SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO) AND ITS TOP 5 BENEFITS.

WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization or more commonly known as SEO is one of the most popular buzzword of our times. It is also the most sought after IT a topic. IT professionals, Marketing Experts and Businessmen alike are captivated by the endless possibilities and advantages which it provides.

So what actually is this entity of the technology domain which is so highly authoritative, attention grabbing and almost magical in nature?

Very simply, it is a process with which we can increase the visibility of a website (or a web page), for internet users. These users may be using a particular or more than one web search engines. In other words, this process increases the ranking of a particular website or webpage in the list of search results, given by a search engine.

It is important to note here that the results returned by a search engine can either be paid results or unpaid results. The unpaid results are also known as “organic search” or “natural search” results. The term SEO particularly refers to the process of improving organic search results and not the search results which are the result of paid placements.

 

PURPOSE OF PERFORMING SEO

SEO is mostly performed so that a website will receive the desired traffic of users from a search engine when it starts getting ranked higher in the search engine results page (abbreviated as SERP). These visitors can then be offered information or services of their choice. This results in visitors to be converted into customers. These customers ultimately generate profits for the website owner.

SEO may be used to target different kinds of searches which can include:

1.                           Image search

2.                           Video search

3.                           News search

4.                           Academic search

5.                           Industry-specific vertical search engines

IMPLEMENTING SEO

Optimizing a website or webpage may involve various steps. These can range from editing or adding content to a website or modifying its HTML source code and other associated coding. These steps are almost always a necessity and increase the relevance of a site or page to specific keywords which the media intends to target.

SEO of a website or webpage can be broadly classified into On-site and Off-site optimization. These are also often referred to as On-page and Off-page SEO.

ON-SITE SEO

On-site optimization involves making a website search engine friendly. This involves, among other things, adjusting certain elements of your site such that search engines are able to find (crawl) your site and fully understand its content and structure. The more information and data a search engine can get from your site, the greater are the chances that your site would rank higher in their search index. It is essential to optimize your page titles and descriptions. Keyword stuffing should be avoided but at the same time you need to make sure that the page title is relevant to the content of the page. The title should also contain words which the users might search.

Other important elements to optimize are H1, H2 and H3 tags and the alt text of all the images appearing on your website or webpage. It is best to use only one H1 tag. You can safely use several H2 and H3 tags. Links to other pages or content of your website are called internal links and are essential in retaining the user’s attention. Internal links also allow the search engines to discover more than one page from your website. Fresh, relevant and plagiarism free content is a must for On-site optimization. Including the content’s author name adds transparency to your site. of the author of the content.

Last but not the least, the loading speed of your website must be the fastest that you can manage. You must also not forget to create a mobile friendly version of the site as well.

OFF-SITE SEO

Off-page optimization includes steps which you can take to promote your website on the web. This is besides paid advertising. Most commonly used Off-Site SEO methods include getting links from other websites which point to your website. Social media marketing is the second most widely and commonly used method.

You need to promote your site to maximise the number of backlinks or inbound links to your own site. If the links which your site is getting are from a high authority and popular website, then the inbound link is considered as having a high trust level. This greatly helps in a website to rank higher with search engines.

BENEFIT #1: INCREASING THE RANK AND POPULARITY OF A WEBSITE

As mentioned earlier in this article, the popularity of a website or webpage depends upon how high the rank of that site is in search engines. The higher the ranking, the greater will be its popularity. SEO when implemented properly proves to be, the perfect tool to increase the ranking of your website.

BENEFIT #2: INCREASE IN-BOUND TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE

The SEO process is a sure shot way to direct relevant traffic to your website. This traffic refers to the number of visitors viewing your website. The higher amount of visitors that a website receives increases the chances of online sales which ultimately results in profit for the company or individual operating the website.

BENEFIT #3: HIGHER RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)

SEO is usually called a one time investment with long time benefits. This is true when you consider the fact that once your website has gained a high rank, it will continuously receive visitors. SEO provides the initial push to your website on the track to success. You only need to update your website from there onwards to maintain continued popularity and success. This high return on investment is a major reason of success of the SEO process.

BENEFIT #4: NATURAL SEARCHES PROVIDE FREE ALTERNATIVE TO PAID ADS

According to numerous surveys and analysis, website visitors are 3 times more attracted towards advertisements generated through SEO as compared to paid advertisements placed on a website.

BENEFIT #5: CONTINUOUS VISIBILITY TO A LARGE AUDIENCE

SEO provides visibility of your website and the services and products which you promote through it; to an audience which comprises billions of internet users worldwide. No other marketing platform provides such a high level of projection.

CONCLUSION

SEO if implemented properly as marketing strategy can surely do wonders for your business or services by improving the rank of your website. Patience and persistence is the major key to success when it comes to making the most of SEO and its benefits. Avoiding Black Hat and Grey Hat optimization practices is also a must.