SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of optimizing a website to increase its visibility in organic search engine results. This is done by improving website content and structure so that search engines can understand what information the site contains and how it should be ranked. It also involves building trust as a website, using keywords in content such as blog posts or articles.
Why Websites Need SEO Optimisation
Websites need SEO optimisation due to below reasons
1. Websites need SEO optimisation because search engines need to be able to understand the content and structure of the website in order for them to display it in their results. This includes ensuring that the website is built according to search engine guidelines, as well as ensuring that the content is written with key search queries (keywords) in mind
2. Building trust is also important when it comes to SEO, as search engines may not immediately trust a website or its content. This requires time and effort to build up the website’s authority
3. Lastly, being ranked on the first page of search results is essential for gaining user clicks and visits. This can be difficult, as search engines typically only show 10 results per page. Therefore, it is important to focus on achieving a top position in the search results.
Search Engine Results Page ( SERP )
A search Engine Results Page (SERP) is a web page generated by a search engine, displaying the results of a query from the user. It contains organic listings, which are unpaid search results based on relevance to the keywords used in the query, as well as sponsored listings from advertisers who have paid for placement. SERPs also include other elements such as news, videos and images related to the query.
Role of SEO
SEO helps ensure that a site is visible when people are searching for relevant terms on search engines like Google or Bing. By making sure your site appears prominently in organic search results, more potential customers will find your business online.
Is SEO Traffic Free?
You do not have to pay for each click you are receiving from organic (free) search. However, SEO traffic is not entirely free.
In most cases, you need to be ranked on the first page top position in Google organic search results to get the clicks. That will still require time and effort to achieve high rankings for your website. This means that achieving good SEO involves investing money as well as time, whether that’s through managing campaigns by hiring an SEO agency or SEO professional to provide guidance and assistance.
The main difference with Google ads is that you pay per click to Google for ads. For SEO you may pay a monthly payment to an SEO agency or for an SEO professional to do the optimisation for you.
In most industries, SEO provides better ROI over a long time compared to any other digital marketing channel.
How SEO is different from Google Ads/ PPC
SEO is an organic process that improves a website’s visibility in search engine results, while Google Ads/PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is an advertising model where businesses pay for their listing to appear at the top of search engine results.
SEO focuses on improving the content and structure of a website to make it easier for search engines to understand so that it ranks better for relevant terms. With Google Ads/PPC, businesses can create ads targeting specific keywords and get guaranteed placement when someone searches for those keywords.
SEO takes more time to be effective than PPC since it involves optimizing content and gaining backlinks but ultimately delivers higher quality traffic over time as opposed to one-time visits from PPC users.
What are keywords and Search Volumes?
Keywords are terms or phrases that a search engine user enters in order to find specific content on the web. They are often used by marketers and SEO professionals as part of their digital marketing strategy.
Search volumes refer to the number of times that a particular keyword is searched for within a certain timeframe, such as monthly or yearly. This data can help inform decisions about which keywords should be targeted for SEO and online advertising efforts since more popular keywords tend to yield higher click-through rates and more conversions.
Example of search volumes and related keywords for “What is SEO ?”
Why SEO talks about Google most of the time?
The majority of people think of Google when they hear the term “search engine”, and this is due to Google’s massive share of the global search engine market – roughly 92%. It makes sense that SEO would revolve around optimizing websites for what works best on Google, as it is by far the most used search engine
It’s important to understand how Google works and why it is so widely used in order to maximize its potential for successful SEO. One key factor for its success has been its focus on providing results that are relevant to a user’s query. This means algorithms will continually adjust and improve over time to ensure users get the most accurate results that are tailored to their needs
Google also has an advantage over other search engines in its ability to process vast amounts of data quickly, while still being able to display results within milliseconds. Additionally, Google has invested heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies which allow it to learn from user behaviour and offer enhanced results based on things such as location, interests and previous searches.
How do Search Engines work?
Search engines work by sending out “spiders” to search the internet and follow links between websites. Once these spiders find a website, they crawl the entire site and index any content they find. This indexed content is then stored in a huge database, which acts as an encyclopedia of information that can be recalled quickly when users type certain queries.
Search engines use complex algorithms to determine how relevant each piece of indexed content is to a user’s query, which helps them return accurate results. They also prioritize new content over older content and rank pages based on how many other websites link back to it – this is known as link building.
Finally, when someone types in a query into a search engine such as Google or Bing, the search engine returns relevant webpages for that user based on their algorithm rankings.
How Google Makes Money?
Google makes money when users click on pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements, which are purchased through the Google Ad Management platform ( Also known as AdWords). Advertising revenues account for more than 80% of Google’s total revenue, making it the company’s main source of income. Other sources of income include organic search results and additional elements like maps, images or videos that appear on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).
How can I learn SEO?
Learning SEO can be done through a variety of methods, such as reading books and articles, watching tutorials and videos, experimenting with onsite optimization techniques, attending conferences and seminars, or hiring an SEO specialist.
It’s important to keep up with the latest trends in order to stay ahead of the game. Additionally, familiarizing yourself with industry best practices is essential in order to create effective strategies that will get your website noticed by both users and search engines.
If you seriously want to learn SEO, the best advice we can give is to start your own website. Or there should be a website that you can use to apply your learnings and test. When it comes to SEO no one in this world completely understands Google algorithms. Experimenting, changing things and learning continuously will be the way to go with SEO.
Make sure you track your progress regularly so you can adjust accordingly when necessary. With dedication and hard work, anyone can learn how to optimize their website for higher-ranking results.
Below are some helpful links you can start your SEO learning journey.
- Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals – By Google
- Moz SEO Learning Center
- The Complete SEO Guide for Beginners
- Ahref – How to learn SEO
- Video – Ahref Complete SEO Course for Beginners
- Learning SEO – A Roadmap with Free Guides & Tools
Tharindu is a passionate digital marketing specialist with over 14 years of experience planning and executing cross-channel digital media campaigns in the Asia Pacific and Australia. He is also known as the SEO wizard due to his extensive knowledge and technical skill in SEO.
