Search engine optimization (SEO) drives free, ongoing traffic to your website by creating content that matches the keywords people use to find products and services like yours. SEO is not a one-time task; it requires regular work, but the payoff is more traffic to your pages over time.

What actually moves a page up the rankings?

A site’s ranking depends on how well it is optimized across page speed, content quality, and user experience. Google relies on more than 200 factors to rank a website, though some carry more weight than others. Increasing page load time, creating quality content, and optimizing meta tags all matter. Meta descriptions matter less than the others.

How does content fit into the customer journey?

A high-quality content strategy keeps you present at every stage of the customer journey. Strong content aligns with the searches your target audience runs and engages prospects at every stage of the marketing funnel. Businesses that skip SEO miss significant revenue opportunities, including selling more ecommerce products, building brand awareness, and capturing traffic from TV ads.

Why are backlinks so important?

Links play an important role in SEO, and obtaining high-quality links is one of the most effective levers available. Backlinks from authority sites pass more PageRank than links from low-authority sites, which is why links are so crucial for search engine rankings. Not every link has the same voting value, so when you build backlinks, consider the purpose and context. The link text should be relevant to the page’s content.

What is conversion rate optimization?

Conversion rate optimization is another SEO method that requires testing and tracking, including A/B testing and measuring the effects of different changes. Search marketers know that traffic alone is not enough; they also need to understand what drives visitors to buy. A/B testing used to be complex until tools like Optimizely arrived, which offer a visual editor so you can change your site without writing code.

How should you write title tags?

The title tag is different from the H1 tag. When people search for a product or service, they type a relevant keyword into a search bar, and in Google the title tag shows up in a black box. The title tag is the most prominent heading and should contain the main keyword. Make it compelling and enticing, since that is the ultimate goal of SEO.

How often does Google change the rules?

Google constantly updates its algorithms and the methods behind them. Even with hundreds of SEO firms operating in the US, Google still dominates the search market worldwide. As of June 2008, Google held close to 90% of the search market in the UK. A Google Hummingbird update can have a significant impact on SEO. The best strategy is to focus on high-quality content, relevant keywords, and a reputable backlink profile.

Where does paid search fit in?

Paid search results (PPC) are paid advertisements that appear at the top of SERPs. The advertiser pays for the ads and only pays again when someone clicks. The benefit is targeted traffic to your landing page very quickly, which makes PPC a good option for time-sensitive promotions. It may not be effective for every business, so test carefully.

What is structured data used for?

Structured data helps Google understand what content on your site is important and useful to users. The right structure makes your pages eligible for special features in Google Search results, including review stars and richer-looking results. Search engines also need a unique URL for each piece of content so they can send users to the right place. Avoid duplicative content because it hurts rankings, though search engines do not penalize sites that use duplicate content.

How does presentation affect rankings?

Google wants to show results that are usable and visually appealing, so your site should display well on desktops and mobile devices. Use schema markup, a subset of HTML tags that explain your content to Google; the author of the Bitcoin example used schema markup to create a rating for the Bitcoin site. Schema is not a heavy-ranking factor on its own, but it is a good practice that helps your pages stand out.

Related coverage

• Local SEO – How to Get Your Website to Rank Higher on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
• SEO for Business Owners: Unlocking the Power of Search Engine Optimization