Impact SEO?
Fresh Content
- Easy Ways to Update Your Website Content for Better SEO
- Alternative Ways to Keep Website Content Fresh
- Why Your Business Website Needs a Blog
- 52 Reasons to Start a Business Blog
On-Page and Off-Page SEO
SEO Ranking Factors
- Google Ranking Factors: What You Need to Know
- The Top 3 Google Ranking Factors to Boost Your Rankings
Technical SEO
- What is Technical SEO and Why Is ItImportant?
- How to Structure Your Blog for the Best SEO
- Image Information: What Is Important for SEO
- Titles and Subheadings: Why They Matter and How to Use Them Correctly
- Website Best Practices: Security
- 3 Ways to Improve Website Speed and Performance
