What Is SEO and How Does It Work?

When you’re creating a website, you’re doing it to spread your message to a certain audience, right? Be it for business or recreation, you want your site to reach your desired audience.

Now, there are many ways to serve your website to other people, but the most effective of all is search engines. The majority of people who use the internet look up websites they need using search engines. Other types of promotion can’t hope to match up to the traffic obtained from ranking high on search results.

And how do you obtain a noticeable rank in search engines? Through SEO, obviously. Which brings us to another important question.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It refers to a set of methods and strategies aimed at improving a website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

When people search for specific information, products, or services online, they usually use search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. SEO techniques make it more likely for users to discover and engage with your site.

An effective SEO strategy can drive quality traffic, boost brand credibility, and ultimately contribute to conversions and business growth.

To understand how SEO works, you need to first learn how search engines operate, and the techniques used to improve a site’s ranking. So let’s dive into the details.

The Mechanism of Search Engines

Search engines like Google and Bing use complex algorithms to crawl, index, and rank websites. To understand how SEO works, let’s break down the search engine process:

1. Crawling: Search engines use bots to explore the internet. They’re also called spiders or crawlers. These bots scan website pages and follow links to understand each page’s content, structure, and purpose.
   
2. Indexing: After crawling, search engines store and organize the collected information in their database. This process is called indexing. When a user searches for something, the search engine pulls results from this index. This saves a lot of time as it doesn’t have to search the entire internet in real-time every time someone searches.
   
3. Ranking: Finally, the search engine evaluates and ranks indexed pages based on relevancy and quality. This is done to provide the most helpful and accurate answers. Ranking criteria can include keywords, content quality, page speed, mobile optimization, backlinks etc.

Now, SEO uses certain techniques to utilize this process to gain access to higher index value and so better ranking. Ever wondered how those work?

How SEO works

You’re already familiar with the general overview of how SEO works; it’s time to dig deeper.

The core components of SEO are On-Page SEO, Off-Page SEO, Technical SEO, and Content Marketing. They are essentially collections of various similar techniques that are employed to optimize websites for search engines. 

1. On-Page SEO

On-page SEO involves optimizing individual pages to rank higher and earn relevant traffic. It includes keyword optimization, content quality, meta tags, headers, and internal links. For better classification, the techniques are

• Keyword Optimization: Keywords are words or phrases that people type into search engines to find relevant information. Using the right keywords in your content, titles, headings, and meta descriptions helps search engines understand the topic of your page and connect it with relevant queries.
  
• Content Quality: Search engines prioritize high-quality, informative, and valuable content. Content that addresses user intent, solves problems, or answers questions tends to rank better. Engaging, well-structured content with visual elements (like images, videos, and infographics) is your best bet.
  
• Meta Tags and Headers: Meta tags refer to title tags and meta descriptions, and headers (H1, H2, etc.). They guide search engines and users through your content. Title tags should include target keywords to signal what your page is about, and headers help break down content into digestible parts.
  
• Internal Linking: Linking to other pages on your website improves navigation and keeps users on your site longer. This can reduce bounce rates and improve user experience, which can positively impact search engine rankings.

Digital marketers can use on-page SEO to align content with both user interests and search engine requirements, making their websites more visible and relevant.

2. Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO is basically actions taken outside your website to influence your rankings within search engine results pages. This includes backlinks, social signals, and brand mentions.

• Backlinks: These are links from other websites that point to your site. When reputable websites link back to your content, search engines view your site as more trustworthy. Relevancy is valuable in selecting the websites for backlinking, though. Backlinking in spam sites should be avoided.
  
• Social Signals: Promotions in platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can enhance brand visibility. Engagement on social media can lead to more backlinks and traffic to your website, which can indirectly boost SEO performance.
  
• Brand Mentions: When other websites mention your brand (with or without a link), it builds your online reputation. Consistent brand mentions on industry websites and media outlets contribute to brand authority.

For digital marketers, an off-page SEO strategy typically includes outreach for guest blogging, influencer collaborations, and efforts to increase social media engagement. Building a solid off-page presence can help establish credibility and authority in your industry.

3. Technical SEO

Technical SEO is all about how a website is built – the code and the structure. These include elements such as sitemaps, meta tags, site speed, indexing, and much more. How SEO works in the technical aspect is through optimizing the backend of your website to improve search engine crawling, indexing, and overall site performance. Key elements include:

• Site Speed: A fast-loading website improves user experience and search engine rankings. Slow websites may drive visitors away and are often penalized in search results.
  
• Mobile-Friendliness: With more users accessing the internet via mobile devices, search engines prioritize mobile-optimized websites. Responsive design ensures your site performs well on all devices.
  
• Secure Website (HTTPS): HTTPS signals a secure site, which search engines prefer. Websites with SSL certificates offer better data security, which can improve trustworthiness.
  
• XML Sitemap and Robots.txt: An XML sitemap helps search engines find and index your pages, while a robots.txt file controls which pages are accessible. These elements help ensure that your most important pages are visible to search engines.

Technical SEO plays a critical role in digital marketing by improving website performance and user experience, which contributes to better search rankings.

4. Content Marketing

In digital marketing, SEO and content work closely together. Engaging content is perhaps the most reliable thing to attract people to your niche, which positively impacts SEO rankings.

• Types of content: A successful content marketing strategy includes creating blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and guides that are optimized for relevant keywords and designed to meet audience needs.
  
• Consistency in production: Regularly publishing fresh content shows search engines that your website is active and relevant. Plus, valuable content can earn backlinks and social shares, both of which boost SEO.
  
• Cater to your audience: Researching what your audience wants or needs is a must. Only when you can provide information they can benefit from through your content is when it will be valued. By understanding audience needs and creating content that aligns with SEO best practices, digital marketers can increase organic traffic and build lasting customer relationships.

How Does SEO Benefit Digital Marketing?

Now, you know what SEO is and how it works, but we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg on how SEO helps us out in the field of digital marketing. Here’s some insight you might appreciate on what SEO contributes to.

1. Increases Visibility: By ranking higher in search results, SEO helps your website reach more people. Greater visibility leads to more traffic and potential conversions.
   
2. Drives Targeted Traffic: SEO drives organic traffic, which is often more targeted and relevant since users are actively searching for related content, products, or services.
   
3. Enhances User Experience: SEO improvements like fast load times, mobile responsiveness, and easy navigation contribute to a positive user experience, which can increase the chances of conversions.
   
4. Builds Trust and Credibility: High-ranking sites are often viewed as more trustworthy. Consistent SEO efforts, along with quality content and links, help build a reputation and gain customer trust.
   
5. Supports Long-Term Growth: Unlike paid ads, SEO’s impact is lasting. Consistent SEO work builds a foundation for steady traffic over time, reducing reliance on paid channels.
   
6. Boosts Conversion Rates: With optimized, user-friendly content and an easy-to-navigate website, SEO attracts high-intent users who are more likely to convert.

Last words

Now that you’ve educated yourself on what is SEO and how SEO works, it’s time to put your knowledge to practice. Bring out your content, and take a long hard look at what SEO techniques you can be using to make them your ladder to success.

Don’t forget to check out our article on effective SEO strategies too!