I’ve heard a lot about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for a while but hesitated to get into it because it sounds incredibly complicated. Going back to the list I researched in Blog 3, many digital marketing jobs require SEO knowledge, so I decided to start exploring it. So far, my knowledge of it extends pretty much to it being a valuable marketing tool and that it makes stuff appear on search engines. I figure it’s beneficial to at least understand the basics, even if I don’t decide to learn them now. I’ll use this post as my point of reference should I choose to pursue learning about SEO in the future. 

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So, what is SEO? SEO is the optimization of websites to ensure increased visibility in search engines(1). A typical Google search will result in information split into two categories: ads and organic content. Ads are categorised under Search Engine Marketing (SEM), which leaves all that organic content under SEO. This organic content is ranked by quality, measured by its performance and user experience(2). The higher a website is ranked, the further up it is in search results which means better traffic. 

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But if ads appear at the top of the search result, why is SEO still important? A study found that only 19% of people click on Google Ads(3), which means 81% of clicks are on organic results. Of course, the data differs from study to study, but it doesn't negate the fact that it can be just as effective, if not more, than paid ads while costing less in the long run. 

SEO takes time to figure out, and the process actually considers many factors. To keep things simple (and to not overwhelm myself), there are two fundamental factors to consider:

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• Ensuring a website shows up on Google 

All Google webpages are stored in their index, from which search results are fetched(4). When a search occurs, Google crawls the web (looks for web pages) and indexes where appropriate. So a website can show up when googled only when Google has indexed the site and its relevant pages. This can be easily tested by googling the site's URL (“site:sitename.com”) and seeing if it shows up.  If a site doesn’t show up, one of these scenarios might be the case(5):

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• The site has not yet been indexed by Google (too new)

• Google is unable to crawl the site due to encountered errors

• Unoptimized website design makes it difficult for Google to crawl

• Overly competitive keyword market

• “no index” tags are present in the website code (“no index” = do not index)

 

• Finding the right keywords

Relevant searches are determined by the keywords attached to them, so the right keywords are the most relevant ones to a website(6). It’s essentially like finding the right hashtags for a site so people (and crawlers) can find it. It’s vital to balance relevance and uniqueness, as it might not appear at the top of the search result. Shorter keywords like “fashion marketer” are less complex and are more likely to show up in more search results; however, adopting longer, more specific keywords such as “digital marketer for fashion business” might be a strategy to consider as well. Shorter keywords yield a high search volume, while complex ones yield a higher conversion rate(7) and have less competition. 

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The above might be an oversimplification of things, but I do have an overall better grasp of what SEO is now. If I want to have a more in-depth understanding of it in the future, I compiled a list of free resources for myself to consider getting certified in:

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1. Hubspot Digital Marketing Course

2. SemRush Technical SEO Course

3. SemRush SEO Fundamentals Course

4. Yoast Free SEO Training 

5. Udacity Website Performance Optimization

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1. Lahey, C. (2022, May 17). SEO Basics: How to Do SEO for Beginners. Semrush Blog. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-basics/

2. Google. (n.d.). SEO Starter Guide: The Basics | Google Search Central | Documentation |. Google Developers. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://developers.google.com/search/docs/beginner/seo-starter-guide

3. Dean, B. (2020, August 20). How People use Google Search. Backlinko. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://backlinko.com/google-user-behavior

4. Google. (n.d.). SEO Starter Guide: The Basics | Google Search Central | Documentation |. Google Developers. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://developers.google.com/search/docs/beginner/seo-starter-guide

5. Rose, C. (2022, April 4). SEO 101: Why is My Website Not Showing in Google Search? SEO Mechanic. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.seomechanic.com/why-is-my-website-not-showing-in-google-search-results/

6. Lahey, C. (2022, May 17). SEO Basics: How to Do SEO for Beginners. Semrush Blog. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-basics/

7. Lahey, C. (2022, May 17). SEO Basics: How to Do SEO for Beginners. Semrush Blog. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-basics/