What is SEO? SEO Explained with SEO Tips and More Useful Information from Webmatic
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) means that your website content itself is being “optimised” for Search Results
Your website’s content and wording needs to be customised to your target audience. This is known as Search Engine optimisation. ‘Search Engines’ (also known as spiders or ‘bots – short for robots) can read, and index your website, giving it a ‘ranking’. This ranking position is assigned for specific, relevant key phrases or keywords associated with your website, its content and its relationship to your service, products or brand important. The key to online success is configuring your content so that it’s relevant to your prospective customers. Relevant searches yield search results and therefore the search engines like Google will deliver traffic to your website that has the potential to increase your sales conversions. (More about that later).
How is this SEO process achieved? Generally speaking, this is done with a specific type of content on your website, mainly by using ‘targeted’ words, key phrases and carefully selected visible content (as well as ‘invisible’ content such as embedded image descriptions and so-called meta tags).
Although it is relatively straightforward to describe WHAT tweaks must be done to deliver improved search results, the actual implementation in some cases becomes complex.
Remember that this customisation of your content alone does not guarantee a high ranking. In the first instance it enables the various Search Engines to discover your website and display it successfully in online searches. Only if the content is relevant to the search will this deliver you with long term SEO results.
Many Search Engines exist. Commonly known ones like Australian Google, Bing, Yahoo/Altavista, Excite … but also more obscure Search Engines like Cuil, Go.com, Hotbot, AOL, Webwombat and many more.
Hot Tip: VIDEO
Did you know? Youtube is also a Search Engine (second only to Google in popularity!) If you have not already got a video of your business, or something to do with your business along with relevant description and link to your business website home page you should get one , today! It really doesn’t matter what the video is, provided it’s there and links back to your site with relevant metadata (descriptive wording included with the video, and used by search engines for search results).
Building your SEO ranking
The next step, once you have your content carefully written, is to work on building your ranking so that your links appear higher in the pages, or ranking, of the main Search Engines that your target audience makes use of! For a list of Search Engines and their industry sectors see here.
More SEO Tips
To achieve success in SEO and get your pages listed on page 1 of search results, your content must somehow solve a problem for your reader.
In other words: write your content as if you are the reader of your website.
Consider the following:
- Does the page read well? This is probably the hottest of the Hot SEO tips:
Webmatic SEO writers use the same test that is used by Search Engines: Flesch Reading Ease test test
- What search word would you search for if you’re trying to solve a certain problem? i.e. What words might you choose? e.g. design, web design, SEO experts, business marketing websites in Sydney” if you were searching for Webmatic
- What words (that customers would use) would you consider useful to find YOUR business in an online search?
- Here are some more SEO tips and ideas of what your written and visual content should achieve:
- Make sure it teaches a valuable lesson, answers a specific question, gives a ‘how to’ guide, etc. Anything the reader would search, find and value.
- Your content must be based on reputable research and resources.
- You must offer unique copywriting – that is to say, a customised body of text that is relevant to each and every page of your website, and wording which is specifically written to support your chosen search/SEO strategy – which Webmatic will help you to devise.
- You should find a unique twist to content that may already be out there. Be different.
- You must ‘find a tone of voice’ and develop information that could be considered as unique to your business or brand. You will inspire readers to want to visit your site again for further information.
White Hat vs Black Hat SEO
‘White Hat’ writing means using only SEO techniques which are above board and seen as best practice by the Search Engine’s search algorithm. (Black Hat, which we would never, ever do is just the opposite; the dodgy practices that can actually see your rankings initially go up and then down a slippery slide due to your website being ‘penalised’ by the Search Engines!)
SEO is a bit like Life. BLACK: The easy way gets fast results but less long term gain.
WHITE: Best results do not come the easily. There are no shortcuts.
Beyond detecting keywords and key phrases, Search Engines cannot ‘truly understand’ the meaning of words in your content. (Which explains why Search in the past has sometimes delivered unreliable results; poor-quality SEO managers improved rankings with gibberish articles and blog posts stuffed with various targeted keywords – all but meaningless to human readers).
I’m sure you’ve come across the type of page I’m referring to. It makes one wonder who proof reads such rubbish; certainly nobody who speaks grammatically correct English as their native tongue!
The Webmatic team not only writes great, relevant copy but we write in Australia, and English is our first language. On top of that we are familiar with true Australian vernacular and nuance of UK English speaking countries like UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada.
Therefore any content we write is bound to be high quality and suitable for English speaking, Aussie readers. (Yes, for the Poms, Saffers and Kiwis too.)
White Hat SEO should be not simply concerned about spelling (auto spell checkers can usually handle that) but also correct syntax, grammar and precise use of RELEVANT wording, which all play a role in building your ranking.
Take care to use the correct tone of voice relevant to your audience. These things all help to build reputable Search Engine rankings and help you be found on the internet via search.
SEO is not a science, it’s become an art and we are pretty good at nailing it.
Webmatic can help with overcoming your SEO challenges, and in the process deliver great results for your business. Get in touch today and get started with a quote request.
