SEO stands for search engine optimization; it is the process of improving your online strategies to rank higher in a search engine, like Google or Bing. This can easily be achieved by pay per click ads, or PPC, where you pay a fee every time someone clicks on your ad. These are the first results you find whenever you type a query into a search engine and they always are denoted by AD next to the result. However, only about 20% of people actually click on these links. This is why it is imperative to take the time to develop organic SEO.

Unlike PPC, organic SEO achieves a much higher click rate with 70-80% of users clicking on the organic results. When you take the time to develop authentic and organic SEO you will bring your company’s site closer to the top of the search window and increase traffic of potential customers to your site.

Understanding how the process works will help give you the tools to improve your company’s organic SEO and increase site traffic.

How Do Search Engines Work?

Whenever someone types a query into google it’s algorithm quickly responds by producing what it believes to be the best results. It makes these decisions by using an algorithm which ranks websites based on keywords to find the sites most likely to answer your question. The more likely the search engine believes a website will be to answer your question the higher up in the search results it will appear.

Search engine algorithms determine the order in which results appear through the process of crawling, indexing, and finally ranking.

Crawling

First, the search engine sends out web crawlers, also commonly called bots or spiders, to discover any new web pages that may exist as well as comb through content of pre-existing websites to ensure all information remains relevant. They move through the web by hitching a ride on links they discover as they crawl about the internet. This means if a blog post links to your site the spider may follow the blog to your site and vice versa.

Indexing

If the crawler determines that the site is worthy of a certain search it will be added to the index. Some reasons the bot may not consider a site usable would be: duplicate or spammy content, couldn’t crawl onto the site, or the page lacked necessary inbound links to be found.

Ranking

Once your site is added to the index, the information will be compared by the algorithm to other items in the index. This will determine your ranking: where in the search results your site will fall based on an array ranking signals it uses to sort the content including…

  • Keyword presence
  • Loading Speed
  • Whether or not the site is mobile friendly
  • Website reputation

How Can You Use This Information to Improve Your Organic SEO

Now that you understand how the search engine’s ranking system sorts and categorizes web content you can use it to your advantage to improve your company’s organic SEO.

Start with your website and what you offer those who visit: what products or services do you offer. Think from the point of view of the person you hope finds your website. What might they type into a search engine in order to find you?

Next look to your website itself and begin with the technical side of optimization. This is not related to content but rather to ensuring your site is user friendly and will be indexed by the spiders as they make their way through the vast interweb. You will then create content on-site using keywords based on what questions you believe your company can answer/provide. Ensure that when people do find your site they have a positive user experience.

Finally, enhance your site’s organic SEO ranking outside of your site. This involves the process of backlinking; when outside sources like blogs, journals, or reviews link back to your site. These backlinks basically tell the search engine ranking system that your site is credible, since other people are talking about it. Every article or blog post that backlinks to your site is a vote in your favor and will improve your organic SEO.

Why Work With a Digital Advertising Agency to Improve Your SEO

Improving your company’s organic SEO requires a lot of time and patience. Rather than spending hours doing the grunt work of finding the right keywords and reaching out to outside publications, let the experts do the hard work for you. By working with a company like Gr0 you will have a team available to assist you with improving your organic SEO. By investing in a digital advertising service you will see a much faster ROI as more and more potential customers organically discover your site.

Gr0 will help you every step of the way by providing content writing, pr outreach, and onsite optimization. By working with these three pillars of organic SEO success, they ensure you use the right keywords in the right places. This will allow you to rank higher on search engines and bring more clicks to your site.