Optimizing your website for search engines starts with creating great content. Crawlers scan billions of pages for keywords and analyze content quality, and Google uses over 200 ranking factors to determine your page’s position. Content quality and page load speed carry more weight than most, and your title tag should be compelling and contain your main keyword.
Why inbound links and keyword variety matter
Search engines use complex mathematical algorithms to decide which websites are relevant to a given keyword. Inbound links from other websites signal importance and relevance, and links from reputable sites help you rank higher in search results. Writing excellent content is not enough on its own; you should also use a wide variety of keywords and phrases throughout your site to increase your chances of ranking well.
On-page basics: meta description, schema, and mobile
Optimizing for search engines is vital because Google wants to provide the best possible experience for users. Quality content comes first, and you should make sure it works well on both desktop and mobile screens. Include an SEO meta description, and use schema, a collection of HTML tags developed by Google and other search engines, to improve your SERP display.
Who owns SEO, and what should on-page SEO cover?
Websites in regulated industries like finance or medicine should pay special attention to search signals. SEO is a marketing channel and should fall under the purview of the head of marketing, and unlike traditional advertising and PPC, it requires ongoing investment to keep a site visible.
On-page SEO covers everything your site does to attract a large audience. It goes beyond keywords to include good navigation and a well-designed site, with the focus on user experience. If you sell tennis shoes through eCommerce, optimize your pages for both product keywords and informational keywords, and pay attention to your click-through rate (CTR).
How Google ranks your pages
After indexing and crawling, ranking is possible. Google’s Quality Guidelines outline the factors that determine your site’s ranking, and you’ll need to continually revise your strategy to keep that ranking high. Google’s main search algorithm, known as Hummingbird, is the primary determinant of search engine results, and Google encourages pages to be designed around user needs and the keywords people search for.
What SEO delivers for your business
SEO is an effective way to increase your organic website traffic. When done correctly, SEO builds brand awareness, attracts targeted traffic, and protects your brand and reputation. The traffic SEO generates is a strong revenue driver, and a site that ranks highly in Google’s results can potentially earn thousands of dollars each month. SEO requires a team effort that includes analysts, content creators, and a technical web team.
Why every business needs SEO
SEO may seem complex, but it matters for all businesses because 90% of web users don’t know about 90% of sites. Whether you’re new to the industry or an experienced online marketer, search engine optimization is essential, and researching it now is a smart starting point.
How search engines match queries to pages
Search engines rely on a vast database of information, and Google’s algorithm searches through hundreds of billions of web pages to determine what people are looking for. When a user types in “athens falcons hat,” Google looks for pages relevant to that keyword. Those pages will usually appear at the top of search results, though ranking well doesn’t always mean the page is the best result.
