The basics of search engine optimisation
Chances are that you’ve heard of search engine optimisation (SEO), but you’re most likely wondering how it can help your business. The most interesting aspect of search engine optimisation for businesses is how it can be used to drive traffic, sales and revenue.
Why should SEO interest you?
People use search engines daily, and it’s this traffic that can help your business in terms of the specifics of these searches. What you’re looking to do is ensure your business shows up in a list of searches for specific products or services, so that you can be sure people who search for certain items have a clear intent to purchase.
Even if consumers aren’t searching for something specifically from your business, chances are they are searching for things that are connected in some way to your company, so you will still show up on search engines when certain phrases or words are used.
What are the basics of SEO?
Search engine optimisation done well is actually very basic, but there are some essential aspects that make up a successful search engine optimisation campaign:
Content
The content of your site is what determines search engine rankings, drives traffic and ultimately brings people to your website. People are looking for content, so it’s important that your content appeals to their needs. If people find what they want when visiting your site, this results in search engines seeing that your website provides answers.
Site design
Site design is an important aspect of SEO. Successful search engine optimisation somewhat relies upon a clean and easy to navigate website. Keeping graphics, video and animations to a minimum means people can focus on the content they’re looking for when visiting your site. Remember, the more relevant the content is, the more likely people will use your company for their needs.
Meta tags
Meta tags are codes of HTML on the head of web pages, featured after the title tag. In relation to search engine optimisation, meta tags are used to describe meta description tags and meta keyword tags. These meta tags are important for your site, and are part of the overall picture when it comes to search engine optimisation.
They should be written with relevant and engaging content, ensuring users click through to your site from the search engine results. Title tags should be written to instantly tell users what pages are about, so that it is more likely they will click through to your site.
The future for search engine optimisation
When it comes to looking at trends that may give indications for the future of SEO, one big factor that looks set to take on more of a role in search engine optimisation is UX.
It’s important that you have both the technical understanding of how to optimise your web pages and understand how people use the Internet. User experience is already beginning to play a part in search engines, and it’s important that your website content engages users.
With mobile becoming a dominant force in the way in which users interact with websites, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) look set to feature heavily when it comes to search engine optimisation campaigns of the future. The way in which users search, interact and buy has dramatically changed over the years, so search engine optimisation needs to keep up with this trend so that users click through to your website on the back of search engine results.
Search engine optimisation is still an important part of web design, and it gives companies the opportunity to get users onto their site through the use of quality content using a range of different platforms.
If you want to find out more about SEO from a top independent web design company, then get in touch with iprogress today to see how we can help grow your business.