What is Search Engine Optimization?
search engine optimization is a series of strategies practiced by website owners to improve their website search engine ranking and traffic. Search engines show two kinds of results, “organic” and paid results. An SEO specialist’s goal is to help a website get better ranking in “organic” search results.
Facts about SEO
If you are new to SEO, here are some relevant facts that will help you better understand what it is all about.
- Off-Page and On-Page SEO
SEO is categorized into two domains, Off-Page and On-Page SEO. Off-Page SEO focuses on improving the domain authority of a website by getting links from other authority sites. On-Page SEO, on the other hand, focuses on optimizing the contents and elements of a site to improve its search result ranking.
- SEO for Google
Most websites are optimized with the goal of ranking high in Google search results. This is because Google owns 70% of the online search market. Very few pay interest to other search engines.
- “Organic” Results vs. “Paid” Results
Only 20% of users pay attention to paid results or ads. The other 80% are more interested in “organic” results. That is why SEO is designed to help a business rank on organic searches.
- Essence of Page Title
Next to content, the page title is the 2nd most important element of a website. Page titles are shown in search results pages together with their meta descriptions. People are said to spend a second of their time on a page title. That one second is precious so creating an interesting and relevant page title is so important in On-Page SEO.
- The Power of SERP’s 1st Page
It has been reported that more than 70% of users never look past the 1st page of search results pages. That is why it is important to get a SERP ranking position that will land your site on the 1st page.
- White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO
There are two different ways to practice SEO, white hat and black hat. White Hat SEO pertains to the right practices while Black Hat SEO is the opposite. The tight competition for the top spot of SERP ranking drove many people to use black hat SEO even with the risk of getting penalized when caught.
Overall, these facts all point out to two things. First, SEO is important in gaining traffic and second, it is a crucial factor in determining where you will land on search result rankings.