What is SEO and Why Does it Matter to You?
SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and refers to how search engines like Google rank pages in search results. That really matters, because research shows most people don’t even click to the second page of results or beyond. Therefore, a search for the service you offer in your area should bring your business up consistently on the first page.
That’s not a simple matter, as it turns out. The logic behind how search engines work is complicated and somewhat mysterious. Search engine providers tend to keep these algorithms secret, and they’re always changing. Understanding SEO and keeping up with these changes is essential to being able to market your business online. It’s a deep subject that requires constant monitoring.
On-Page vs. Off-Page
Successful online marketing considers several factors. On-page SEO refers to the Internal optimization of your business’s web pages. This is done so that your specific pages will have a high rank and more relevant traffic in different search engines. Utilizing strong content, the HTML source code of a page, and title tags – an element of HTML are just a few factors that go into on-page SEO. These are factors that can be controlled directly.
However, there are also external factors that affect your search rankings over which you have some control. This is known as off-page SEO. Off-page SEO takes into account other sites that link to yours, social media mentions, online citations, blogs, videos, and more. While on-page SEO focuses on your website content and structure, off-page SEO encompasses the wider web presence and reputation of your site. A successful SEO approach requires a balance of strong on-page and off-page optimization.