What Is SEO






In Search Engine Optimization, we are interested in ranking websites that have the best content for search intent and do not necessarily rank better in SERPs. The goal is to make your website rank higher on Google to attract more traffic. The more traffic you get, the more visitors you will receive and eventually more leads. There are three main types of SEO: On-page, off-page, and longtail. Here are a few things about how these different types of SEO work.


On-page SEO


On-page SEO (also known as on-site SEO) is everything that happens on this page itself. It’s what makes it visible and searchable. A good example is site architecture. If there isn’t enough space, no one can view or read what’s on this page. When there is plenty of room, people can browse and read the content with ease. This is usually called “user experience” because it is the user’s experience. Good on-page SEO takes time to build and maintain. You must create high-quality content that has both relevant keywords and offers searchers exactly what they are looking for to be found and rank well on search engines. Keywords play an important role in getting ranked because if too many keyword-rich keywords are used, the search engine will see that your pages aren’t that useful or valuable and won’t rank them for that phrase. Asking yourself, ‘what are my top 3 most-searched terms in local?’ could help you think through what you should add and focus on doing more of that than less. Remember that when adding new topics or articles, always include at least 5-10 keywords per paragraph; otherwise, that’s too much information and can slow down the search process. One thing that I always recommend to anyone new to writing articles is don’t just start writing and try rewriting what you thought were great ideas. Instead, write a minimum of two drafts until you find something that flows like magic. Then rewrite it and refine it to perfection. Your first draft might not be perfect but writing and editing it over and over again can become second nature. Once you get into the habit, you’ll know right away what works and what doesn’t.


Off-page SEO


Off-page SEO refers to all other elements outside of the webpage that can affect rankings for the target keywords. Examples of these off-page factors are guest posting on authoritative sites, links, social media shares, press mentions, and reviews. The point is, any activity done outside the site that could affect its ranking in search engines can. This may come from an article created by someone else in another publication, or even via blog comments from others. These activities of course go beyond the site and could result in backlinks that provide further authority and influence in the search results. But then again, some keywords, such as ‘best coffee shop in London’ or ‘best sushi restaurant near me’ would benefit from having multiple entries in the same post or even on separate pages. Just make sure you stay consistent throughout your efforts. For example, I have a list of places to find free wifi in Berlin. I created a whole article specifically about it and included my location and details so it wouldn't just be a place to grab a quick breakfast or lunch. Each listing contains just as many helpful tips and tricks as the next. Also, it had the name ‘best coffee shop in Berlin’ at the end. People can now easily click on the title to read more information about those specific locations or locations. Not only does this mean that you can increase the number of clicks to your website but also improve your overall web credibility through online reputation management tools such as HARO (Help Me Out).


Longtail keywords


Long tail keywords are keywords that people type in the URL field when searching. They're often used for “hot topic searches” where a person wants to look up and answer questions on topics that interest them. Many times a person who uses longer keywords for their searches is researching and finding answers and topics that interest them. We should all look for ways to use keywords in our searches because the longer a keyword is, and the deeper the relatedness of that query, the higher up the first page we rank for. Long tail keywords provide searchers with additional context about the topic they are trying to gain answers for. For example, a keyword like 'best Italian restaurants near me' would show all the places listed within a 30-mile radius of that person. Or it could mean something along the lines of ‘best Indian deli’ because it contains a very specific word, the phrase. Another common one is 'the best sushi restaurant near me, which is just a way of saying, 'the best Japanese food. So much information! And as you can imagine, that means more traffic to your site as well as more relevant posts in the future for searchers to enjoy browsing through. It's a lot easier and quicker to research and find out about various places than to have to do it all on one search engine!