Google processes about 8.5 billion searches every day. Despite the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, users still use Google to obtain information, navigate website pages, and perform transactions.
If you’re looking to drive more online traffic to your business, SEO is a non-negotiable. In this article, we’ll explore the basics of SEO, how SEO works, the different types of SEO, and the best practices for seamless Search Engine Optimization.
What is SEO in Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is a huge umbrella, encompassing social media, email, paid advertising, video marketing and even web design. However, most experts regard Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as the most important digital marketing method.
SEO is the methodology of ranking web pages organically without requiring ad spend. The higher your website ranks, the more free traffic your site can drive. If done right, SEO can bring sustainable and exponential growth to your business.
How Does SEO Work?
Now, how exactly does SEO work? The basics of SEO can actually be more complicated than it looks. It’s not just about keywords, backlinks, and content. There are a lot more moving parts and nuances that are happening in the background.
Types of SEO
To properly break down the scope of SEO, it’s best to mention the different types of SEO and how each category contributes to the bigger picture:
On-page SEO
Also called on-site SEO, on-page SEO is all about optimizing your site’s pages for both users and search engines. This involves creating high-level content to boost shareability and dwell time; crafting great titles and meta descriptions for better click-through rate, and making sure that web crawlers can easily understand and index your site. Other specific on-page SEO elements include:
- Using target keywords in the right places– naturally within the URL, page title, meta description, headers, alt text, and throughout the article.
- Structuring content using header tags (H1-H6)
- Using structured data markup
- Doing image compression
- Ensuring internal linking
- Maintaining the best practices for site integrity
Off-page SEO
While on-page SEO concerns everything done within the website to boost discoverability and visibility, off-page SEO focuses on the activities done off your website like link building, email outreach, local citations, guest blogging, and more.
The main goal of off-page SEO is to gather backlinks, which are inbound or incoming links created when another website links to your website. Search engines consider them votes from other websites that make you appear more credible and authoritative.
Technical SEO
Simply put, technical SEO refers to the technical optimizations done to make your web pages faster, more crawlable, and more secure. Things like site speed, mobile experience, and crawling and indexing are all part of the technical SEO department.
Local SEO
Local SEO involves more specialized measures that help your site connect with searchers in specific target areas. Brick-and-mortar businesses should employ local SEO strategies in order to effectively reach their local audience.
To learn more about the best SEO practices for each type mentioned above, check out our comprehensive guide on the most effective SEO strategies.
There are other specific types of SEO such as ecommerce SEO, YouTube SEO, Image SEO, Voice Search SEO, International SEO, and even social SEO. It’s all about knowing what your core business goals are and tailoring your SEO strategy to align with those goals.
SEO Tools You Need
Even if you can afford to hire a team of SEO experts, the basics of SEO are still worth learning in order to make informed decisions and communicate effectively with your team. To do that, these SEO tools can be a great starting point:
Google Search Console
GSC provides accurate and direct data straight from Google. You can get comprehensive insights, identify technical issues, and monitor indexation all for free.
Keyword Research Tools
You can’t find the right keywords to target for SEO without doing keyword research. Keyword research tools allow you to discover the exact terms people are using to find information online along with their search volume and keyword difficulty.
On-page SEO tools
WordPress plugins like Yoast and RankMath can help with on-page optimization. Google Analytics itself is also a great source of insights into user behavior and traffic sources.
Backlink Analysis Tools
Tools like Ahrefes, Semrush, Moz, and Ubersuggest have backlink analysis features that allow you to track, evaluate, and optimize your backlink strategy.
Site Audit Tools
If you want a comprehensive site audit tool, SEO Checker can help you perform SEO, Speed, and Security audits instantly.
Rank Tracking Tools
The big SEO tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Ubersuggest all have rank tracking tools, but you can also just use Google Search Console to check which queries show your website, the number of impressions, and how often searchers click through those queries.
Content Optimization Tools
One of the best SEO practices is to ensure that you’re doing keyword research before developing your content, but there also are certain Content Optimization tools that allow you to scan your content afterwards and make further tweaks and enhancements to boost SEO. Some of these tools include SurferSEO, Clearscope, and Yoast SEO. Certain tools may not optimize your content directly for SEO but would help you generate high-quality and original content– these tools include Copyscape, Grammarly, and Hemmingway Editor.
Link Building Tools
There are lots of tools that can help with link building, PR, and content promotion. Explore tools like BuzzStream, Hunter, CisionOne, and Respona to streamline your link-building efforts.
Technical SEO Tools
Try SEO Checker, a powerful SEO, Speed, and Security optimizer that not only detects SEO issues, speed bottlenecks, and security vulnerabilities but also gives thorough guidance on how to fix each. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, SEO Checker guides you through each fix with simple, easy-to-understand instructions.
Local SEO Tools
Your Google Business Profile can definitely make or break your local SEO game. Make sure that it’s fully optimized and make use of Google Analytics and Google Search Console to obtain more local SEO insights. There are also other tools like BrightLocal and Localo that can help with review management and citation tracking and building.
Social SEO Tools
While social signals may not be a direct ranking factor, a strong social media presence allows your content to gain more traction, authority, social proof, and reach. Plus, more and more users, especially the Gen Z, are now using social media to search and find answers to questions. Tools like BuzzSumo, Hootsuite,Hubspot, and Sprout Social can be of help.
Like it or not, SEO is the foundation of online visibility. And if you’re not tapping its potential yet, you’re missing out on a lot. It’s never too late to double down on your SEO efforts. Invest in the right tool, follow the right strategy, and hold the line until you drive a steady stream of organic traffic that works for you around the clock.
Need powerful SEO tools? Get in touch and we’ll help you get it. Whether you need an easy-to-use keyword research tool or a powerful SEO performance analyzer, Keywords Everywhere has got you covered.