What is SEO?
Common Questions and Answers about Search Engine Optimization
“What is what is search engine optimization?” I hear it all the time.
SEO, in principle, is simple. It is the practice of engaging in efforts to improve a websites visibility and likability for both users and search engines. The result is better ranking organic and pay per click results on search pages. In other words, our service, product, or information becomes more prominent when our targeted terms (keywords) are sought through search engines, thus improving our odds of sales, visits, and outreach.
The improvement in conversions, and therefore profit, is almost always dramatic.
SEO is the single most valuable investment we can make in our website. Yes, it’s that important. If Google can’t find and understand our content, it doesn’t matter how great our service, product, or information is. For info on On-Page SEO, a more specific form of optimization, check out our article on On-Page SEO.
What About Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO refers to the relationships our site has with other sites on the web. When we write good content and provide useful services, people naturally share links to our pages via blogs, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. When we receive links from other websites - particularly authoritative ones - Google and its competitors begin to believe that our content is useful. Otherwise, people wouldn't link to it. Off-page SEO is more difficult to pursue, and in our experience, happens naturally through the creation of great, useful content that people want to link to.
Who does SEO Benefit?
We cover that topic in detail in our article appropriately named Who Does SEO Benefit, but it is safe to say that if we want more sales, online interactions, or outreach, our business can benefit from a well-managed SEO campaign. Best of all, it is generally a fairly inexpensive process that produces financial gain over time. For DIYers with a small amount of program or CMS skill, it’s easy to get at least the basics down ourselves as long as we have good info. For those who want professional help, Bear River Web Design offers data-backed, affordable SEO packages that can cover all the necessary bases within your budget.
Does On-Page SEO Change the Appearance of My Webpage?
Well, it depends, but typically the answer is “Yes, at least a little bit.” On-page SEO does include subtle changes that may not be visible to a typical user, but some changes, like the addition of header tags, meta descriptions, and content changes, will change the look or content of your web site. A good SEO professional will always make changes that are for the better, both from the perspective of user experience and search engine readability. A good writer with SEO knowledge can combine the best of both the creative and technical worlds.
What Changes Can I Expect a Good SEO to Make?
A good SEO will analyse, research, and correct aspects of our:
- Title Tags: The text that appears in the tab of our web browser, and the primary means by which search engines know what a page is about.
- Meta Descriptions: The text that appears beneath our link on search result pages.
- Header Tags: The headers that break up textual content into meaningful blocks, for both users and search engines.
- Page Content: The text that appears on the pages.
A good SEO may change other aspects of our site as well, such as navigation, site structure, etc.
How to Get Started
Bear RIver Web Design offers trustworthy, local SEO campaigns at affordable rates. If you are interested in learning more or doing it yourself, we have resources available on this blog. As always, we are happy to answer any questions at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone call.
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