SEO Basics FAQ
What does SEO stand for?
Search Engine Optimization. SEO boils down to making sure a website is ready and able to be used and interacted with by search engines and their crawler bots, which basically serve as test users for search engines to determine if content is appropriate for indexing. Implementing strong SEO strategies is a phenomenal way to consistently drive highly-targeted and motivated traffic to any website. This can allow existing and new websites alike to reach customers they never would have encountered previously. In fact, this “free” traffic is responsible for over 70% of total website clicks on the internet. In today’s world, it is vital for every online business to take the proper steps to be the First Result.
What are the 4 pillars of SEO?
If you’ve heard of SEO before, you might think it’s just tweaking a few settings and meta data to increase the interaction between your website and search engines. And while the basis of this is true, SEO is more of a collection and collaboration of multiple aspects of your online presence and content structure. Only by the optimization of all aspects across the broad range of SEO, can proper results be achieved.
Technical SEO: The starting point of every websites SEO journey. This involves linking analytic accounts, search engine webmaster accounts and preforming the basic website settings to allow and incentivize crawling by search engine bots.
2. On-Page SEO: Arguably the most important aspect of SEO. On-Page SEO is responsible for detailing your page content and structure to ensure that it is giving the search engines what it wants. This includes things like page titles, meta descriptions and quality “meaty” content where strategic keywords are used throughout.
3. Off-Page SEO: The best way to expand your web presence. Off-Page SEO includes building quality backlinks and linking and aggregating data about your online presence into centralized and publicly available (knowledge) databases.
4. Content: The reason people come to your website in the first place. Quality content which answers relevant questions or serves of interest to your target market is absolutely key. Without quality content there will never be a reason for anyone to visit your website, and renders all other aspects of SEO essentially useless.
What is the difference between SEO and PPC?
SEO and PPC are ultimately different approaches to modern digital marketing, they are basically two sides of the same coin. As you may know, SEO is the natural way to reach the “virtually unlimited” SERP (search engine results pages) traffic and is essentially free to implement. PPC (pay per click) is a digital marketing approach which involves a “bid-style” advertising network on SERP. Basically this is a way for any website to pay to “hijack” or out rank the organic SERP results to show their result before the natural results. Instead of receiving SERP traffic for free, like SEO results can provide, PPC charges the advertiser per click. Typically, the price per click varies between $0.20 and $1.50 depending on variables like keyword difficulty, competitive advertisers, geographic regions, languages, etc. Typically SEO strategies are relied on by businesses for the bulk of their SERP driven traffic, but PPC advertising is a great way to reach new customers and markets in searches and keywords outside what your website is currently ranking for. PPC advertising is also a great way to outrank competitors for things like exclusive or new products, sales, specials or any time SERP traffic is worth a premium to you.
How long does SEO usually take?
The magic of SEO is in the name. When most people think of this question their fundamental basis of the existence of search engines is skewed. The right question is not “how long does SEO take?” but instead is “how long does it take to provide value for search engines?” Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is only the strategy by which content is shared with, read and interpreted by search engines. The existence of search engines is solely to provide internet users with the most relevant and quality content to their search so that they are able to find exactly what they are looking for. So while every SEO technique in the book can be properly implemented, if your website doesn’t provide any value to search engines it is rendered useless.
If your website can provide quality and value to search engines, only then can a timeframe for SEO results be discussed. Assuming that a website is “essentially finished,” meaning that it is fully ready for consistent traffic and already has quality content ready for search engine indexing, aggressive and wide spread SEO efforts can yield significant results in as little as 30-60 days. Websites which are in the earlier stages of production and plan to produce quality content and implement SEO strategies as they go can expect results typically in two to five months.
What is the purpose of backlinks?
A large part of Off Page SEO, as mentioned above, is the building of a quality “backlink network.” This is when other websites provide active links to your website which essentially serve as references to the credibility and authority of your domain. Not all backlinks are created equal, and these backlinks are rated on what is called the Domain Authority Score. This Domain Authority Score (DA) serves the purpose of measuring the credibility and authoritativeness of websites (trusted by search engines) to weight the value of their backlinks to other websites. This score is calculated for each website based on the scores of the other websites which link to them and is measured on a scale of 0 to 100 with 100 being the best score. Additionally, authority score will directly impact the SERP position of domains as higher authority score websites are more trusted by search engines.
High quality backlinks are essential to your own websites DA score, and more backlinks don’t necessarily mean better results. Think of it like this, your DA score will become only as good as your most credible backlinker. Just one or two high quality backlinks can make a world of difference to your website’s DA score and SERP rankings. With backlinks its always quality over quantity.
