Basic to SEO

By Poornima Prabakaran

SEO is search engine optimization, which is a popular technique used to rank a website or piece of content higher on Google. A key difference between SEO and paid advertising is that SEO deals with organic ranking instead of paying for that space. SEO is a technique that optimizes the digital content so that search engines like Google show that at the top of the search results.

Basic to SEO

Core aspects of SEO

SEO is classified into two broader categories called on-page SEO and off-page SEO.

On-page SEO is building content to improve your ranking on the search engines. These can be done by incorporating keywords into your content, creating extremely high-quality content, and ensuring meta tags and titles that are keyword rich.

Off-page SEO is an integral part of SEO success optimization is done by earning backlinks for your website. These involve building relationships and creating content according to the needs of the people.

Strategies of SEO

Two popular SEO strategies are black hat SEO and white hat SEO.

Black hat SEO has quick gains by using sneaky tactics like keyword stuffing and link scraping to rank higher on the search engine. These can work well for a short period and can get good traffic to your website. But this can end up penalizing or even blacklisting your website, which leads to no ranking.

White hat SEO is a technique that builds a sustainable online presence by focusing more on the human audience. Give high-quality content according to your search engine rules to make it easily accessible.

Black hat vs. white hat

Black hat SEO strategies

1. Duplication of contents

2. Invisible text and keyword stuffing

3. Clocking and redirecting to another website.

4. Poor linking practices.

White hat SEO strategies

1. Relevant content

2. Well-labeled images

3. Appropriate links and reference

4. High-quality sentences

5. Unique and appropriate page titles.

6. Compliant with HTML

Another SEO strategy other than these two SEO strategies is gray hat SEO, where you get distinct benefits but are not as pure as white hat strategies.

How does SEO work?

Search engine optimization is a technique that ranks the most relevant content for a user search. Before starting searching, a search engine must crawl and index the content according to its relevance.

Crawling

A search engine uses crawling to identify new and existing pages on the web. These crawlers are commonly known as spiders which use links to identify content. Just because of this internal linking and external linking play a significant role in SEO.

Indexing

Indexing is done after the crawling search engine uses an index to store the content from the web for efficient delivery via search results.  Most pages will be added to the search engine index other than spammy and duplicate pages. 

Once completing crawling and indexing, a search engine measures the web pages against its ranking factors like speed, backlink profile, usage of keywords, mobile-friendliness, and more. According to the search engine’s evaluation, your web page will be found in organic search results and adds relevant traffic to your website.

Tips to make SEO work for your business

Here are some of the elements of SEO that boost your company’s ranking, traffic, and online revenue.

Keyword research: 

Keywords signal the search engine a page topic. A keyword is seen in the title tag, the header tag, and the content.

Content: 

Content is the core component of SEO that brings traffic and revenue to your website. Learn to develop, create, and promote your SEO content.

Website design: 

SEO resides in on-page, off-page, and technical SEO, where website design is a core component of technical SEO.

Well-organized data: 

Carefully organized data is an effective way to convey your page content to your target audience.

Page speed: 

Build an efficient website to deliver a better user experience.

Use the best link-building strategies for higher ranking. A link building should be with quality instead of quantity.

Remember, SEO takes time to create wonders. You cannot experience the advantages of SEO overnight. Creating high-quality content focusing on your human visitors is an excellent way to build a sustainable online business.