How Does SEO Work & Does it Actually Help?
Curious about the magic behind high search engine rankings? You’ve come to the right place! In today’s digital world, where search engines are our go-to sources for information, understanding SEO is crucial. This FAQ will not only explain how it works, but also demonstrate its effectiveness in helping businesses thrive online.
How Does SEO Work?
Optimize. Search. Get found.
First, let’s refresh. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a service that optimizes websites to help search engines find and rank them on the search engine results pages (SERPs). It involves an array of techniques that are designed to enhance the visibility, ranking, and relevance of various types of content to those who are seeking information. This can include webpages, video clips, pictures, local business listings, and other resources.
▼ How Search Engines Work
To understand how SEO works, you must first understand how search engines work to find and categorize the extensive amounts of data throughout the World Wide Web. All done through dynamic algorithms and AI, there are three main ways that this happens:
- Crawling (Discovery Stage): Search engines send out crawlers to find new pages and record information about them. They also periodically check the content of previously known pages to make sure no major changes have occurred.
- Indexing (Filing Stage): Once a search engine has crawled content, it must decide whether or not to index it. Indexing is the process of filing and storing web pages and other pieces of content into a database so that they can be readily accessed when needed.
- Ranking (Retrieval Stage): The final stage, ranking refers to a website’s position in the SERP based on popularity, importance, and relevance of web pages to search queries. There are more than 200 ranking signals that search engines use to sort and rank content. All in order to provide users with the most accurate results.
▼ How SEO Works
How does SEO work? If your business wants to be found when searchers are looking for your products or services, SEO makes it easier for search engines to find your product or service webpage.
Simply put, SEO works by putting relevant words and phrases in parts of a web page (links, metadata, keywords, headers, etc.) where search engines will find them. Then, as search engines crawl the internet looking for the most relevant results to the queries they process, they can pull information from your SEO markup and match you to potential customers.
Don’t forget though, it’s not all about content and keywords. The algorithms also aim to match searchers with good experiences. Therefore, UI/UX is also important as it does impact ranking. For example, having fast load times and being mobile-friendly.
Does SEO Really Work?
Make your investment into SEO work for your business.
The question of the hour, but in short answer, yes. SEO works when best practices are followed and it is done correctly. However, when done incorrectly, it doesn’t work and this may lead people to believe that it is pointless.
Search engine optimization is an essential part of any successful marketing strategy. It can do wonders for a business, from boosting brand recognition to driving traffic and sales revenue. Improving the ranking of a website on search engines can help bring in more visitors who are likely to convert into customers. Additionally, it helps businesses target users using various platforms such as voice search, mobile devices, and social media.
Note: SEO is not an exact science. Additionally, algorithms change and updates are often made that may create fluctuations in performance. Therefore, top SEO companies must stay ahead of changes in order to keep up-to-date on the current best practices.
Empower Your Website: Take Action with SEO
Ready to unlock the power of SEO and take your website to the next level? Our comprehensive guide dives deeper into specific SEO tactics and strategies you can implement to:
🍭 Increase your organic website traffic 🍭
🍭 Attract qualified customers 🍭
🍭 Improve your search engine ranking 🍭
🍭 Gain greater visibility online 🍭
🍭 Boost brand awareness 🍭
🍭 Establish yourself as a leader in your industry 🍭
Still have questions or need help getting started? Our experienced SEO team is here to assist you! Contact us today for a consultation and discover how we can customize an SEO plan to achieve your unique business goals.
Need more SEO insights?
Explore our FAQ like a delightful dessert buffet. Click a question for a single bite or savor the entire knowledge base!
▼ Beginner SEO FAQ
How to Learn SEO
What is an SEO Campaign Strategy?
How to Identify Keywords for SEO
What is SEO Copy & How to Write SEO Content?
What is an SEO Title?
What is Meta Tag in SEO?
Why is Having Duplicate Content an Issue for SEO?
What Is On-Page & Off-Page SEO?
Why are Internal Links Important for SEO?
What are Backlinks & Link Building in SEO?