What is SEO / Search Engine Optimization?

If you own a business with a website it is a must to at least know the basics of what SEO is and how it works. Shown in the title, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization but what does it actually mean? The short answer would be that it is the process of getting traffic from the free, organic, editorial or natural search results on search engines.

Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing use algorithms to help filter search results to give the searcher better choices of what they are looking for. A lot plays into making your website or content to rank higher in search results. Things like Titles, Page Links, Web Traffic, Keywords, and Reputation all play a big part in SEO.

Video: Basics of SEO

This video will cover the basic of SEO and help give you a better grasp of how it works.

Wanting to dig deeper into SEO?

Use this table to get familiar with how everything ties into each other.

You may also want to take a look at Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide. This guide won’t tell you any secrets to rank your site first, but following the best practices outlined will make it easier for search engines to crawl, index and understand your content.

The HOTH is a great resource to use if you are wanting to learn SEO in and out. They have a great variety of SEO Training that covers just about everything you need to know about SEO.