You type dozens of queries into a search bar every day. But when was the last time you actually clicked over to the second page of search results? The internet has conditioned us to search and scan for information rapidly and efficiently. If we can’t quickly find the content we are looking for within a few minutes of sifting through information, we move somewhere else to find it.
This technology-born predisposition to running short, fast searches makes it incredibly important that your website appears near the top of search results. 91% of people don’t click over to the second page when they search for something in Google. Thus, if the link to your website doesn’t fall on the first page of results, you’re missing out on 91% of your potential website traffic, 91% of your potential customers, and 91% of your potential sales.
So what’s the secret to bumping your site higher in search results? Search engines like Yahoo, Google, and Bing use complex formulas and algorithms to rank websites and arrange the order in which they will appear on results pages. They take into account things like keywords, frequency of content updates, average time spent on a site, the use of images, meta data (like your titles and descriptions), and mobile platform compatibility.
That’s a lot to keep track of, which is why most people opt to use SEO services to help them manage their search engine rankings. However, without a basic understanding of what SEO even is or how it works, these services tend to be of little help.
SEO is complicated, which turns many people off from attempting to understand exactly how it functions. Take all of the complicated jargon away, however, and SEO is nothing more than a series of steps you can take to ensure that the most people possible are being exposed to your website through their searches.
We love the way Sydney Jackson breaks down SEO in a way that is simple and easy to understand on her blog. If you are looking for a quick and manageable introduction to how you can utilize knowledge of SEO to make your blog and website more visible, more effective, and more profitable, check out her article, “An Introduction to SEO (Search Engine Optimization Simplified).”