Still not sure how SEO works?

Still not sure how SEO works?

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Still not sure how SEO works?

Search Engine Optimisation is something you can’t escape in today’s modern world of business. Getting ahead of your competitors, and battling to get your content seen is essential for getting you in front of your ideal customers. And how does it actually work?

SEO is the process of trying to get found by the right people for relevant queries. And it has changed a lot over the last few years! With a huge focus now on user experience and finding answers to questions rather than keywords on a page.

For those of who who might not be too familiar with the process, SEO works by “crawlers” going through your website. Assessing how easy it is to understand information and follow steps to the next most suitable content. Pages are then “indexed” into the search engine for future use.

 

How is it decided what comes first in rankings?

Once your site has been crawled and indexed by search engines, users can start finding you. So how do you get to the top of the page to be found?

For each query inputted into google, it makes an educated decision as to what would be the most relevant search for that person. It does this by assessing a number of factors (over 200 to be exact) through an algorithm to deliver the best result for that person. Google won’t reveal the exact factors. However, there are a few which are known about and regarded as pretty important such as keywords, site speed and links. With many marketers focusing on these aspects to get their clients seen.

Not enough for you? There is a list of 200 factors here, but as they state, some are proven, some are just speculation.

So those ranking at number one have beat all of the other content on the web in those factors to become number one. With content being constantly updating, Google updating their factors, and each users search patterns being different, you cannot always be guaranteed the number one spot if you reach it. Rankings can vary each day.

 

How do I find out more about improving my SEO?

Making one change to improve your SEO will not bring you benefit. Same as one good meal will not make you skinny. One good investment will not make you a millionaire. And one early morning run will not help you win a marathon. Making changes to improve is a step in the right direction. But SEO is something that needs your constant care and attention. You need to work at it a little each day for it to be of any value or benefit to you.

Luckily SEO is a very talked about topic. So there are plenty of blogs and articles out there on how to get the best from your SEO. Just tread carefully though, as there are a lot of different approaches. And not all of them are the right way to do things. You may find you’re penalised by Google rather than ranking higher.

If you are just starting out with SEO, this article from Moz is a great starting point on search engines actually operate. And why we need to follow certain practices with SEO.

 

This seems a lot of work …

.. And it is! There are so many factors now when it comes to ranking well on the web. Which is great news for us as users. As we gain the most relevant, informative pages for our query. But as marketers, or companies working on their own websites, it is more complicated than ever before to balance all the factors needed.

Don’t believe us? Just take a look at this brilliant (if not a little scary!) period table of elements needed within SEO. Featured in this article by Forbes and created by Search Engine Land. It shows how many aspects you need to take into consideration for SEO. As well as how much pull they each have on your rankings.

SEO Period table featured in forbes and created by search engine land

 

Now you know how SEO works? Look at our other SEO blogs to find out more on how to use it properly and make your business stand out. Really struggling to juggle all of the elements? Why not have a chat with our friendly team in Burntwood about what you would like to achieve for your business, and we’ll do everything we can to get you there.

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