Search engine optimisation (SEO)

Definition

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy aimed at improving a website’s visibility and ranking on search engine results pages for relevant keywords and phrases. 

What is search engine optimisation?

SEO involves optimising various aspects of a website and its content to align with the algorithms used by search engines to determine the relevance and authority of web pages.

Some key components of SEO include:

• Keyword research: Identifying and targeting the most relevant keywords and search queries that potential visitors use to find products, services, or information.
• On-page optimisation: Optimising various elements within individual web pages to make them more search engine-friendly. This includes optimising meta tags, headings, URL structure, and content optimisation.
• Technical SEO: Addressing technical aspects of a website to improve its crawlability, indexability, and overall performance in search engines. 
• Content creation and marketing: Producing high-quality, relevant, and engaging content that satisfies user intent and provides value to the target audience.
• Link building: Getting high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites to improve a site’s authority, credibility, and search engine rankings.
• Monitoring and analytics: Tracking and analysing website performance, keyword rankings, traffic sources, user behaviour, and other key metrics using tools. 

Example of search engine optimisation

Imagine a small local bakery, “Sunrise Bakery,” located in a bustling city. The bakery wants to increase its online visibility and attract more customers to its website. They decide to implement some basic SEO tactics to improve their search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic.

Sunrise Bakery conducts keyword research to identify relevant search terms that potential customers might use. They discover that keywords like “best bakery in [city name],” “freshly baked bread,” and “artisan pastries” have high search volumes.

Furthermore, Sunrise Bakery optimises their website’s pages by incorporating these targeted keywords into the meta titles, meta descriptions, headings, and content of their website. They also make sure to regularly update their website with fresh, relevant content and ensure that their content is informative and engaging.

SEO helps Sunrise Bakery establish a stronger online presence, compete effectively in the local market, and drive growth for their business