KISS Series: SEO
In this KISS (Keep It Super Simple) Series, we simplify SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), so you understand why you should care about it, and how to make it work for you
As part of our mission to educate small business owners with digital knowledge, we have created the KISS Series (Keep It Super Simple), where we take digital theories and concepts and break them down into bitesize, understandable explanations.
In this post, we break down what SEO means, why it matters and how it works.
Content:
SEO: Search Engine Optimisation
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. To understand SEO, let's first understand the first part: Search Engines. These are websites that help you scour the internet to find what you're looking for, whether it's buying a new sofa or searching "best lasagne recipe". The most popular search engine is Google, who accounts for 91% of search market share, so we will use Google in our examples, but there are others out there too, some perhaps feel like relics of the past like Bing and Yahoo!, others are newcomers trying to take on Goliath such as Baidu and DuckDuckGo. Therefore, it's easy to just assume SEO refers to Google, but in reality, it applies to all different search engines out there.
When you type a query into a search engine, it will return multiple pages of results returned as a list (this is called SERP: Search Engine Results Page, but we will try to minimise using this term to avoid using unnecessary jargon). The order in which the results display on the results page is called ranking. The first is ranked #1, while the tenth result is ranked #10, thus the first result has a higher ranking than the tenth result.
(Note that the actual layout on Google is slightly more complicated than the above example, but we have simplified it for the purpose of this article)
If you have used a search engine, you can probably relate to this: you look closely at the first link, then slightly less carefully at the second link, and your attention wanes as you scroll further down. This is just human nature: according to FirstPageSage, the first search result has a clickthrough rate of 40%, the second result drops to 19%, and the third drops to 10%, and the fourth... you get the idea. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that the higher a website ranks on Google, the more traffic it gets from people clicking through.
Thus, the purpose of SEO is to optimise a website's ranking on a search engine results page, which increases visibility of your website to potential customers, leading to greater engagement, visits and leads.
Reality Check!
Before we delve into how SEO works, let's get real for one second. Here are some key things to bear in mind before we get into the detail.
Set Realistic Goals: everybody wants the #1 spot, but that is not a realistic goal to set. If anybody promises you that they can get you to #1 immediately, or if you see one of those "Follow these rules and you'll get to Page 1!" guides in your feed, walk away quickly. It takes time to build your ranking: according to industry leader Semrush, it can take anywhere from 4-12 months. This is because...
Authority Matters: there are many factors that contribute to a site's Google ranking, and authority is a big one. That's why the top results are often big, recognisable companies or brands, because they have a history of trustworthiness and thus authority. When you're starting out or you have a small business, you won't start with the same level of authority that the established big hitters have built over years. But don't be discouraged, because...
SEO is ongoing: SEO is not a one-and-done code you add to your website; SEO is something you continuously work on, to tell the search engines that the content on your website is interesting and relevant to the search queries. Blogs are a great way to ensure your website has fresh, relevant content.
Despite what some marketeers or agencies may tell you, SEO is not an instant fix that magically boosts your site traffic by +330%. But equally, it is not as complicated as those "1,003 steps to perfect SEO!" guides make it out to be. So don't be discouraged; SEO is still a worthy endeavour. Ranking on page 15 is still way better than on page 30, as you get more eyes. And as you get more eyes, you get more clicks, which helps boost your ranking, so then you end up on page 12, and you get more eyes, and more clicks... You get the picture.
OK I get it. So how do I do this SEO?
If we use the lasagne example, the search query returns a whopping 199 million results. The rankings on the results page aren't decided by some poor intern who has to read all the lasagne recipes to ever exist online; instead, Googlebots (also known as crawlers) are crawling the internet to see which pages have the relevant information, and then rank the relevant pages based on how good the quality and quantity of content is. Think of them as an army of digital spider-robots, released to crawl all over the internet, and when they find something relevant, they report back and file it under the folder of that particular search term.
What is relevant, high quality content, you ask? This is where it gets clever (and subsequently more complex). Once upon a time, it was driven by how many times a keyword or key phrases were mentioned on a website. For those who can remember, you may recall webpages with a large blurb of text at the bottom, repeating the key words and phrases. That's because, back in the day, Google would rank pages based on how many times a keyword was used, under the assumption that, if a website mentions the term, it must be because it is an expert on that particular topic. For instance, a website dedicated to Italian recipes would use the word "lasagne" and other related terms frequently, thus making it an expert in that topic. However, humans (in true human fashion) figured out this loophole, and the practice of keyword stuffing began, where you would repeat "lasagne" and the relevant terms like "ragu" and "pasta" at the bottom of the page, sometimes tucked away in tiny font so it doesn't impact the website visually.
Nowadays, keyword stuffing is an absolute no-no, and can count against your ranking because it is seen as spam (and rightly so). There have been many iterations and changes in algorithm to determine a website's ranking; in fact, the methodology continues to evolve and update as you read this to catch up with our human-loophole-seeking ways.
