What is SEO and How Does It Work?

Every day, millions of people turn to search engines to find answers, explore new products, and to feed ravenous curiosity. In today’s society, web search engines like Google or Bing act as an extension to the cognitive brain and aid with the thought process. A good practice is to implement SEO services to take advantage of the search engine algorithms. SEO is an acronym for search engine optimization.

Implement SEO Services to Boost Online Traffic

This article will reveal the importance of these technological brain extensions (search engines) to a business, as well as how SEO enables companies to target those curious consumers. The information provided, will additionally guide you to choose the ideal services to optimize your search engine results. If you have more questions on search engine optimization, you can utilize the services of a professional SEO agency like SEO Design Chicago.

SEO Services

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Algorithms

The broken down abbreviation of SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Local SEO is a type of SEO that utilizes user location information to rank websites. It is a digital marketing practice that focuses on driving quality traffic to your site through search engine results.

There are three principal components that comprise all SEO services: quantity of traffic, quality of traffic, and organic results. Below is an unpacked explanation of each component, but for further details turn to the site that further details the working parts behind search engine optimization. While Google is the most popular search engine, there are other search engines to optimize for, too.

1. Quantity of Traffic

Through SEO services, overall visibility and influx to your website will begin to increase. Growing traffic, along with the combination of other practices, will enable your site to place higher on SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). This is rather significant, due to the fact that most people don’t click to the second page when searching for information.

2. Quality of Traffic

SEO works to target potential consumers that are already searching for products corresponding with your industry. Through this algorithm, finding a target audience comes with ease. By honing in on an audience that is considering purchasing a related product, you are simultaneously increasing your leads and potential sales. That is why it is a vital aspect of today’s digital marketing.

3. Organic Search Results

Organic traffic is any FREE traffic or SERPs that you don’t have to pay for. Most free search engines, like Google or Yahoo, have algorithms configured to find the best results for searches. This means that the search engine chooses which pages will get more views than others. Organic search translates into an outlet for free advertising and marketing.

3. Enhanced trust & credibility among consumers.

Over time, SEO will help build a positive user interface that is easily discoverable. But earning authority on search engines isn’t just handed to you. Trustworthiness has to be earned and sites must meet certain criteria.

Elements like positive user behavior or machine-learning signals are taken into consideration when building trust and credibility. With patience and consistency, SEO will help your company earn the assurance of consumers and develop a concrete brand awareness.

Three Reasons Why SEO is Important for ALL Businesses

Going beyond the obvious reason that SEO will improve a site’s visibility and searchability, the service provides countless beneficial aspects to a company. Below are just 3 of the many reasons why your business should implement SEO services, but there are endless benefits to search engine optimization.

1. Organic search engines comprise the majority of online traffic.

The search market is dominated by large players like Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, and countless others. With that being said, those with internet access are more than likely to turn to these organic search engines for answers. SEO plays off of something we use daily, in order to enlarge the potential traffic base for a company.

2. SEO is quantifiable.

Through proper analytics and tracking of trends, the data will demonstrate an overall increase in traffic due to SEO services. One way to measure the effects of SEO is through Search Engine Result Page (SERP) rankings.

Tracking the placement of your site and watching it continually move up is an effortless way to prove progress. Through proper tools and SEO knowledgeable companies, one can further show an increase in revenue and overall conversions from SEO. SEO Design Chicago provides SEO analysis services if you’re not sure where your website stands.

3. Enhanced trust & credibility among consumers.

Over time, SEO will help build a positive user interface that is easily discoverable. But earning authority on search engines isn’t just handed to you. Trustworthiness has to be earned and sites must meet certain criteria.

Elements like positive user behavior or machine-learning signals are taken into consideration when building trust and credibility. With patience and consistency, SEO will help your company earn the assurance of consumers and develop a concrete brand awareness.

How does SEO work

How Does SEO Work?

One word: algorithms. Each search engine has their own complex algorithm that collects all kinds of information to determine which sites will provide the most useful information to the searcher. The algorithms consider many ranking factors like title tags, backlinks, or page speed load time before ultimately determining which SERP your site will land on.

