10 Simple SEO Questions You May Be Asking Yourself

Written by

Tyler Besse

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In this blog post, we’ll answer 10 frequently asked questions about SEO that will help give you an overview of how search engine optimization works and what benefits it can have for your business.

Table of Contents

1. What is SEO and how does it work?

Search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines. This process can be done for any type and size of business, from small mom-and-pop shops to companies with an international presence.

The goal of SEO is to improve rankings in organic (non-paid) results to increase web traffic and improve brand visibility. This is done by optimizing either content or backlinks for targeted keywords. 

In addition to increasing web traffic, it also increases brand awareness. When someone enters your company name into Google’s search bar, they will find links to your site near the top of their list of options instead of having to scroll down through many pages or click on some sponsored listings before finding you.

A study has shown that about 40% of clicks go to the first three organic search results. A second study, conducted by HubSpot, found that about 75% of Google users never even go past the first page of search results. If you aren’t focused on moving yourself up these results, you likely won’t get the web traffic and will lose out on potential customers.

2. Why is search engine optimization important?

In the modern digital era, the majority of people use search engines like Google to help them find products and services. Utilizing SEO best practices can help you rank higher in search results and be found more easily by consumers. This practice helps generate more high-quality leads for your business as well as boost web traffic and brand awareness.

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3. What factors go into search engine optimization?

There are many factors that go into SEO, Google and other major search engines are constantly making changes to their algorithm with the goal of providing the best user experience to their end users. 

Some of the most important ranking factors include:

  • Website/Page Speed (on both Mobile & Desktop)
  • Mobile Friendliness
  • A Secure and Accessible Website
  • Domain Age, URL, and Authority
  • Optimized Content
  • Technical Factors (Sitemaps, Structured data markup, etc.)
  • User Experience
  • Links (Back Links & Internal Linking)
  • Social Signals (Reviews, Social Media Shares, etc.) 

4. How does SEO improve Google search rankings?

SEO improves your search rankings through sites like Google by leveraging search engine algorithms to improve where you are in the results. One way this can be done is by creating valuable content for end-users that are optimized with a variety of keywords about your product or services.

The quality and relevance of this content will determine how likely it is to appear higher on the first page, so investing time into writing high-quality posts can really reap benefits long term as well.

Outside of just writing valuable content, there are other technical aspects that search engines use in their ranking algorithm including website speed, user experience on all devices (mobile, desktop, tablet), domain age, and much more.

5. How does SEO help with small business digital marketing?

For small business owners, every lead matters. Utilizing SEO best practices can help you rank higher in search results on platforms like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. In this day and age, everyone looks for products and services by searching on the web. If your website doesn’t show up near the top of search results for keywords related to your business, then the likelihood of someone finding you online will drastically decrease.

Word of mouth referrals are important for any small business, but when someone doesn’t have a referral they will rely on Google to provide that referral for them in the form of search results. Being close to the top of these results will boost your brand’s visibility, trustworthiness, credibility, and the number of leads you get through your website.

6. What are the types of SEO?

There are many different types of SEO. The most common type is on-page, which mainly focuses on the content and text that appears in your website’s source code. Other types include social media marketing, mobile optimization, link building, video marketing, and more.

In general this strategy revolves around making sure that the site has high-quality content, backlinks from trusted sources, and low bounce rates for visitors. The ultimate goal with any campaign should be to improve rankings while keeping visitors engaged long enough for them to complete their desired action (such as buying products, signing up, or filling out a contact form).

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7. Why is SEO critical to the success of a website?

This strategy is a necessity for any business, regardless of the size. It can generate more traffic to your site from search engines and drive more conversions that in turn means higher revenue.

8. How does content writing improve my SEO?

Search engines rank the authority of a web pages when people search keywords so if you have relevant content, it is more likely to rank higher. There are many different ways to improve your search engine ranking including writing high-quality blog posts that include keywords in their titles and content. Use tools like Answer Socrates and Ubersuggest to help you come up with ideas for Blog Content.

A company’s main goal for their blogs should not be to try to sell their product or service, but instead to provide something that is useful to the end-user. This can be in the form of tips, how-tos, guides, etc.. By providing high-quality useful information to your consumers, you will naturally build trust with them and be viewed as an authority in your field. They will then be more likely to want to work with you over your competitors when the time comes to make a purchase.

9. How do I know if my site needs SEO work done to it?

The major sign that your website needs SEO work is if you find you have low search engine results on any of your keywords for products or services. If you are not appearing on the first page, or if you have dropped off after being there for a long time, it’s worth looking into what can be done to improve this.

You may need more content added to your site in order to rank higher with Google and other search engines. This means adding pages regularly so that Google continues to index your website on a regular basis. These new pages of content should focus on specific keywords to help you get found in searches.

10. Once I start SEO, how long will it take to get rankings?

The question of how long it will take to rank is difficult, as the amount of time varies for each site. However, typically it takes anywhere from a few months up to a year for your SEO efforts to have a noticeable impact. It also depends on traffic and a number of other factors that could be affecting your ranking. As with most things in life, patience is key!

If you have any additional questions that we did not answer in this article, or would like a free SEO consultation for your website, please contact us.

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