For example, a single Wikipedia or Forbes backlink (DA 90+) is more valuable than any amount of backlinks from an online blog or independent news source with a DA ≈50.
What is organic content and how do I create it?
Organic and quality content are information and resources you are able to offer on your website which provide value for search engines and ultimately their users. This involves building and creating whatever it is your target users are looking for. There are an unlimited number of ways to build content but some of the most popular are publishing blogs, providing FAQ’s, offering products or services and offering digital assets for download. The ultimate goal when creating content is to tailor it to the end user and provide them with exactly what they are looking for.
The best way to think of best organic content for your users is to think of the ways in which you personally search the internet and find results. When most people search for something online, they will rarely know exactly which result they want (thats why they are searching in the first place) so it is your job as a website to make sure you are appearing in the very places and ways of which your users are searching. A great example of this is that most people search for answers to questions; is your website able to answer them?
What are Keywords?
Keywords and keyword phrases are an important part of SEO. In its simplest definition, a keyword or combination of keywords is text that web users enter into a search box to find relevant information or content. In other words, keywords are descriptions of the information people are looking for and can drive targeted traffic to your website. Choosing the best keywords for your website and SEO optimization is very important to achieving your website traffic goals with the best chance to gain consistent and valuable visits. Effective use of keywords is essential to positioning and recognizing your location on the Internet. Keyword research focuses on finding the best keyword phrases to enable targeted visits to your website. Keyword research can be very dry and accurate. To do this properly, you need special software tools and experience. However, the nature and information of research is the lifespan of a successful SEO business. Also, because the content of your webpage contains keywords that are in your website metadata, you often need to make the most of your keyword phrases to create and maintain an effective website.
What is Social Media?
There are very different views and opinions on the definition of the term "social media". But two seem to agree; It is an information exchange and it is constantly evolving. The most popular social media platforms include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus. However, a broader definition of social media may include social media sharing sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Pinterest, and Instagram. The number, size and reach of social websites are growing rapidly and continue to show their usefulness.
Social Media Marketing is how businesses can engage in and promote conversations with their customers or target market.
Social Networking is the social interaction on these platforms.
Social Media Providers are the platform
What is Local Search?
Local search uses geographic labels such as state, city, and zip code as part of the search term. Local search is an effective way for search engines to provide results for businesses, products, and services in a limited area. An example of a local search, also known as local SEO, is 'New York Greek Restaurant' in the search bar of Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Work in physical locations such as restaurants, repair jobs, contractors, dentists, and plumbers can benefit greatly by increasing the online presence of local search functions. The number of directories and websites on the Internet continues to grow, allowing local businesses to expand their presence. Google, Bing, and Yahoo all offer services that allow local business owners to create online business listings that contain accurate, up-to-date information about their business, products, and services. This list usually includes a map of the company website, phone numbers, and location of the company.
Why do Search Engine Rankings Change Frequently?
The web is a dynamic space and the search engine results page (SERP) can change periodically. It can take a day for second place and two days for fifth place, which can be frustrating for website owners.
These changes may be related to the website or business owner, but they should be left in text. Companies are reducing their reliance on a single source of web traffic with a large web presence independent of the location of specific keywords only on search engine results pages. Variety is important.
How much do SEO and Web Presence services cost?
Our answer to this common questions is "it depends." We can't offer you a special "service package" until it your website and situation have been examined. The cost of the service depends on your needs. We work with a variety of companies and may differ in terms of needs, requirements, desired outcomes and budget.
A few of the parameters that are evaluated as part of a business engagement include:
How competitive your market or niche is to infiltrate
How big your site is
The ranking ability of your content
What your current online presence is
How many keywords you expect to rank for
Your commitment to achieve results
I have a local business and most of my customers are within 10 miles of my business, do I need a web presence?
This is a very useful question for small businesses. Especially if your budget is limited. One way to answer this question is to see what your competitors are doing. When evaluating your competitors, consider your online and offline competitors (physical or retail). The products and services your business offers can be ordered or offered online, but your online competitors can be more important or even more important than your local offline competitors. This is a great example of how to find competitors when potential customers can't find you. The best place to answer this question is how your customers and prospects are currently looking for your business. If your business isn't already on the web, it can be an opportunity to reach a wider audience and grow your business significantly. If the competition is online and not, you can lose a lot now and in the future. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how our web presence solutions can help you with digital marketing, email marketing, SEO, e-commerce, selling on Amazon and managing your web presence, contact us today.