SEO - back to basics

Search engines use algorithms to ensure the most accurate, relevant and helpful information gets presented to end-users. Search engines work by crawling, where a search engine looks for new or updated content. They then stored these pages in a list. They then index the pages they have found via crawling and look at what each page is about. They then keep this content. Finally, when a user performs a search, the search engine determines the best result for the search criteria. This can be based on a user's location, language, device (desktop or phone), and previous queries. For example, searching for "hair salons" would show different results to a UK user than to a user in Australia.

Correct SEO can greatly impact your website traffic, turning visits into enquiries/sales. But it's about more than just getting traffic to the site. For it to be effective, you want the traffic to convert into paying customers. We engage with A/B testing, where we undertake changes to your website and measure the conversion rate.

As well as optimising all pages of the site, header ones, alt tags creating backlinks has always been a significant factor for website rankings. Quality content across social posts, directories and other websites can attract better opportunities. However, we urge clients to be careful with backlinks – creating backlinks that search engines deem irrelevant to your end users can go against you. So, resist the temptation of listing your site everywhere – select with care!

Techniques are forever evolving as new algorithms/methods are created and your competition up their game. SEO is influential in digital marketing and has become an essential tool to generate a significant return if used correctly.