What Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Are you a master Googler, but you’re not sure how Google ranks their organic results? Is the topic of SEO a little vague to you? Digital Media Solutions is here to help. In this article, we’ve answered five of the most-searched questions about search engine optimization. Click on your question below to see the answer.

1. What is search engine optimization? 
2. How can I improve my SEO rankings in Google? 
3. How do Google algorithms impact SEO? 
4. Why is user experience an important part of SEO? 
5. Are white hat SEO practices really good for Google search? 

1. What is search engine optimization?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility, traffic and clicks to a website from a search engine’s natural results. SEO strategies include best practices for:

• Website architecture: To ensure websites are organized and crawled correctly.
• Titles and meta tags: To get pages properly categorized by search engines.
• Content marketing: The process of creating and distributing unique and proprietary content to connect with your audience by providing them something they value.
• Link building: To create momentum and enhance organic results, link building can help promote valuable content and get it in front of more of your target audience.

2. How can I improve my SEO rankings in Google?

SEO helps brands earn higher rankings with Google to drive more high quality traffic to specific websites. Because higher search results typically result in greater search volume, SEO can increase conversions without proportionately increasing marketing cost by driving direct and qualified prospects with an above-average propensity to convert.

A well-designed and implemented SEO strategy can improve SEO rankings in Google and help solve the following marketing challenges:

• Low site traffic
• People and prospects unable to find your site via keyword searches
• Google penalties
• Lack of high-quality organic inquiries
• A disconnect between paid search and SEO strategies
• The competition consistently ranking higher on the Google search engine results page (SERP)

3. How do Google algorithms impact SEO?

Google algorithms are the primary focus of SEO. When Google algorithms change, websites often move up or down on the Google search engine results page (SERP).

“White hat SEO” is the practice of tactics that align with search engine terms of service. Therefore, following white hat SEO techniques typically leads to appropriate page rankings for relevant content. White hat SEO tactics include:

• Keyword research: Keyword research involves choosing a variety of relevant keywords to target throughout a page. This way, search engines can detect the topic of the page content. Various online tools, like Moz, help identify keyword variations.
• Internal linking: Linking from relevant content within a website to other relevant content within the same website is called “internal linking.” Internal linking helps Google understand the topic of page content.
• Structured data: Structured data often appears as the extra information that populates next to a website and meta description in a search page. This form of structured data is called a rich snippet and might include the business hours or company address. Structured data is organized within the HTML of each page to be easily identified by the search engine.
• Link building: Link building involves earning links from high-quality sites to help build domain authority.

“Black hat SEO” practices go against search engine terms of service and can result in a page (or entire site) being banned from relevant search engine results and related sites. Click here to learn more about the difference between white hat and black hat SEO.

4. Why is user experience an important part of SEO?

Google wants to provide users with relevant search results, driving traffic to websites that deliver strong user experiences. Therefore, maintaining a focus on user experience is an important part of SEO.

When developing content for your website or making SEO-driven changes, SEO best practices encourage focusing on the user experience every step of the way. If any change feels like it may negatively impact how your users navigate through your site or consume your content, don’t make that change.

5. Are white hat SEO practices really good for Google search?

White hat SEO is the practice of tactics that align with Google’s terms of service, allowing for appropriate page rankings for relevant content. When brands follow white hat SEO techniques and create relevant, interesting content for their audiences, engagement metrics should naturally be higher. Consumers get the information they need and brands reap the rewards of traffic growth.

Are you in the process of reimagining your search engine optimization win?

The team at Digital Media Solutions (DMS) loves helping marketers rank higher on Google’s search engine results pages. We can help you visualize your victory and elevate your marketing strategies to achieve your marketing goals. Contact DMS today to take your SEO to the next level.

Important Note: We believe there is no such thing as a stupid question, so feel free to ask us all your SEO questions when you reach out.

This article is part of our “Ask a Stupid Question Day” series, in which Digital Media Solutions is answering 55 questions about digital marketing to celebrate the September 28 holiday. Additional articles within this series cover digital marketing, performance marketing, lead generation, pay-per-call, affiliate marketing, paid search, email marketing, content marketing, programmatic and social advertising.

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