SEO

SEO, also known as “Search Engine Optimization,” is the marketing tactic used to increase a website’s visibility within search engines. This is important for websites because the majority of web traffic is driven by the major commercial search engines: Google, Bing, and Yahoo! The higher a website ranks (or the more visible it is) within a search engine, the more traffic, brand awareness, and likely revenue, they will receive. The SEO process encompasses both “on-page” and “off-page” factors. The “on-page” SEO includes factors like quality content around specific topics, clean site architecture, and proper HTML attributes such as title tags and meta descriptions. These are all elements that are in direct control of the website owner. The “off-page” factors such as the authority and trust of the website, the backlinks accrued and the social reputation play another part. These elements are influenced by readers, visitors and other publishers. Both the on-page and off-page SEO strategies work together to influence a page’s rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). In an effort to keep a level playing field, search engines such as Google often change their algorithm to try and prevent digital marketing professionals from manipulating the process.