Search engine optimization (better known as SEO) is one of the most powerful forces behind successful business on the web. As the internet has grown from a small network of intrepid developers and inventors to the worldwide phenomenon that it is today, a reliance on search engines has become ubiquitous. The need for quality, effective, and accurate search engines has become absolutely necessary to usefully locate needed information on the web. As a result, the concept of SEO arose as a way to discuss the ways in which websites can ensure optimal reach through preferable listing on search engines as well as the way to ensure that search engines are returning the results users need. SEO practices have changed drastically over time, and can seem particularly perplexing from the outside looking in. With SEO being so important though, businesses need to learn how to best use SEO if they hope to reach their full potential.
The History of SEO and How It Has Changed
When the first search engines began to crop up in the mid-90s, web developers quickly realized that they could optimize their website’s position of appearance on various search engines. Websites that appeared earlier in the listings had a major advantage in regards to views than websites that were buried lower in the search results. Quickly though, less honorable practices arose and individuals with such inclinations were able to game their websites to the front of search engine listings, often unfairly. As a result, the companies responsible for search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, realized that they would need to adjust their algorithms, lest their results pages would be overrun with non-ideal results.
The need to prevent unfair gaming of search results is what led to SEO as we know it today. Comprised of hundreds of different signifiers of relevance, SEO has further evolved in the last ten years to incorporate users’ personalized information. Search engine companies frequently do not publish the exact formulas that govern their optimization, leaving a complete understanding of SEO to those who are willing to experiment and document changes in site rankings. Some of the latest improvements to SEO includes algorithms that search for identical content appearing on multiple sites, and avoid those sites, and official bans of websites that are found to abuse SEO fair practice.
What Are the Current Techniques for Website SEO?
Techniques for SEO vary wildly based on the industry, the site, and the search engine. However, there are some overarching concepts that are defining the understanding of SEO in 2017. The biggest recent change to SEO is the massive shift in users searching from mobile. Mobile searches have become so popular that they now regularly outnumber even searches originating from PCs. This means that one of the best ways to optimize SEO is to design a working and attractive mobile page. Having a page that is easy to use on mobile instantly grants an enormous boost to websites, as search engines have recognized and adjusted to the change in browsing style.
Additionally, social media has become important to SEO as well. Cultivating a following on social media and integrating social media into sites has shown effective at raising the rank of a website and therefore improving its chances of being seen by those who are looking for the subject of the website. For businesses, this means that having an active, genuine social media presence is not only good for image, but also for profitability.
The most important tactic for SEO, though, is as old as SEO itself: generate useful quality content that is easy to locate. Pop-ups, poor backend programming, and disorganized site layout all can detract from search engines’ ability to accurately “crawl” your site for relevant information. By generating quality content that clearly identifies the topic on a site that is easily accessible, you will always rank higher than those who attempt to churn out content that is low quality or posted on a site that is impossible to navigate. This is where keywords come into play. Keywords help both readers and search engine algorithms determine how relevant an article is to the search. Keywords can’t just be dumped into an article, though. Keywords should be used for clarity, and not simply crammed into pieces as much as possible. Many search engines actually filter for web pages that contain high ratios of keywords in comparison to other useful text.
Because of the complexity of SEO, it is advisable for businesses to bring on an expert. Whether that means hiring an employee to devote themselves to optimization or by reaching out to a firm that specializes in it. Nixa, for example, is a company that can help you design a website that uses ideal SEO to get your business to the customers that need you right away. For SEO in Montreal, Philadephia and New York, it's Nixa. Our experts can be easily reached at their direct line 1-888-959-0001