These days, having a successful online business (or any business for that matter) requires having a great website. We know that, right?! Part of having a great website involves attention to SEO success.
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is a detailed process by which a website’s visibility is maximised via organic, or unpaid, results. A website with great SEO will be near or at the top of search engine results for designated and relevant keywords that reflect what web users might insert into a search engine when looking for what the said business offers.
So what is involved in SEO?
It’s not a simple answer; however a great explanation is available from searchengineland.com and their infographic from Column Five Media…
Image: http://searchengineland.com/seotable
Now it may look a bit overwhelming, but this is actually a topic I get asked about all the time and people are actually quite scared by SEO. But it’s not that hard to deal with when it comes to your blog and online content. And if you get stuck there are professionals who can help you.
Back to the table above … It’s a clever summary of the major factors involved in search engine optimisation. Like a complicated recipe, it incorporates the many ranking factors which, in the right combination, represent what search engines reward when ranking websites for visibility. But it’s something you work your way through.
The recipe for SEO success involves an array of factors; some are of higher importance than others.
ON-PAGE SEO
Some of these are on-page; this means they are in the direct control of the website owner or publisher (that’s you!). They include considerations such as content amount, originality, and quality, relevant keyword use, trending topic matter, page layout, the architecture of the website, duplication, mobile optimisation, and how the site loads. It also incorporates coding considerations.
OFF-PAGE SEO
Off-page factors in SEO include elements that are influenced by the audience and other online publishers. They include such considerations as whether the website is a trusted authority: do links and shares depict it as a trusted authority in its field? To visitors take time to engage with the site? Has the site been operational and active for a long time, or is it new (or inactive)? Has the site been flagged by search engines as having duplicate content? Are there too many adverts on the page? Do links work? Does the site have an active and popular social presence?
All of these factors link together and, when the combination is perfected, SEO success is assured.
SEO SUCCESS SERIES!
Over the next few articles we publish on this blog, we’ll look more closely at the recipe for SEO success based on this innovative SEO table; from an in depth look at:
- On-page SEO factors
- Content writing tips for SEO
- Off-page SEO factors you need to consider for the ultimate success of your website
- SEO trends now and what the future may hold.
It’s an exciting time to have an online business! Stay tuned for some more SEO secrets when it comes to your online content.
STICK AROUND: Here’s a blog I wrote on perception that was featured on Flying Solo.