In order to really understand the technical aspects of SEO, it’s best to put the tactics into two categories: on-page and off-page. Below is a deeper explanation of the two, but to learn more check out SEO Explained: What is SEO and How Does SEO Work?.

  • On-Page SEO

What is it?

On-page SEO refers to the optimization on your website. SEO is a process and it takes time to increase your rank in the search engine market. The aim is to make your site more usable and valuable in order to increase your visibility on organic search engines.

What ranking factors should you optimize?

Important factors to focus on for on-page SEO are: URL optimization, title tags, keywords, content, images, internal links and external links, and the ability to be accessed on mobile devices.

What actions should you take to optimize the preceding list?

Putting time and effort into on-page SEO will gradually improve your rankings and make your site more competitive. A few examples of how to do so are listed below:

  • Creating quality and engaging content
    • Optimize title tags
    • Speeding up your overall site
    • Focusing on easy navigation
  • Off-Page SEO

What is it?

This practice includes techniques that occur off your site and focuses on attracting other site links, internet mentions, or social media shares. The aim is to increase your ranking across SERPs.

What ranking factors should you optimize?

The most influential factors to focus on for off-page SEO are internal links and external links (links to and from your website.)

What actions should you take to optimize the preceding list?

Since off-page SEO revolves around links to your site from others, there are outreach based techniques to help achieve this. Some of the ways to do so are listed below:

  • Utilizing blog posts (content marketing)
    • Reach out to journalists or join associations to expand your network
    • Market through social media platforms
    • Promote influencers to share about their personal brand experience with your company

Keyword search

Why Are Keywords Important & What Are Keyword Planners?

Deliberately using keywords is an integral aspect of optimizing your site, but finding the right ones can be a tricky and complicated task. Keywords can range from single words to more advanced phrases and are fitted into search engine algorithms when considered for ranking. Essentially, the words you use are the determining factor as to if your site will be a top rating result on SERPs.

Luckily, there is an effective tool to help you choose the right words for your page content, and that is keyword planners. Keyword planners help search for the right keywords your business should use and estimate the searches your company will gain from said words.

This tool discovers words that are frequently searched within your industry and pulls the ones that will provide you with the most traffic. Countless companies offer keyword research, but for advice on how to choose the right keyword planner for your company, you can ask the professionals at SEO Design Chicago.

Website ranking

How to Compete in the Realm of Website Ranking

Competition is prevalent in every industry, but when it comes to online competition, it’s rather easy for your company site to get lost in the noise. Proper research and implementation of the following tips can help you outrank top competitors and place on top of search engine results pages.

1. Pinpoint Your Competitors

There’s a difference between industry competition and SEO competition. Top SEO competitors can exist outside your company niche, so identifying those players is a step you don’t want to overlook. For example, a local clothing store is not only competing with companies like Nordstrom or Old Navy, but perhaps popular clothing critiques or other publishing superiors. Paying attention to top SEO rivals, instead of solely tracking industry competitors is important to ranking onto SERPs.

2. Focus on Keyword Difficulties or Opportunities

Using keyword weaknesses to your advantage is a major way to beat your competitors (aka other sites.) Configuring the strength of competitors and the keywords they use, is a realistic way to determine the difficulty level it will take to outperform. Another way to search for new opportunities is through implementing new relevant keywords for your web page. By searching for unused keywords or ones that have been lightly used, you can be a step ahead of this online competition. You can discover keywords you might be missing using the Google Search Console.

3. Divert Attention Towards On-Page SEO

Consistently monitoring and tracking the visibility and success of your own site is crucial for SEO practices. Upholding a sense of relevancy and significant content will maintain engagement among searchers. This means using on page optimization to update your existing web pages, but also coming up with new blog post ideas that will rank well on the search results page and attract your audience. High quality content can help you climb the Google search results.

Create an SEO Strategy With SEO Design Chicago

Now, you know how search engines work. Each and every day over 5 billion people turn to Google for searches, clarity, and entertainment. There’s an easy way to prevent your site from burrowing under this steep pile of results…Search Engine Optimization. Don’t let the search engines drown out your website without an attempt.

If you are ready to take the next step and implement SEO services for your website, reach out to the search engine marketing experts at SEO Design Chicago. We’d love to help you with your SEO efforts.

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