Why is SEO so important?

“I don’t know? Just Google it!”

 

Sound familiar? Well that right there is why SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is so important. Whether you are looking for somewhere new for dinner, a pair of shoes or I don’t know…  a wedding celebrant, you generally turn straight to Google.

 

If you’re a business owner, you need to make sure your product or service is visible for online browsers and shoppers, so they don’t miss you when they are scrolling through search results.
 

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How SEO Works 101

 

Google, much like yourself, is a business which wants to make its customers happy. That means when someone types into the search bar, they want to ensure the results are the most relevant to that user and their needs.

 

To do this, Google has “bots” - I imagine them like the scary ‘squiddy’ ones in the Matrix - which read or “crawl” your website to make sense of the content. It then tells the ‘Google Brain’ what your website is about, if it works properly, if it’s up to date and if other uses have found it helpful. The more helpful it seems the higher it will rank your website on the search results page.
 

 

How do I get on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs)?

 

Much like a vampire, Google needs to be ‘invited in’ to your website. This is the first basic step to getting your web pages ranking – you must make sure they are ‘indexed’. Your web pages will have a small line of code that tells Google’s bots to read your pages. If you’re not seeing your pages show up in search results, this is the first thing to check.

 

Once your pages are indexed and the traffic is starting to flow, the rest is a balancing act of relevant content and a well functioning website.

 

 

What is relevant content?

 

Your pages need to deliver the answers that users are after. This could be the answer to a question e.g you’ve typed “what is the capital of Australia” or a product, perhaps “white tassel cowboy boots” (oh.. yes please!). Google will not only check these words and phrases are explicitly mentioned on your page, but also the surrounding synonyms, and phrases which could be considered an ‘answering phrase’. e.g. “The Capital of Australia is Canberra.”

 

It’s important to always remember that you’re writing for your customers and not Google bots. Although you can add in keywords to help signpost your content, your goal is to give user the best online experience, as this will ultimately make the most impact.

 

 

How do I know my website is functioning properly for Google?

 

Once Google knows you’ve got the right answers, it’ll also make sure they can be found as seamlessly as possible. Your website needs to be fast, easy to read and work across all devices.

 

There’s endless things you can do to make sure your site is operating to its full potential, but currently* the top factors to look at would be:

 

• Have a fast-loading website

• Mobile-friendly design and usability

• All your basic metadata is there and it's relevant
   

 

What else can I do to make Google like me?

 

As mentioned before, Google wants to know you’re giving it’s searchers the best experience possible. So it’s looking out for signs that people are appreciating your site and spending time on it. If lots of users are visiting your site, interacting with it and generally enjoying their time there, they’ll want more people to join in.

 

Likewise, if well-respected or quality websites are linking into your site, known as an ‘inbound link’, the bots reading that site will follow it into to yours and give your domain a digital thumbs up. But be warned! It’s not simply a volume game, lots of low quality inbound links could actually negatively affect your ranking.
 

 

 

Is there anything else I need to know?

 

You can delve very deeply into the world of SEO, but if you’re just starting out, simply focus on making your content helpful and relevant. Have a fast and easy to use website and make sure it’s working on your mobile and not just your desktop.

 

If you do want to learn more, I happen to love talking about keywords, algorithms and backlinking - get in touch!

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* I have to stress the ‘currently’ as the Google overlords change their algorithms regularly, albeit to meet user needs... and as much as I hate to admit it, they probably know us best!

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