Search Engine Optimization

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Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Other forms of search engine marketing (SEM) target paid listings. In general, the earlier (or higher on the page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a web site web presence.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.

The acronym "SEO" can refer to "search engine optimizers," a term adopted by an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design. The term "search engine friendly" may be used to describe web site designs, menus, content management systems, images, videos, shopping carts, and other elements that have been optimized for the purpose of search engine exposure.

Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or spamdexing, uses methods such as link farms, keyword stuffing and article spinning that degrade both the relevance of search results and the user-experience of search engines. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques in order to remove them from their indices.

SEO: What We Can Do?

Analyze competitor and industry related websites including newsletters, blogs, etc. to develop and enhance SEO efforts;
Optimize links and landing pages for conversion from search engines;
Use web metrics tools to evaluate search engine traffic and rankings and their impact on conversion;
Implementation, research, and analysis of key metrics to determine new marketing strategies and projects while maintaining a positive ROI;
Evaluating and recommending SEO opportunities, including all site structure changes, content and linking strategies;
Implementation, testing, and management of customer acquisition and retention strategies, with the use of newsletters, promotions, and other creative initiatives;
Analysis and optimization of existing PPC (pay per click) campaigns.

What You Need to Know before Hiring A SEO Company?

Before you're looking to hire an SEO company or a specialist, there are some important prerequisites you need to think about.

1. Technical SEO

If you think SEO is all about keyword research and then wordsmithing (think stuffing) them on a page, then you’re in for a surprise. That’s not what it’s all about.

SEO is about making websites better at both the page and server level in a structured way to enhance their chances of being found on search engines, with the eventual goal of generating traffic and conversion.

Yes, knowing on-page optimization (e.g., title tags, alt tags, H1, copy optimization) is helpful but it's more critical to understand the technical side of SEO, such as code. You can win your IT battles easily if you’re well-versed with technical SEO.

Go ahead and learn everything related to technical SEO, including server-side settings, sitemaps, server response codes, rewrites, and more.

Understanding both page-level optimization and server-level optimization is what makes a rounded SEO practitioner.

2. Social Media Marketing

Does a day go by when you don't hear about social media? Not in this wired world.

Social media skills shouldn't be limited to maintaining accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, but actually driving traffic from social sites. Traffic generating exercises that can help you develop into a well-rounded SEO include creating fan acquisition strategies, working on building Twitter followers, and optimizing videos on YouTube.

Yes, leveraging social media tactics for link building is critical, but the modern SEO needs to generate traffic and acquire customers through social media. Increasingly, we're seeing synergies between SEO and social media and this integration is only increasing.

3. Link Building

With the rise in social media platforms over the past few years the opportunities to build links has increased tremendously.

Now we have traditional (legitimate) ways of building links like good old-fashioned directories, association sites, credible high PR sites, and so on. These links are also known as permanent links with a longer “shelf life” than say temporal type of links acquired through social media channels (e.g., content syndication, blogs, Twitter, bookmarking).

The other side is internal link optimization – not just on your own properties but also on social media platforms such as your Facebook page. With so much content created by your internal social media team, internal link optimization could be the low-hanging fruit you want to go after.

It's critical for SEOs to be skilled in both external link building and internal link optimization.

4. Usability & Information Architecture

SEOs should value the importance of good site usability. Site usability implies how your objects are placed on your page and if the information you provide on your site is useful for the users and if your site is easy to use and navigate.

Learning about information architecture is critical as well since it’s all about how you organize content on your site, decide on your folder structure, and how you label elements on your site. This is often an area where SEOs make mistakes especially when they take a keyword approach to IA.

Again, as competition increases and attention span of users decreases, it's important to not let your visitors drop off your site.

5. Content Marketing

Content is really what engages users and is a great way to get visitors into your marketing funnel, so it's essential as an SEO you possess this skill. Content marketing can be divided into two main tasks: content creation and content distribution.

An SEO need to be well versed with both pieces of content marketing strategy, especially content creation. You may come across situations when there will be lots of excitement in your company to create content – from bizarre content creation ideas ("Let’s create 1 million new pages!") to ideas that have keyword stuffing written all over it.

As an SEO, it's your job to act as a gatekeeper and support content ideas that can add value to search engines and users. Basic skills like keyword research, finding content gaps, and distributing your content will come in handy.