Blog

With high-speed Internet available in most homes and through smartphones, you need a website to support your business. Unfortunately, there is a vast gulf between needing a website and building and running a successful website.

Just getting a website up and running means delving into the world of web design or content management systems. Once you get a website live on the Internet, you need effective online marketing. That almost always begins with SEO.

Asking yourself, “What is SEO?” Keep reading for a brief guide on what SEO is and what it does.

What Is SEO?

SEO or search engine optimization means applying a set of best practices to your website that will help boost your page rank on search engines. While it sounds straightforward, SEO touches on areas as diverse as the technical setup of your website through to the content on your pages.

The next sections will help break down a few key areas of SEO.

Technical SEO

Technically speaking, technical SEO is a subset of on-page SEO, but it deals almost exclusively with site setup. A few elements of technical SEO include:

• Loading speed
• Link health
• Security
• Sitemaps

Search engines reward sites with fast loading speeds, live links, and sitemaps. They also reward sites that use solid security, such as the HTTPS protocol. Businesses often use an SEO company to get this part right.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO refers to elements on the page that affect the user experience. For example, a site that has clear navigation will do better with search engines than sites with poor navigation.

On-page SEO also matters in terms of content. Your written content must remain on topic, employ relevant keywords, and remain human-readable.

Another way you can improve your on-page SEO is with images. Search engines like images with your content, but it crosses over a bit into technical SEO. You must size images so they don’t interfere with load times.

Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO focuses on your site’s relationship with the rest of the Internet. A big portion of it boils down to high-quality sites linking to your content. The best way you can achieve that is with quality content.

The other way you achieve that is through methods like local SEO and a strong social media presence. Sharing content on social media helps get the content in front of eyeballs, which encourages people to share and link to your content. Local SEO helps target your site and content toward people near your physical location.

SEO and Your Business

The question of what is SEO offers more than one valid answer, but it primarily applies to page rank enhancement.

There is on-page SEO, which mostly deals with content. There is technical SEO that focuses on site setup. Then, you must address off-site SEO, which is all about how your site fits into the larger internet.

Looking for more digital marketing tips and advice? Check out the posts in our Guides section.

You must still concern yourself with the technical and off-site elements of SEO.