I am absolutely hopeless with technology. I can barely even figure out HDMIs for the TVs on our hall. So, for someone like me, understanding the basics of what SEO actually is, is very important. This is SEO for dummies.
In class, we learned that Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is “the science of increasing traffic to your website by improving the internal and external factors influencing ranking in search results. It includes web programming expertise combined with business, persuasion, sales, and a love for competitive problem solving” (Bruce Clay). Another definition I love is “SEO is about avoiding the problem of invisibility”. As mentioned earlier, I am terrible with technology…SEO is the process of making my life simpler. Businesses use SEO in order to gain visibility on the internet, social media, and the general technological world. Things like certain keywords, hyperlinks, and efficient URLs all contribute to more potential clients ending up on their website and, ultimately, maybe making a purchase. Some of the internal factors mentioned in Clay’s definition are things like crawlability (how easily search engine bots can access and navigate your site), usability (is your site easy to use?), and your URL structure all optimize your onsite optimization. Offsite, the most important factor of how to get traffic onto your site as a business is LINKS. Content that you write on other sites, content that others write about you, social media, anchor texts, and recommendations all point directly back to your site…this is a good thing. As a business with an online presence, the worst thing that can happen is no one sees or interacts with your site. SEO attempts to combat this. More to come on how.
2 Responses
This is super helpful for anyone unfamiliar with SEO. Some say you really know something when you can explain it in a simple way. I love the multiple definitions you talked about and would definitely look back on this if I needed a refresher on the basics as a beginner.
This is super helpful to me because I am also not very good with technology. I liked the definition of SEO that was “SEO is about avoiding the problem of invisibility”. Very simple and “dumbed down” definitions like this are usually the most helpful to me. It allows be to understand the problem that SEO is trying to solve without being overly wordy and confusing.