What Is SEO? The Beginner’s Guide To SEO

Are you in the early stages of your SEO journey? Perhaps you've heard that SEO can drive traffic to your website and improve your rankings, but you're unsure about how it works and what areas to focus on. Well, you're in the right place. Keep reading to learn what every digital marketer should know about SEO.


Defining Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Let's begin by addressing a fundamental question: What exactly is SEO? SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization," which refers to the process of obtaining traffic from organic, editorial, or natural search results on search engines. Its objective is to enhance the position of your website in search engine result pages (SERPs). Remember, the higher your website ranks, the more visibility it gains.


Effective SEO involves various activities, including:

  • Identifying relevant keywords with substantial search traffic potential

  • Creating high-quality and valuable content, optimizing it for search engines and users alike

  • Incorporating relevant links from reputable websites

  • Measuring and evaluating the results


Today, SEO is considered an essential marketing activity.


Differences Between Paid And Organic Search

It's important to understand the distinctions between organic (natural) search results, which are associated with SEO, and paid search. Here are five key differences:


  • Position: Paid search results appear at the top of the SERPs, while organic results are listed below them.

  • Time: Paid search yields near-instant results, often within minutes, whereas organic search requires more time—sometimes weeks, months, or even years. Organic search is a medium to long-term strategy.

  • Payment: In paid search, traffic is acquired through monetary payment. You pay-per-click (PPC) based on a cost-per-click (CPC) model. This means you pay a fee whenever a user clicks on your ad. With organic search, traffic is free, although it requires an investment of resources and time.

  • ROI: Measuring return on investment (ROI) is generally easier with paid search due to more accessible keyword data provided by platforms like Google Analytics. However, ROI can stagnate or decline over time in paid search, while organic search often shows improvement in ROI. Over the long term, organic search can yield a very favorable ROI.

  • Share of Traffic: Approximately 20% to 30% of searchers click on paid results, while 70% to 80% of searchers click on organic results. Organic results receive the majority of clicks.

The Three Pillars of SEO

As a digital marketer, understanding how to make your brand, website, or company discoverable to searchers is a crucial skill. Staying up to date with SEO's evolution will keep you ahead of the game. While SEO undergoes frequent minor changes, its core principles remain consistent. We can break down SEO into three fundamental components or pillars that you should be familiar with and regularly address:


  • Technical Optimization: This involves implementing activities on your website that are designed to improve SEO but are unrelated to content. It often occurs behind the scenes.

  • On-Page Optimization: On-Page Optimization ensures that the content on your website is relevant and provides an excellent user experience. It includes targeting the right keywords within your content and can be achieved through a content management system (CMS). Common examples of CMS platforms include WordPress, Wix, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, Shopify, and Expression Engine.

  • Off-Page Optimization: Off-Page Optimization focuses on enhancing your website's search engine rankings through activities conducted outside of your website. This is predominantly driven by backlinks, which help build your website's reputation.



By understanding these three pillars and taking regular action, you can effectively optimize your website for search engines and improve its visibility and performance.


>>> Find out more: SEO course - Practice to the top for beginners The Benefits Of SEO For Your Website Building 9 Mindset For SEO That Helps You Achieve Success An Overview Of SEO: Strategies, Benefits, And Best Practices Advanced SEO Techniques That Help Your Website Growth Organic Traffic Key Criteria For SEO-Optimized Content Mastering Keyword Research: Strategies and Tools For SEO Success

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Work: MarketingProfs

Address: Boston, MA, US 

Phone number: 978-749-7372 

Website: https://annhandley.com/ 

Email: ann.handley@gmail.com

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