What You Should Know About Search Engine Optimization

Last Updated on September 1, 2024

We all use search engines every day to find and access the information we need. Whether it’s Google, Bing, Yahoo, or another maybe a lesser-known one, they all serve as portals into a wealth of opportunity, potential customers and knowledge about pretty much anything.

It’s this knowledge and information by which consumers are making their buying decisions. For example, someone may be browsing the internet vaguely looking for the right moisturiser and wishing to learn more. They stumble across your blog or informative content piece and from there go onto purchase. You need to inform, educate, and direct customers into using your product or service, and convincing them yours is better than the rest.

It can often be hard to decipher the online marketing landscape. The internet may seem mystical and mysterious if you haven’t spent time understanding the fundamentals or foundations on which it operates. Taking the time to learn how the world wide web actually works and how you could potentially take advantage of the millions of people browsing the web every day, could lead to some real opportunity for you and your business.

Here Are Some Key Facts About Search Engine Optimisation?

There are various ways to promote your business or service these days, but getting a grasp on search engine optimisation and the fundamentals is key to succeeding in any area of online marketing.

If you’re new to search engine optimisation or maybe going over it all again, here are some key facts:

• Search engine optimisation is often referred to as SEO
• The overriding aim when approaching SEO is to get your website to rank as high as possible when people are searching for terms, products, or services related to your niche or industry
• By ranking highly on search engines, the more likely you are to generate traffic and potential prospects or customers for your company
• One of the most important things to do when working on SEO for your business is to find out which ‘keywords’ you need to place in or on your website. What this means is when someone searches for keywords associated to what you provide or sell, you want to be as high as possible in the search results so they click to go to your site, not your competitors
• There are a multitude of things that, as a beginner, you may not even know or understand that impact the searchability of your website. Areas like meta tags and HTML coding play a role in whether your website is ranked highly or not, and whether the search engine’s algorithm puts you to the top of the pile

Knowing these fundamentals may trigger a switch in your head and ensure you invest enough time and effort into SEO for your projects. It’s hard to stress enough not only how competitive the landscape is, but how many people are now turning to the internet to shop instead of using traditional avenues.

So Why Might I Need To Use Search Engine Optimisation?

The main benefits of ranking highly on a search engine include:

• Increased brand awareness
• Better quality or more relevant traffic
• More chance of finding your ideal clients or customers
• Winning traffic from your competitors
• Ensuring the time you spend on your content doesn’t go to waste
• More visitors in general to your site or landing pages

Every one of these SEO goals should and will play into your overall business plan. SEO is just the beginning and will get you thinking what is required next once someone has visited your website. Key things such as generating email addresses to remarket to or building information on how to retarget individuals on other platforms like Facebook or Instagram. These are further strategies you can implement to really push for conversions, but the fact of the matter is it all begins with SEO and getting them on your site in the first place.

Who Are The Experts When It Comes To Search Engine Optimisation?

The information surrounding SEO, especially as a beginner, can potentially seem overwhelming. As with any industry or niche, there are seo experts who can assist you in breaking everything down to understand on a micro level and build an implementation plan. It’s always good to look at things from a birds-eye view, figuring out how each piece of the puzzle fits in and why.

Hiring an SEO consultant may be advised if:

• You are looking to free up your time for other key areas in your business
• You don’t understand SEO and need someone to hold your hand
• Want an increase in ROI than you are currently getting for your efforts
• You want to take your business to the next level
• You have the funds available to find the right SEO partner

SEO consultants will break your website down and provide:

• A full audit of how your website currently performs
• A list of keywords that you need to be targeting to generate the relevant traffic
• Some key technical solutions to improve the useability and performance of your site
• Some competitor analysis. By looking at which competitors are ranking highest and generating the most relevant traffic to their site, you can mirror and emulate their efforts in order to boost yours
• A rough timeline for growth and when you should start to see some results
• A quote to undertake this project based on your goals and budget

The best thing to do is throw yourself into the world of SEO and use the prospect of increased traffic and sales for your business as a real motivator to learn and action the key areas. You can start by watching videos, tutorials, and reading articles to get to grips with how it all works.

It doesn’t matter how long it may take you to gain all the knowledge and know-how you need to really suss out SEO and start making the internet work for you. Either way, you need to invest in this area to ensure you’re not left behind in the online race to the top!