A Short Guide to SEO
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving a websites visibility on organic (un-paid) search engine results pages such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.
An Example of Good SEO
For example, you have a business in Cambridge that sells merino skin clothes imported from New Zealand. If a user searches for ‘Cambridge New Zealand merino skin clothes shop’ and your website appears in the search engine then great! You’ve got a good SEO ranking for your website and area.
Now lets say someone in Edinburgh wanted a merino skin vest. They might search ‘merino skin clothes imported New Zealand’. If the website for your store in Cambridge appears in the search list then you’ve very good SEO ranking.
Finally, let’s say someone searched ‘merino clothes shop’ and your website appeared in the list. It’s safe to say you’re an SEO Guru!
SEO, plain and simple, is the process of making your website rank higher than others.
Knowledge is Power
Search engines use a crawler that gathers information on every website on the internet. It returns all that information to the search engine to build an index. The index is then fed through an algorithm that tries to match the data with your search. The results are what appears on your search list.
If we knew the algorithms used by search engines you could design a website that would always appear at the top of any search engine list.
Click here to see how Google Search works.
Finally…
When optimising your site for search engines you must optimise for people.
Think first of the consumer and how they will interact with your website. Give them good website content that they’ll want to share, use your keywords and your website will rank higher in search engines.
SEO isn’t a quick fix. It’s a continuous process that involves your time and maintenance. A good way to maintain good SEO is to write a blog for your business. See the Benefits of Blogging for more information.
Check back here in the future for tips on how to improve your SEO.
For more information on SEO check out Googles Search Engine Optimization Guide.
