Ranking well in search engine results pages (SERPs) is one of the most essential tasks that businesses can perform online. Appearing as one of the first results for specific searches adds credibility and gives your business more opportunities to convert visitors to customers, with people generally trusting first page results more than subsequent pages.
Search engines use an intricate algorithm to select results for each search query. They take into account user intent, the words used in their query and page content when making this determination; additionally they gather aggregated user behavior data to assess whether or not this page provides value or assistance to their searcher.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and refers to optimizing a website’s content and structure to match the algorithms of major search engines, most notably Google. While other search engines exist, most are less dominant.
As of 2009, Google held an estimated market share of 83% in the US; only few large markets other than those within Europe did not experience such dominance from Google search engines.
When users search the internet for something specific, it is essential that they receive results which are both accurate and useful. To do this effectively, search engines must first survey and understand all of the websites comprising the global web before running an algorithm to select relevant results to display on screen.
Search engines also analyze the quality of pages as part of their evaluation process, looking at factors like number of links on a page as well as length of visit and interaction with other pages on the website.
SEO’s primary purpose is to improve organic results on search engine result pages (SERPs), or non-sponsored results. While sponsored results such as AdWords campaigns can play an integral part of any marketing strategy, organic traffic often provides more tangible returns.
Understanding SEO and its workings can be instrumental in making more informed decisions about online marketing strategies. But remember, SEO should never be seen as an end in itself; rather it should help identify search intent for target audiences, then optimize content to meet that intent.
Writing SEO articles requires writing with your audience in mind rather than search engines in mind. By creating articles that your reader finds engaging and useful, search engines will reward your work by ranking it higher. Furthermore, research your keywords carefully prior to starting writing – using tools like the Google Keyword Planner, Uber Suggest or Wordstream’s Keyword Tool can be extremely helpful here – while beginning SEO efforts is best done using less competitive long-tail keywords that won’t overwhelm newcomers to the field.