If you own a website – maybe you’ve had the spammy emails promising to ‘fix your SEO.’ But what on earth is SEO, anyway?
I’m back again in an attempt to demystify another technology topic, and one that you may well need.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, a fancy way of saying, “be assured that your website will show up on Google – and other search engines – when people are looking for what you offer.” But we just say SEO.
The Lowdown on SEO
If the internet were a massive library, then search engines like Google provide what is a bit like an index to the contents of all the books.
So SEO is a bit like the work that the librarian does, they know exactly where to put your book so people can actually find it. You don’t want your website buried beneath hundreds of other Google search results so your site might need to be optimised for certain search phrases that your prospective Googlers might type in.
But how does SEO achieve this magic? It actually comes down to a mix of art and science.
On the one hand, there’s keyword analysis which puts the right words in the right context, and backlinks which help convince Google that you are a reputable website, plus other technical considerations.
On the other hand, there are things which are easier to understand like writing engaging, readable copy, and making sure your website doesn’t look like it was designed back in 1999!
Keywords are King
Keywords are simply the words or phrases that people type into search engines when they’re looking for something.
If you’re a silversmith, your keywords might be things like “silver jewellery near me” or “unique artisan silversmith.” Choosing the right keywords can be a bit of a guessing game where it helps to imagine that you are looking for someone exactly like yourself: put yourself in their shoes, what would you type into Google? It’s about speaking your customers’ language and anticipating their actions.
And you might think you can just cram a bunch of keywords onto your website to try and trick Google into listing you higher. I’m afraid that doesn’t work at all and that kind of “keyword stuffing” will just make the search engines despise you when you want them to respect you.
In fact, search engines are very keen to deliver the exact search results that people are looking for so it’s best to keep to the point and not try to be too clever.
Links Provide Legitimacy and Orientation
Links are another big part of SEO. When other websites link to your site or page, Google views it as a thumbs-up – assuming it’s from a reputable website – a sign that you’re trustworthy and popular.
This will give a better chance of landing higher up in those search results. It’s quality not quantity, shady link-building practices do far more harm than good.
Then we have to consider internal links – the links from page to page within your site – they help Google understand your site’s structure and which pages are most important.
SEO & User Experience
No one wants to wait ages for a website to load or look at clunky unprofessional or outdated web pages. It needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and super-easy to navigate.
Imagine you are hosting a social event – you want your guests to be comfortable, have a good time, and stick around long enough to see what’s going on.
Google is getting smarter by the day, they now reward sites that are user-friendly and engaging.
Why Care About SEO?
Some attention to SEO is essential if you want your website to be seen by the right people, the very people that are trying to connect with you. Without it, your hard work is hidden from the very people who would love to hire you or buy your products.
Being good at what you do and having web presence is important, but being invisible on the net can be extremely bad for business.
It’s SEOver
So there you have it, SEO is definitely not rocket science, but neither is it child’s play. It takes time, effort, and a little bit of know-how to get everything lined up, but when you see your website climbing up the search engine rankings, you’ll know it was worth the effort.
If you have a lot of competition, say there are three other people in your town with a similar product or service, then attention to SEO on a regular basis could be important as you can start sliding down the rankings.
If it’s all too much and even reading this has given you a headache, you know where to find us. We know SEO.