So back to the ultimate question: what is relevant, high quality content? Nowadays, thanks to the growth of influencers and content creators, it's easy to conflate content with photos and videos on social media, but they are just a small slither of what digital content really means. There's a lot that contributes to SEO, but below are some of what we consider to be as top priorities:
#1 - Use Keywords Authentically
Just because keyword stuffing is no longer recommended practice, doesn't mean keywords themselves aren't important. For Google to rank your website on searches, you still have to use the relevant keywords for the bots to know your website is the right fit. Instead of stuffing your webpages with nonsensical chains of words and terms, use the right keywords authentically. If you're selling cookies, incorporating keywords related to baking in your copy in an authentic manner will not only help your SEO, but also your potential customers. Consider the below 2 examples. Which reads better, and therefore will perform better?
#2 - Logical Site Structure
Consider your house (unless you live in a 20-bed mansion, then consider a house). The natural flow would be to walk into the living room, then perhaps it leads into the open-plan kitchen that has a dining room too. Down the corridor is the bathroom, then the master bedroom. Or perhaps the flow is to enter the hallway, where the closest door leads to the living room, then across the hall is the kitchen-diner, and further down is the first bedroom... A house can have multiple layouts but they all make sense in their own way. What wouldn't make sense is for your front door to lead straight into your bedroom, or for the kitchen to be located in the bathroom.
The same goes for your website. The navigation of your website (aka the flow of the house) need to make sense. If you have a navigation bar like we do at Mpowering Solutions, make sure the pages make sense under each of their headings. If you own a plumbing business, it makes sense to list your recommended boilers under a "Boiler" or "Equipment" section; it does not make sense to list it under the "Contact Us" page. There is no one right way for your site to be set up; however, there are definite incorrect ways which impact how the customer can find the desired information.
#3 - Good User Experience
One of Google's core beliefs is "Focus on the user and the rest will follow", and this is perhaps the most important part of building a good website. Forget the crazy futuristic robots and creepy Googlebot crawlers, ignore the temptation for trendy animations and unnecessary tech. At the heart of it all is the very human user.
Good user experience is a very broad term, but think of when you last browsed a website seamlessly, where you got the information you wanted. What made that experience so good? Why did you bother to read the text on the page? You can even liken it to a physical store you visited. Why did you stay? What made you buy that sweater? Was it because it was in the window, then easy to find when you walked into the store?
Now think of the last website you visited and left soon after arriving. Why did you leave? Was it hard to navigate? Was the page slow to load? Was the information not accurate or authoritative? What made you feel unsafe or sceptical about it? Similarly, you can use a physical store as well. Were you able to find that sweater? Was it hidden away in the Dresses section and you just couldn't be bothered to search for it?
All these factors affect user experience. If you don't provide the information your potential customer needs to make an informed decision, they will seek the products elsewhere; if your site takes too long to load because you've stuffed the page with unnecessary animations which is slowing down site speed, they will just leave; if there are too many popups jamming the browser, the page becomes hard to read and people will leave.
Furthermore, bad website structure and interface results in bad experience for the human user, but Google is watching this too. If your website is resulting in people leaving quickly (referred to as "bouncing"), it sends the signal that your website is not a good fit for the query because people aren't spending enough time on the pages that should be relevant. On the flipside, if people click onto your website and stay within your site structure for a prolonged period of time, it tells Google that you are providing the right information to keep users engaged, so your site is trustworthy and relevant, and this in turn can help your ranking.
EXAMPLE 1
Here at Cora's Cookies, we are nuts for all things that crumble. Whether it's the classic chocolate chip, or our signature Caramel Cinnamon cookie, we can bake it! If you are after a sweet treat at the end of the night, or just a cheeky midday snack, we've got the perfect cookie for you.
EXAMPLE 2
We are Cora's Cookies. We sell cookies, we sell chocolate chip cookie, oatmeal raisin cookie, caramel cinnamon cookie, white chocolate raspberry cookie, any cookie you can think of. If you want a cookie, buy a cookie from us; we have the right cookie for you.
TL;DR Conclusion
It's easy to see SEO and think "it's a tech term, it must be techy", but in reality, it is all about the user. If you strive to provide good information and experience to your users, you're already on the right track to bettering your SEO.
Be patient: SEO is not a quick fix. Set realistic goals and expectations.
SEO is not a one-and-done solution. It is not a line of code you put on your website and it's done. It requires ongoing effort to ensure your website is relevant and fresh.
There are many facets to SEO, some of which are technical, but all of which are quite logical and very actionable. However, we know you don't always have the time or confidence to tackle it as a small business owner. If you want to discuss how to better your SEO, get in touch and we'll be happy to explain our SEO Audit a bit more