Search Engine Optimization is the Free Marketing Channel

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the way to make a website show up in search results on pages like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and others. SEO looks at the words on a page, site design, and links from other sites. It's about how fast your page load, works on a phone, and things like meta tags. Meta tags give a short hint to a search engine about what a page shows. The title and description are important. You add alt text to images so a bot can read them.

How Search Engines Work?

Search engines find and rank pages in three steps:

• Crawling gathers pages from across the web
• Indexing sorts and stores page data
• Ranking orders pages by match

Crawling is like a library helper that walks the shelves and notes every book. It is kind of like when you ask a friend to walk down a street and list each shop sign. This step helps a search engine know what is out there. A crawler follows each link on a page to discover new pages. It does this until it maps a whole site structure.

Indexing is like adding each book to a catalog with its title author and subject. The index notes the main words and other markers so the engine can find a page in no time. The engine stores a record of each page so it can search fast.

Ranking

Ranking comes next. Ranking is like a helper giving the closest match at the top based on what you ask for. It uses factors like page words links and load speed. Each factor has a score and all scores add to a page rank. A page with many links joins the top list. This process runs all the time to keep results fresh. It sends users to pages that match what they ask.

3 Parts to SEO

1. On page SEO that covers content and keywords

   • Add words people use in search to headers and text
   • Write titles that match search phrases
   • Use meta descriptions that match page text
   • Provide alt text for images so bots can read them

2. Off page SEO that focuses on links from other sites

   • Get mentions on blogs or forums
   • Ask partners to share your content
   • Claim a profile on listing sites
   • Monitor who links to you

3. Technical SEO that looks at how a site works

   • Check page speed so pages load in a flash
   • Make sure a site works on any device
   • Use a clear structure so search engines can read it
   • Fix broken links and missing pages

SEO is a Free Marketing Channel

SEO drives traffic that does not cost per click. It adds lasting visibility for a site. It is like planting a tree that bears fruit over many seasons. You invest time up front and you see growth after. Traffic from SEO grows as more pages rank. A page on page one can earn clicks for weeks or months. This builds a pool of visitors who trust your site.

• Organic visitors cost nothing per click
• A high rank builds trust in a brand
• Traffic from search can last for months