What are search engines?

SEO has lots to do with search engines.  These sort through a massive amount of information on the internet to give you the best options to match your search query.  For example, if you go to the google page and type in ‘cake shop in Naas’ what appears on the search engine results page will be what Google thinks is most relevant.  You should see links to relevant websites, business listings, advertisements and maybe even videos that match your question and answer it effectively.

So how do search engines work?

The search engines search the internet at lightening speeds.  They constantly ‘Crawl’ the internet to discover content, videos and websites.  They ‘Index’ this information into a giant list so they can refer to it later.  They ‘Rank’ what they have found to ensure they give you the best options.  How the ranking works is a secret formula but certainly is related to having fresh content and good links on your site.

Why is SEO so important?

With a Google search you are targeting people that are already searching for you.  If you are that cake shop in Naas you want to ensure when your potential customer is looking for you that they find you.  You need to make sure that your website is ‘Search Engine Optimised’ (SEO).  So that the search engines understand what your website is all about and pick up the keywords to deliver your website as a relevant result to your new customer.

How can I help improve my SEO?

The search engines need help sometimes figuring out what a site is about.  Good page titles that describe what the content is about are vital.  Content that matches the customer language is important.  You should use the keywords and phrases that they might use will searching, this helps greatly.  Images are great for the user experience when on a site but search engines need some help understanding them so it is a great idea to name them and add alt tags.

Why is Organic Search Important?

It is best to appear on the first page of the organic search results page, who goes beyond page 1 anymore to search?  Being on page 1 means the search engines have decided that your site is the best match for the customers query.  It’s all about quality, SEO helps the search engines find and understand your site, that is why good relevant content is needed.

 

Google search engines work hard to help the searcher find what they are looking for.  Now it’s time that you made the effort to put yourself forward to be found.   Don’t forget, when somebody has made the effort to click on your website, give them a reason to stay.  Engage with them, inform them and give them what they are looking for.  That’s what keeps the customer happy and keeps them coming back.