SEO, short for ‘search engine optimisation’ is the process by which websites achieve what re commonly referred to as ‘organic’ rankings on search engines. Although Google is by far the most dominant online search engine, with more than 80% of search traffic being via Google Search, others do exist and they should be paid due attention. These include the likes of Yahoo, Bing and Chinese search engine Baidu.
The main focus of SEO is to get websites further up the rankings on search engines for target keywords and search terms relating to the website in question. There are a number of widely accepted SEO practices which are deemed to be best practice, including one of the starting points of any SEO campaign, the keyword research to identify what to target in the first place. Strategies for targeting what are known as ‘long tail’ or ‘short tail’ terms form the very basis of any SEO work.
An example of a long tail search term in a niche area would include ‘how can I spread straw across my field?’ whereas the equivalent short tail search term may be ‘straw spreading’ (source: Straw Spreader).
Meta Data
Meta data, which includes the meta title and meta description of each individual page are fundamental to a website’s rankings. It is the meta data, along with the page URL which Google and other search engines pay initial and very strong attention to when deciding where to rank a page. It is therefore very important that a website’s meta data (however many pages the site has in total) is one of the first aspects optimised as part of any SEO campaign.
When it comes to the meta data, there should be attention paid to the target keywords of each page to ensure it is clear, but not spammy and over-emphasised for search engines to understand what the page in question is focusing upon.
Backlinks
Backlinks are one of the most important aspects of website SEO. Backlinks refer to the links which point towards the site in question; the stronger the site referring users to yours, the better the backlink. For example, a link from the BBC or CNN to your website will be a great deal stronger and more effective than one from a small blog in another country.
Backlinks are seen as a trust signal for search engines; if strong and authoritative websites reference a particular website, it is more likely that website deserves a great deal more exposure than it is already getting, so search engines push it higher up. It should be noted though, that backlinks should not be paid for. Rather, you should earn and naturally accrue these through high quality content others link to.
Website Performance
Ultimately, if users come to you site but do not engage or simply cannot engage, the entire premise of SEO is useless. Hence, search engines pay attention t the performance and responsiveness of websites. Those that perform faster and more efficiently are afforded better positions as they serve users much better. Other performance factors may include:
- Mobile and tablet device performance
- Clarity of content
- Ease of website navigation
- Does the website do what it claims to do?
- Do users follow logical journeys one on the site?