How does SEO work?

 
SEO work

People use search engines when they have a question and want to find an answer on the internet. Search engine algorithms are computer programs that search for hints in order to provide searchers with the exact results they want. Algorithms are used by search engines to identify web sites and determine which ones to rank for a particular keyword. Crawling, which is the discovery stage, indexing, which is the filing stage, and ranking, which is the retrieval stage, are the three stages of how search engines function.

Step 1: Crawling

Crawling is the first step. Web crawlers are sent out by search engines to locate new pages and gather data about them. These web crawlers are also known as'spiders' or 'robots.' Their goal is to find new web pages and to review the content of pages they've already visited to see whether it's changed or updated.

 

Search engines scan web pages by following previously found links. When a search engine scans your homepage, it will hunt for another link to follow and may follow the link to your new blog post if you have a blog post connected from your homepage.

 

Step 2: Indexing

 

Indexing is the next stage. When a search engine determines whether or not to use the material it has crawled, it is called indexing. A search engine will add a crawling web page to its index if it is judged worthy. This index is utilized in the last step of ranking. When a web page or piece of material is indexed, it is filed and saved in a database from which it may be accessed at a later time. The index contains the majority of web sites that have unique and important material. If a web page meets the following criteria, it may be excluded from the index:

·         Its content is considered duplicate

·         Its content is considered low value or spammy

·         It couldn’t be crawled

·         The page or domain lacked inbound links

 

Step 3: Ranking

 

The third and most critical phase, ranking, is the most significant. After the crawling and indexing stages are completed, ranking can begin. Your site can be ranked once it has been crawled and indexed by a search engine.

 

Search engines utilize over 200 ranking signals to categorize and rank material, all of which fall under the three pillars of SEO: technical optimization, on-page optimization, and off-page optimization. The following are some examples of signals used by search engines to rank web pages:

 

·         Keyword presence in title tag – Whether the keyword or a synonym was mentioned on the page and within the title tag

·         Loading speed of web page – Whether the web page loads quickly and is mobile-friendly

·         Website reputation – Whether the web page and website is considered reputable for the topic being searched for

 

Ordering and ranking results

Google’s main search algorithm is called Google Hummingbird, and it is responsible for deciding how to order and rank search engine results.

 

Google also has a machine-learning search engine sub-algorithm called RankBrain:

 

·         If RankBrain sees a word or phrase it isn’t familiar with, it uses artificial intelligence to understand it better by connecting it to similar search queries.

·         It allows Google to understand these queries by converting keywords into known topics and concepts, meaning it can provide better search engine results – even when queries are unusual.

·         Rather than attempting to be the best keyword optimized result, RankBrain rewards websites that provide user satisfaction and return the result that the user expects

 

Getting the most out of RankBrain

 

A good SEO strategy is to optimize your website to improve user experience and satisfaction, and try to get the most out of the RankBrain ranking factor.

 

The three most effective ways to do this are:

 

1.   Optimize for medium-tail keywords (key terms consisting of two to three words).

2.   Optimize page titles and descriptions for clicks so that when someone searches, your listing is more likely to be clicked. The click-through rate is the percentage of people who see you on Google and then go ahead and click through to your website.

3.   Optimize content to increase dwell time (the length of time people stay on the page) and reduce bounce rate (the percentage of visitors who leave after only viewing one page).

Remember, Google’s top three ranking factors are:

 

·         Links

·         Content

·         RankBrain

 

Setting SEO objectives

Setting SEO objectives is a vital part of any SEO strategy. It is important to set SEO objectives – and to align them with your overall business objectives – because:

 

·         They encourage buy-in from key stakeholders.

·         They help you to formulate your SEO strategy.

·         They ensure goals are met.

 

What should you measure?

 

While it can feel like a laborious task to set objectives, measuring them can really help you make progress with your SEO in the long term. So what types of things should you measure?

 

Consider measuring:

 

·         Keywords

·         Traffic

·         Market share

·         Brand awareness

·         Lead generation

·         Reputation

·         E-commerce

 

Examples of SEO objectives

Here are three examples of SEO objectives that can be used as a guide to setting relevant objectives for your own business or website:

 

·         "Move 50% of our top 20 keywords onto the first page of Google within nine months." This objective focuses on keyword ranking.

 

·         "Improve our year-on-year organic traffic by 20% in quarter three and 25% in quarter four." This objective focuses on increasing organic website traffic.

 

·         "Grow our SEO market share from 3% to 5% in the next financial year." This objective focuses on growing market share.

 

Setting goals for various sorts of businesses

 

If you run a transactional firm with an e-commerce component, you'll want to focus your goals on monitoring sales and lead conversions. If you're running a non-ecommerce business site, though, you should concentrate on lead creation.

If you run an informative business, you're more likely to create goals centered on brand awareness or website traffic.

Finally, keep in mind that SEO is never complete, even if you have fully implemented your SEO plan. When it comes to SEO, you may need to switch strategies in the middle of the game, play a lengthy game, and wait for the final outcomes. However, with a good SEO foundation in place – and a little patience – the advantages of your SEO strategy should start to show, leading to a better client experience and more conversions for your company.


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