How Does SEO Work?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies for driving organic traffic to websites. It’s a widely known but often misunderstood term, with many wondering how search engines rank websites and how businesses can improve their rankings. Understanding the fundamentals of SEO is crucial for any business looking to establish an online presence, attract potential customers, and increase sales.

This article will explain how SEO works, including how search engines rank websites, the factors that influence rankings, and how businesses can enhance their SEO efforts.

Understanding SEO: What Is It?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It refers to optimising a website’s content, structure, and overall performance to improve its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. The goal is to make the website visible to users searching for relevant products, services, or information.

SEO is crucial because the higher a website ranks on the SERPs, the more likely it is to be clicked on. Statistics show that the first five results on Google account for over 60% of all clicks. This demonstrates how important it is for businesses to ensure their websites are well-optimised to rank higher and attract organic traffic.

How Do Search Engines Work?

Search engines like Google follow a three-step process to deliver the most relevant results to users:

1. Crawling: Search engines use bots (spiders or crawlers) to scan the internet and discover new or updated content. These bots crawl through web pages, following links to explore new content and storing data about these pages.
2. Indexing: Once a page is crawled, the search engine decides whether or not to include it in its index. The index is a giant database of all the web pages the search engine has found and deemed valuable enough to show in search results. Only indexed pages are eligible to appear in search results.
3. Ranking: When a user enters a search query, the search engine sifts through its index and ranks the pages in order of relevance. Several factors determine the ranking, including content quality, user experience, and keyword relevance.

Key SEO Ranking Factors

Search engines use complex algorithms to rank websites. Although the exact algorithms are not publicly disclosed, several well-known factors influence a website’s ranking. Here are the primary factors:

Keyword Usage and Content Quality

Keywords are the terms and phrases that users type into search engines when looking for specific information. Proper keyword usage is critical in SEO, as search engines need to understand what your content is about to match it to relevant queries.

To optimise for keywords:

• Conduct thorough keyword research to identify terms relevant to your business.
• Use keywords naturally in titles, headers, meta descriptions, and throughout the body of your content.
• Avoid keyword stuffing, as it can lead to penalties from search engines.

Additionally, search engines prioritise high-quality, valuable content. The content should be well-written, informative, and engaging. Google, in particular, favours content that satisfies the “E-E-A-T” criteria: Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the optimisation of elements directly on your website. This includes:

• Title tags and meta descriptions are the first things users see in search results. They should be descriptive, contain relevant keywords, and encourage clicks.
• Headings (H1, H2, H3): Proper use of heading tags helps structure your content and makes it easier for search engines to understand the page’s main topics.
• Internal linking: Linking to other pages within your website improves user navigation and helps search engines crawl and index your site more efficiently.
• Image optimisation: Use alt text to describe images, as search engines cannot “see” images but rely on text to understand them.

Technical SEO

Technical SEO involves optimising the backend of your website to ensure that search engines can crawl and index it effectively. Some critical elements include:

• Site speed: Pages that load quickly rank better, as users are likelier to engage with a fast-loading site.
• Mobile-friendliness: With more users accessing websites on mobile devices, Google has adopted a mobile-first indexing policy, prioritising mobile-optimised websites.
• XML sitemap: This file lists all the critical pages on your website, making it easier for search engines to discover and index your content.
• Robots.txt: This file tells search engines which pages they should and shouldn’t crawl.

Backlinks

Backlinks (links from other websites to your site) are among the most powerful ranking factors. Search engines view backlinks as votes of confidence, meaning that if other reputable sites link to your content, it must be valuable.

However, not all backlinks are created equal. Search engines favour high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites over those from low-quality or spammy sites.

User Experience (UX)

Search engines aim to provide the best possible experience for users. As a result, they take user experience into account when ranking websites. Key aspects of good UX include:

• Mobile usability: A website that functions well on both desktop and mobile devices.
• Easy navigation: A well-organised website structure helps users quickly find what they are looking for.
• Low bounce rate: If users leave your website quickly after visiting, search engines may interpret this as a sign that your content is not relevant or engaging.

How to Improve SEO for Your Website

Improving your SEO is an ongoing process, but there are some best practices you can implement to boost your rankings:

1. Perform Keyword Research: Identify relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush can help.
2. Create High-Quality Content: Focus on producing valuable, relevant content that addresses your audience’s needs and questions.
3. Optimise On-Page Elements: Ensure your title tags, meta descriptions, and headings are optimised for your target keywords.
4. Build Backlinks: Reach out to authoritative websites in your industry and ask them to link to your content.
5. Improve Site Speed: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify issues slowing down your website and fix them.
6. Ensure Mobile Optimisation: Test your website’s mobile usability and make any necessary adjustments to improve the mobile experience.