What is SEO, and how does it work?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is a set of strategies used to increase the visibility and ranking of websites in search engine results. SEO involves optimising webpages to make them more attractive to search engines. It includes activities such as adding relevant keywords to content, optimising web page titles and descriptions, and ensuring that webpages are easily accessible to search engine crawlers.

Search engines use algorithms to sort through webpages, and the algorithms look for certain signals to determine the relevance of content to a query. These signals include the quality of the content, how often the content is updated, the number of external links pointing to the webpage, and the number of clicks to the webpage from a search engine result.

For us humans, it's the same as knowing that the dictionary is arranged alphabetically or even the category signages in a grocery store. If you are looking for something, you will try to find it where you think it should be, right? And that's why —

SEO is important for your business

For business owners, visibility is everything. 

What good would the quality of our services be if our potential customers don't have the slightest idea about us? When you look something up on your preferred search engine, what are the chances you have to go to the second page to find what you're looking for? 

Say, for example, if you search "dance studio near me" or "best burger in Sydney", you'd only look at the first few results because it would only make sense that if you ask for the best, the search engine will give you the best on the first page. 

SEO can provide a range of benefits for businesses, such as increased website traffic and better visibility in search engine results. SEO can help improve your brand's visibility and make it easier for potential customers to find and interact with your business. It can also increase your website authority, which can result in more exposure for your business and a higher ranking in search engine results.

Right now, search for a keyword that best defines your business. Does your website appear on the first page of search results? 

Optimising your website for search engines

That leads to the next question: how? To give you an even clearer idea of how SEO works, here are five tips on how to optimise your website:

Use Relevant Keywords

Using relevant keywords throughout the content on your website is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to SEO. Pick keywords related to your website's content and make sure to use them naturally in the content to improve your search engine rankings. 

Structure Your Site with HTML

Using HTML to structure your site is a great way to ensure search engines can easily find and index your content. This will help your website rank higher, as search engines will be able to understand your website better and find it more easily. 

Optimise Your Site for Mobile

More and more people are now using mobile devices to access the web, so it's important to ensure your website is optimised for mobile. Make sure that your website is responsive and looks good on any device. This will improve your search engine rankings, as most search engines are now taking mobile-friendliness into account when ranking websites. 

Make Your Site Fast

A fast-loading website is essential for improving your website's search engine rankings. Make sure to optimise your images, minify your HTML and CSS files, and use caching to ensure your website loads quickly. 

Use Internal Links

Using internal links on your website can help search engines crawl through your website more efficiently. It would help to link to other pages on your website to make it easier for search engines to find and index your content. 

By combining content and technical strategies, businesses can maximise their organic search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to their website. 

Off-page SEO strategies to increase traffic & rankings

You can extend your reach to other audiences even outside your website's range. After all, there are different ways in which people can find out about your services. Off-page SEO focuses on obtaining links from other websites, improving brand mentions, and engaging in social media and online communities.

Building Links

Link building is one of the most important aspects of off-page SEO, as it helps to boost a website's relevance in the eyes of search engines. Link building involves creating relationships with other websites and persuading them to link to yours. This requires creating content that is informative, engaging, and of high quality.

Social Media

Social media is a great way to engage with potential customers and increase brand awareness. By posting regularly, promoting content, and engaging with users, you can ensure that more people see your brand. Additionally, many search engines now factor in social media likes/shares when ranking a website.

Online Communities

Participating in online communities is another effective way to boost your SEO rankings. By engaging in conversations, sharing your expertise, and providing helpful information, you can establish yourself as an authority in your niche. This, in turn, can lead users to link to your website.

Brand Mentions

Lastly, brand mentions are a great way to increase search engine rankings. Whenever your brand name is mentioned on another website, search engines see this as a "vote of confidence, " which will reward you with a higher ranking.

Monitoring and measuring the success of your SEO efforts

SEO is a long-term process, and it can be difficult to measure the success of your SEO efforts. Fortunately, there are many tools available online to view the metrics mentioned below:

Keyword Rankings

By monitoring the rankings of your website's target keywords, you can measure the success of your SEO efforts. If your website's rankings for a particular keyword have risen, that's a sign that your SEO efforts are paying off. Similarly, if your rankings have dropped, you know that there is room for improvement.

Traffic

Monitoring the amount of website traffic is a great way to measure the success of SEO efforts. Through analytics software like Google Analytics, you can track the number of visitors who visit your website each month. If the number of visitors is increasing, it's a good sign that your SEO campaigns are performing well and driving more people towards your website. 

Conversions

Tracking conversions is another critical metric for measuring SEO success. Conversions can include anything from sales to newsletter signups or downloads. 

Click-Through Rates

Click-through rates (CTRs) are another important metric to measure the success of SEO efforts. CTRs measure the number of users who click on your website's link in search engine results, compared to how many people view the results. 

Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. They are important because they indicate that other websites are vouching for your website's content and trustworthiness. 

By monitoring the metrics outlined above, you can determine whether your SEO campaigns are having a positive effect. And if it is, expect more customers coming your way!

Let us do the work for you! 

When it comes to SEO, many companies face the difficult decision of whether to take on the task themselves or outsource it to an SEO agency. While it's possible to do SEO yourself, there are some clear benefits to using an agency that make it worth the cost.

At RJW Digital, we have everything you need to grow your business. If you are a business owner in New South Wales or anywhere in Australia, we have you covered.

SEO is a complex field, and understanding it fully can take a lot of time, effort, and patience. Our team at RJW Digital has experts with years of experience in the field and can bring that expertise to your business. We will help you identify and create a custom-tailored strategy for your website and ensure that you are taking all the necessary steps to get the best possible results.

If it's SEO services you're looking for, the search is over! Give us a call at 1300 545 237 for a free strategy session and let's talk SEO and other ways to grow your online presence.