SEO is a process of improving a website’s organic visibility to attract qualified traffic and protect a brand’s reputation. It involves creating strong content and optimizing specific page elements so search engines understand the site. SEO can increase e-commerce sales, lift brand visibility, capture traffic from TV ads, and lower customer acquisition costs while raising lifetime value.
What does SEO actually involve?
Beyond targeting keywords, an SEO strategy has to address user intent, support the content with relevant images, and keep pages fast. A slow-loading page sends users away. Google PageSpeed Insights is a free tool that flags speed problems on your site.
Who runs SEO inside a company?
The head of marketing usually owns SEO initiatives, but execution is a team effort. SEO requires collaboration across departments and with external partners, plus executive buy-in and decision-making authority. Because marketing executives aren’t involved in daily SEO work, other team members are typically assigned to manage the program. Tools such as Optimizely make it possible to push site changes without writing code.
How do search engines decide which sites rank?
Search engines run mathematical algorithms that weigh inbound links as a relevance signal. Sites with more inbound links are presumed to be more relevant, which is why a site with many inbound links is more likely to outrank one with fewer. Quality content, relevant keywords, and reputable backlink relationships are the levers an SEO can pull to compete.
What on-page elements matter most?
Internal linking is one of the most controllable factors. Links should use relevant anchor text, and key pages should be linked to one another. XML sitemaps make it easier for search engines to crawl every page on the site, which supports rankings. The title tag is the single most prominent heading on a page: it sits at the top of the browser tab and in the black box on Google. It should include the main keyword and describe the page.
Why is SEO worth the investment?
Estimates put SEO-sourced customer leads at about 25 cents on the dollar or less compared with paid advertising. A first-page organic listing can keep generating traffic for years.
Note: by 2006 there were hundreds of SEO firms in the US, and in June 2008 Google held nearly 90% of the UK search market.
What else affects rankings?
Page speed and security. Google penalizes sites with slow pages and won’t rank sites with unsafe security systems on the first page. Google’s core algorithm updates roll out several times a year, so quality content and relevant keywords need ongoing attention.
Should you hire in-house or outsource?
SEO is an ongoing process that calls for experience with keyword research, on-page optimization, content strategy, and link building. An in-house SEO expert is expensive. Outsourcing the work can grow the business faster at lower cost.
FAQ
What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
SEO is the process of improving a website’s organic visibility in search results by creating strong content, optimizing page elements, building internal links, and earning inbound links, with the goal of attracting qualified traffic.
Why does page speed matter for SEO?
Google penalizes sites with slow-loading pages and won’t rank sites with unsafe security on the first page. Fast pages keep users from leaving, and tools like Google PageSpeed Insights flag speed problems for free.
Should a company hire in-house or outsource SEO?
An in-house SEO expert is expensive, while outsourcing the work can help a business grow faster at lower cost, since SEO requires ongoing expertise in keyword research, on-page optimization, content strategy, and link building.