If you want your business website to rank on the first page of the search rankings, then it needs to be enhanced using search engine optimization (SEO) practices. SEO has evolved over the last two decades, but there are some basic tenants that remain the same. If you need your website to be seen and rank high, then understanding SEO and what it does is the first step toward that goal.
Table of Contents
- The Importance of Ranking High
- Understanding SEO
- A Simple Metaphor: A Car Race
- It’s On-Going
- Related Resources
- Getting Started
The Importance of Ranking High
There are not many businesses today that would argue against the importance of ranking high in online searches. Being on the first page provides a huge opportunity to not only get noticed by potential customers, but to also be chosen. That importance is backed up by a recent study that showed that 75%of Google’s users never look past the first page. So being on that all-important first page has a special significance.
Understanding SEO
When we talk about SEO, there are two flavors. The first is the older form that deals with your website. The second flavor is Local SEO, which deals with getting your Google Business Profile (GBP) information to show on the Local Search Map after local searches. This blog article discusses the first, SEO for your website.
It’s About the Ads
Understanding this form of SEO really begins with understanding why search engines operate the way they do. The first thing you need to understand is that a search engine’s main function is to attract people to look see advertisements. To that end, Google and other search engines want their users to have a good experience so they will return and use their service again. With that goal in mind, the search results they provide need to be quality matches so people return.
The Algorithm
To enhance the user’s experience more, the search results are ranked in descending order, with what the search engine deems is the most relevant website first. To arrive at that conclusion, Google’s search algorithm considers over 200 different ranking factors. The trick, then, is getting websites to meet the criteria that search engine wants to see. That is what search engine optimization is all about.
Preparing the Website to be Found
SEO does two things for your website. First, it prepares the site to be found and indexed by Google. It essentially takes key traits of your site and stores them in a data base. Being indexed is necessary if you want your site to appear in the search results.
Competition
Second, once optimized, engaging in ongoing SEO practices can help your website compete against the websites of your competitors.
A Simple Metaphor: A Car Race
There is a simple metaphor we can use to understand the role of SEO better. Let’s compare your website to a car.
Preparing to Race
Is your present car ready to drive in a high-speed auto race? Most people would answer “No.”
To be ready to just enter the race, your car needs to be altered, tuned up and enhanced. It requires special steering, brakes, shocks and a host of other things to get the car ready. Racing without these enhancements is dangerous and your car doesn’t have a chance to win.
SEO does something similar for your website. It is the special enhancements that you add to the car so it can enter the race. SEO tweaks your site and adds elements such as title tags, meta descriptions or image ALT tags so Google can find your site and understand what it’s about. Without even the most basic search optimization, your website can’t enter the search-engine race.
Competing to Win
Once your car is ready to enter the race, then you can take steps to start competing against the other cars to eventually win. For the car and driver, this requires hours of practice and testing to make both the car and driver better. Over time, that practice and testing pays off.
Ongoing SEO practices do something similar for your business website. Your competitor’s websites might initially rank higher than yours. There are a number of reasons for this: Perhaps they have more relevant content or more backlinks. But by using SEO strategies, over time you can catch your competition and eventually rank higher. That is winning the search-engine race!
It’s On-Going
Understanding SEO also involves the acknowledgement that it is not a one-time fix. It is on-going and you need to be committed to it because it takes time and patience. SEO is a continuation of practices that will deliver the right results. When you shut down your SEO, your ranking will begin to slip.
Related Resources
SEO Content: Make Your Blogs Rank
Off-Page SEO: What You Need to Know to Rank High
Unlocking Local Search Success: Steps to Get Your Business Noticed on Google Maps
Getting Started
When you consider that ninety-five percent of all Americans shop online for the products or services they need, the importance of ranking well in searches becomes clear. Are you interested in learning more about SEO and getting your website to rank higher? Call Signal Digital Marketing today at 513-237-5530. We’ll schedule a visit for a free consultation.
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