SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of improving the visibility and ranking of a website or web page in search engine results pages (SERPs) to attract more organic (non-paid) traffic.
SEO aims to make a website more relevant and valuable to search engines like Google, so they rank it higher for relevant search queries.
Here are the key components of SEO:
On-page SEO: This focuses on optimizing the content and HTML source code of a page. It includes:
Keyword optimization: Researching and using keywords that people are searching for.
Meta tags: Title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags that help search engines understand the page's content.
Content quality: Creating high-quality, relevant, and valuable content for users.
Internal linking: Linking between pages on the same site to improve navigation and authority.
Off-page SEO: This focuses on external factors that influence a site's ranking, such as:
Backlinks: Links from other websites to your site, which signal to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
Social signals: Shares and engagement on social media platforms that may indicate content popularity.
Technical SEO: This involves optimizing the website's technical elements to help search engines crawl, index, and rank the site better:
Site speed: Faster-loading sites tend to rank higher.
Mobile-friendliness: Ensuring that the website works well on mobile devices.
Crawlability and indexing: Making sure search engines can easily crawl and index the website.
Effective SEO improves a site's visibility, increases organic traffic, and helps achieve business or content goals like lead generation, sales, or readership growth.