An SEO How-To
What is search engine optimization? Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website to increase online visibility through higher rankings in search engine results. It allows you to generate traffic to your website organically by giving a search engine all the information it needs to rank the relevancy of your content. This, of course, translates into your website or blog placing higher on search result pages.
What is a search engine looking for, once a person has entered those all-important keywords and hit enter? The following factors are the ones you should pay attention to when it comes to optimizing your website and ensuring that your chosen keywords are the most relevant ones to your content.
Content
Content comes first in any search engine optimization how-to. The more unique, engaging, shareable, and relevant to the keyword search your content is, the more likely it is that a search engine will rank it highly. Make sure you are using the correct keywords in your titles, headers, and descriptions, and throughout the body of any written content. Update your website frequently; adding a blog component is a great way to do this. Make sure your content is well written and can add useful information to topics that are based on your chosen keywords. Social media friendly content can go a long way towards increasing your website's search engine optimization by creating links to your website, so try to create text that is shareable.
Performance
Having a website that loads quickly and works properly is another factor search engines take into account. Don’t overload your website with large images, videos, or unnecessary media content that slows bandwidth. Although search engines like some media content, too much can lower your site's ranking in search engine results. Make sure that your website functions properly and that you fix any broken links.
Authority
Search engine optimization relies heavily upon the power of links. The more links you have to your content from websites that search engines deem most relevant—the sites that show up on the first page of search results—the higher your content will be ranked. Relevant websites include .edu or .gov websites. A search engine's job is to present the best and most relevant content when a person performs a search, and it determines this relevancy based on factors such as authoritative linking.
User Experience
User experience also plays a role in search engine optimization. If your website is attractive, easy to navigate, and secure, it will have a higher search engine ranking. Ensure all your content, especially those deeper pages, is easily accessible through your website's navigation system. If you have an online business, make it clear that your customers' information is safe and that their transactions are secure.
As you can see, the answer to the question, "What is search engine optimization?" is complex. There are many factors search engines use to rank result relevance. Scribendi's search engine optimization service can help you address these main components to ensure you are well on your way to optimizing your online content.