On any given day, people conduct more than 2.2 million online searches. That’s precisely why the SEO process is so important to every kind of business because the chances are the customer is already looking for what you have to offer. You just have to be part of their search results.
While SEO is the holy grail that can enhance and even transform your digital marketing, not many businesses are able to get it right. In this article, we talk about what is SEO process is and how to craft an SEO strategy that actually works in today’s day and age.
What is SEO Process?
To understand what is SEO process, we need to first understand the power of SEO. Simply put, SEO or Search Engine Optimization refers to all the activities that help a website appear in the top search results when someone enters a related query on Google.
Say for instance you have an article on decluttering your bedroom that you want users to find. You need to make sure that your article comes up among the top search results everytime someone searches “decluttering bedroom” or similar keywords.
Given the number of online searches that happen today, effective SEO work process can actually make or break a business. Here’s a video that explains SEO Marketing and how it works in detail.
Here are some of the critical elements of any SEO work process:
Understanding the SEO Work Process
The reason SEO remains a somewhat esoteric and less understood marketing strategy is because of its very nature. SEO experts are constantly trying to second-guess Google’s search algorithm and optimize websites accordingly.
At the same time, Google is always improving upon its algorithm to make sure no one finds any hacks or quick-fixes to rank higher in the search results.
This results in SEO becoming a field that evolves constantly. What worked two or three years ago may not be as effective today.
Therefore, to be successful in the SEO process, you need to move with the times and constantly fine-tune SEO techniques and strategies accordingly.
Black Hat vs White Hat SEO Process
There are two fundamentally different ways of approaching the SEO process. In many ways, these two approaches are also the two approaches that people choose between when they start any business.
The question is; are you in it for the long-haul or to make a quick buck and then disappear. If you’re in it to make a quick buck, then you will most likely choose SEO techniques that yield results very quickly.
The idea of this kind of SEO is to create content optimized just for the search engine algorithm, without having any concern for the user.
The catch is that these results are likely to be unsustainable and may disappear just as quickly. In fact, using such techniques may actually result in Google penalizing you and you may find it very hard to climb back up in the search results again. This is known as black hat SEO.
The other SEO approach is to build content that is valuable to your audience, and also play by the search-engine’s rules in the process.
Chances are you will end up building a more sustainable business this way, even though it will take more time for you to get there.
Of course, there is also some room for gray. What this means is that you may be playing by all the major SEO rules- building credible backlinks, writing quality content, optimizing keywords, etc but you may still not find yourself at the top of the search results.
This is because no one really knows how Google’s search algorithm works. And because of this ambiguity, experts are constantly trying new techniques that might just work.
It’s upto to you to find the balance between what seems like a strategic move that will help in the long run vis-a-vis an unethical technique for short-term gains.
The Focus Areas for Conquering SEO Today
To understand how to conquer SEO, we need to discuss the two aspects of any comprehensive SEO process. These include:
Off page SEO Process
The off page SEO process refers to all the SEO activities that you need to undertake to attract people to your website in the first place. No matter how good your website itself is, without a proper off page SEO process, few people will ever be able to find it.
On page SEO Process
On page SEO process to all the activities that you need to do within the pages of your website. If your website is too messy and disorganized, chances are people will leave immediately. When someone leaves a website after just viewing one page, Google counts it as a “bounce”.
The more bounces you have, the more likely it is that you will be pushed down in the search results. That’s why it’s just as important to have a quality on page SEO process
Main activities for an effective SEO Process
While there are innumerable activities that can count towards SEO, there are some major factors that rank much above the rest when it comes to effective SEO. Here are some of them.
Quality content
Many people say that good content is no longer enough to rank highly in search results. While this may be true, it’s only part of the whole picture. With more than 2 million blog posts being published everyday on WordPress alone, it’s true that the competition is intense. But that doesn’t mean you can afford to ignore your content.
Good content may not be a sufficient condition for high ranking but it is certainly a necessary one. Without unique and informative content that actually solves the customer’s problem, you will never be able to rank highly.
Even if you try every other SEO trick in the book. Content has always been the key to effective SEO and will continue to be the key in times to come.
Backlinks
Backlinks have had a very tumultous relationship with SEO. Undoubtedly, backlinks are absolutely critical for a website to rank highly. For a long time, however, people were able to get away with any kind of backlinks, even spammy ones.
After Google’s Penguin update, the rules changed dramatically. Today, it’s only quality backlinks that really matter when it comes to effective link-building.
To be effective at building high-quality backlinks today, you need to wear a variety of hats. From social media marketer, and content strategist to PR specialist, digital strategist, and conversion rate optimizer.
From internal links and interviews to press coverage, broken link-building, and guest blogging, you need to figure out what works for you and go after it.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the key to effective SEO. You need to know what terms people usually search for in order to optimize your website for those words. This will make it easier for Google’s search engine crawlers to find you.
Google Keyword Planner and SEMRush are both great tools for researching your keywords. It’s important to remember that keyword stuffing (excessively using keywords so that the content sounds forced) is a huge no-no.
While keywords are important, you should also try to find the search intent when a user is typing in a query, and then optimize your content for the search intent.
Great ways to do this are by looking at the suggestions that Google throws up when you type certain keywords. Here’s an example:
You are also likely to find some good suggestions on search intent at the bottom of the SERP(Search Engine Results Page). Here’s what this looks like:
User Experience
In recent years, Google has come out time and again to talk about how user experience is a key element in effective SEO. This is because a high bounce rate leads to a penalty in search results and a poor user experience inevitably results in a high bounce rate.
The easier your site is to navigate, the less likely it is that a user will leave immediately. Similarly, the faster your website loads, the lower the bounce rate. As of 2018, Google has announced that it will be using the mobile version of websites for indexation. If you haven’t optimized your website for mobile users, this is the perfect time to do it.
Of course, implementation of these techniques is a continuous process. Today’s inbound marketers have to constantly evolve and innovate to stay ahead of the curve. Here’s what an inbound marketer’s job typically looks like:
Conclusion
SEO is a long and hard battle that takes time to show results. While black hat techniques thrived earlier, most of those websites are now redundant. Sustainable white hat techniques are the only ones showing results in the long run.
It’s also important to no longer look at SEO link-building in isolation but as a part of an overall PR and social media strategy. If you are interested in getting a more thorough grip on the SEO process, it may be a good idea to take a comprehensive Digital Marketing Certification Course.
