What is SEO?
SEO is one of the most integral and unchanging elements of Internet marketing as the basis for many other strategies and approaches. But what does SEO mean and How is it beneficial in digital marketing strategies?
Understanding SEO
Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is the process of making particular modifications to a website that will help the site to rank better in search engine ranking results such as Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc. for specific keywords. Some of the strategies that make up the broader SEO category include keyword placement in web content, internal site navigation, and backlinks from other well-regarded sites.
The above concept of SEO has gone through a great revolution compared to the time when the concept was first brought to light. Before the year 2000, tools such as AltaVista, Yahoo, etc., offered the capability to search using basic keyword matches to rank web pages. However, with the increase in the number of websites and also the competition on the web, the search engines had to find out a way to stay better in delivering quality and relevant results.
The most significant moment in the development of SEO was in 1996 with one of Google’s earliest inventions – the PageRank (invented by Larry Page and Sergey Brin). PageRank altered the methodology of reviewing Site pages from solely the content of the page but the number of times the other Site linked to the page. This ‘link popularity’ approach served to provide users with better and more relevant results and sources of information.
(Backlinks are one of the best ways to increase your SERP ranking there are plenty of ways to get backlinks like social bookmarking and directory submissions. There are many directories where you can register your site.)
Since then the search algorithms have changed over the years. Google, for example, has included several updates among them the Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird that help the company to adjust its ranking criteria to discourage the use of such fraudulent measures. Today, SEO depends on other factors which include; The relevance of the content, usability, mobile responsiveness, and the level of security in the site among others.
How SEO Helps in Digital Marketing?
Increased Organic Traffic: The most obvious advantage of SEO is that it may help a website to gain better visibility. In other words, the greater the rank of a site on the result page, it is likely to be clicked by the user. The targeted organic traffic is preferred because it even yields better results than the paid advertising services.
Cost-Effectiveness: SEO needs no recurrent investment like paid search, even if the campaign may take a long time to rank on the first page. Although there are expenses of employing SEO, for instance, development of content and provisions for search engine improvement, it is a less expensive advertising approach in the long run. Good SEO can keep delivering traffic and more leads even thou the work done might be done and over with.
Improved User Experience: It’s not restricted to rankings and algorithms, but a way of enhancing the quality of the user experience. An optimized website is one that is easy to navigate, has a faster loading time than a poorly optimized site, and offers valuable and quality content. These factors promote satisfaction among the customers hence increasing the chances of customers sticking to a particular site.
Brand Credibility and Trust: The electronic word of mouth generated by search engines paints the websites high on their search engine results more credible. It helps build this credibility by ensuring that your site follows the SEO guidelines and you provide useful content that meets the user’s needs.
Competitive Advantage: It also makes positive sense for business as SEO enables you to target exactly your audience. When working with certain keywords and phrases, you will target users who are actively looking for the goods and services of your company. This way of working makes it possible for your marketing efforts to find the right audience at the right time.
There are plenty of other benefits you can acquire from well-crafted SEO such as long-term results, data insights, local SEO benefits, integration with other marketing channels, etc.
In my experience and proven history, I can clearly say that SEO is the best strategy for the long run and getting quality visitors to your website which becomes highly convertible leads for your business. it will give your brand a strong foundation online. Of course, it takes time to give better results but patience and consistency in providing relevant content will get the job done. As long as Google and other search engines keep prioritizing providing users the relevant results SEO will be an essential component in digital marketing.
Thanks for reading, you have done a great job by taking the initiative to learn more about SEO. I hope the blog was helpful and gave insight into your query. This is just basic about SEO I will update more in my next posts. For further clarification on SEO and Digital Marketing, you can contact me through my Website.