What is SEO?

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. Before going to talk over SEO, let’s clarify about three letters S (search), E (engine) and O (optimization) of short-form SEO. The word ‘search’ means to find the best possible information for the solution of a problem from the World Wide Web. The word ‘engine’ means machine that refers to the algorithm. So, search engine is a software (machine) that uses algorithm to generate search result. According to the Dictionary meaning the word ‘optimization’ is the process of making something as good or effective as possible.

In the whole Search Engine optimization process, the word ‘optimization’ is playing an important role. Here, optimization is done for Search engine and that is why it is called Search Engine Optimization. Then, a question arises. What will be optimized for search engine? The answer is user or content or Google/Bing/yahoo etc. Yes, only content will be optimized here for search engine.

Optimization means choosing many factors to apply to the content that helps to obtain the best output. To achieve the highest performance through the optimization process you need to maximize desired factors to rank and minimize undesired one. This is the essence of talk on optimization. Here desired factors point to some best practices.  In case of search engine, optimization is the combination of some best practices such as many strategies, techniques and tactics to obtain a high-ranking placement of the content of a website in the search results page (SERP).

This optimization process is necessary to be done in both inside and outside of the content under a certain keyword in order to improve its position in search rankings.

SEO works within three routes. They are user to search engine, Search engine to contents and contents to SERP. 

Here content plays the role of a king in the whole Search Engine Optimization process. Content refers to the combination of text, images, sounds, videos, and animations etc. of the page. Each items of the content needs to be well optimized for the better use of the users as well as the search engine. The process of optimizing your online content grades your page’s worth to be enrolled in search engine’s index and then rank it. Therefore, to rank high in the SERP (Search engine result page) this content needs to prove its quality to both search engines and the users.

So, SEO is a process of optimizing the content of a web page in the World Wide Web for both the users and search engines to rank high in the result page. Here search engine is supposed as one of the users.

This optimization process is necessary to be done in both inside and outside of the content under a certain keyword in order to improve its position in search engine rankings

What is SEO and how does it works:

Inside the content, the page contains both contents and HTML source code. These contents need to be optimized for users as well as search engine. On the other hand, outside the content of a page the contents need as many high-quality backlinks as possible from other websites in the Web. These backlinks are needed to prove the reputation of your contents among the remaining relevant high-quality contents of many authority sites in the Web. To attain this reputation is also a type of optimization process of the contents to the users as well as search engine.  In straight words, the content needs to prove its reputation to other authority sites to rise up in SERP in the Web.

Now we see there are two types of SEO: on-page SEO, which deals with inside contents optimization, and off-page SEO, which deals with establishing relations among other relevant websites.

But wait a minute; this is not enough for optimizing your content for search engine. There are some other factors out of on-page and off-page optimization which are also included in Search Engine Optimization process. Yes, it is Technical SEO.

The elements of technical SEO are website speed, mobile-friendliness, site architecture, structured data markup and so on. This type of optimization can be called as the foundation of Search Engine Optimization . Now we can say,

SEO is the combination of both on-page and off-page optimization of the content for search engines as well as the users and there is also a bit more which is called Technical SEO.

On-page optimization + Off-page optimization + Technical SEO = SEO process

But, this is not the end. The most important thing is the output that generates from all these optimization processes of the content pages for the search engine as well as the users.

It is the ranking of the page.

By considering hundreds of factors, the search engine makes a strict judge to keep your content’s placement in SERP under a search keyword. And thus search engine brings a long search engine result page (SERP).

SERP stands for Search Engine Results Pages. The pages that are brought by search engines within half a second to respond to the search query of the user for a keyword.

Search Engine shows two types of results in the search engine result page (SERP).

1.Paid result

2.Organic result

1) Paid result: Paid result is basically an advertisement. The web site owners make payments to search engine to have their web pages display for certain keywords. So, here search engines are committed to give priority to the paid result.

2) Organic result: Organic result is an algorithm-driven unpaid result of a search engine. These types of results appear because of optimizing the content for search engine under a keyword and it’s relevant to the search terms of the users. In fact, the organic result is the best output of long term Search Engine Optimization process.

Types of SEO

Which result do you want depends on what type of SEO you have done for your content page or site? Is it organic or paid? Let`s see what is organic SEO and what is paid SEO.

 Paid SEO :  Paid SEO is an optimization process that help to rank your site promptly in the top position of the paid search engine result page. In this case, it is needless to invest labor on link building, article writing, and all the works you require for natural SEO. Here, that you need is just you invest huge money for targeting your site’s placement. You will have to pay money to search engine like Google for every click from visitors.

Organic SEO: Organic SEO is a large scale and long time-consuming optimization process to rank your site naturally. It is a slow process of SEO that includes keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, technical SEO, etc. This process of SEO ensures the placement of your site for a keyword in the organic or unpaid search engine results pages.

On-page SEO & Off-page SEO

On-page SEO: On-page SEO is an optimization process of the content inside the page. Here content means text, graphics, images, audio, videos, slides, podcast and so on. All these things are regarded as content and they need to be optimized under keywords for search engine ranking. On-page optimization process works on content and HTML source code of a page indeed.

Off-page SEO:  Off-page SEO is an optimization process of the content outside the page. In short, it is to create testimony to prove the content as a great answer of the search query of the users. In other words, it is a process of no more than building link with the authority sites to prove how positively other people say regarding the content.

Depending on the ethical point, there are also two types of SEO:

Black hat SEO: Black hat SEO is the technique to optimize your content and gain high ranking without following the proper guidelines of Search Engine. It includes writing spammy content, keyword stuffing, cloaking, using private link networks etc. It is an unethical process of SEO that can dangerously harm your ranking ultimately. Though the ranking of your site apparently seems to rise better by practicing black hat SEO, remember that it can destroy your long time effort on SEO at last. 

White hat SEO: White hat SEO is an ethical way of SEO. It is done by following the proper guideline of Search Engine. This process of SEO can offer you a permanent placement of your site. People are encouraged to practice white hat SEO for getting the permanent output.

Importance of SEO

1.Organic SEO is the primary source of website traffic.

2. SEO build confidence and trust worthiness of a business or service

3. Quality SEO incorporates a positive user experience.

 4. SEO increases engagement, traffic and ultimately conversions.

5. SEO knowledge helps to understand web environment

6. Search Engine Optimization is the cheapest way for growing business.

7. SEO helps to build a brand.

Conclusion

Every business needs a website and an SEO expert to promote business. It is the responsibility of SEO service provider to confirm the placement of the site on top of the search result. This article on what is SEO and how does it work’ is an elementary discussion. If you think any better addition please comment below.