What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is like the invisible hand guiding users through the labyrinth of the internet. It’s the art and science of improving a website’s visibility on search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. The primary goal of SEO is to enhance a website’s organic (unpaid) search engine rankings.
Think of search engines as having lots of spiders crawling across the web. When a spider reaches your site, it then crawls through every page and link, indexing them based on content and keywords. Then algorithms rank your site based on the indexing. When a person searches for something, the query uses the ranking to access the index and thus, your site.
The optimization comes from aligning your site with the parameters and criteria of the algorithms to produce higher rankings and thus show up higher on the SERPs which stands for Search Engine Result Page, the screen you get after searching for something. Ranking higher on the search results is critical to getting more traffic. Over 90% of people select a result on the first page and 60% of those are on the first 3 results! It is therefore critical to get as high of a ranking as possible.
The First Result Page Is 0%
Of Search Engine Traffic
The Top 3 Results Are 0%
Of Search Engine Traffic
The 4 Main SEO Strategies
Technical SEO – Technical SEO focuses on improving the technical structure of a website and looks at improving site speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability, structured data, security, and indexing (just to name a few!).
On-page SEO – On-Page is all about optimizing factors on the web page that clearly help search engines understand the content in context, including things like title, H1 and meta tag optimization, image alt tags, etc.
Content – Content is one of Google’s main ranking factors, and without great content that properly matches the searcher intent, you will struggle to rank in top spots. But content goes way beyond just copywriting, and there needs to be a solid strategy in place.
Off-page SEO – Think of this as authority building, encompassing link building, and other tactics. This approach focuses on improving the trustworthiness and authority of a website in search engines’ eyes and its users by connecting it to other high authority and relevant sites. If search engines see that users trust a website, they will be more inclined to rank it in a higher position. This authority and trust typically come from link building, PR, and other similar tactics.
For an SEO strategy to be successful, a combination of all four of these pillars is required. And that often means working with specialists in each of these to create a really solid strategy that accelerates success.
What Is SEM?
Search Engine Marketing is a strategy using paid tactics to gain visibility on the search engines. It is also known as PPC (pay-per-click).
As opposed to using tactics that help a website rank organically, SEM uses PPC advertising platforms like Google Ads and Bing Ads to use the available ad formats to reach your target audience.
SEMs will usually begin a campaign with comprehensive keyword research and competitor insights (which you can do with tools like the PPC advertising toolkit) to create targeted campaigns that place their products and services in front of a target audience.
These campaigns include the likes of:
- Search Ads (text ads)
- Shopping Ads
- Display Ads
- Gmail Ads
- YouTube Ads
These are all different formats available within Google Ads — all of which can help you to reach your target audience.
When users search for specific terms that the advertiser is running ads against, they will see a custom ad, usually at the top of the SERPs. Or, in some cases, shopping ads. Every time the ad is clicked, the business pays for this.
SEO and SEM wield immense influence in the digital marketer’s toolkit. While SEO focuses on organic growth through website optimization, SEM leverages paid advertising to amplify visibility. When both are combined they form a holistic and comprehensive online marketing strategy capable of propelling businesses to new heights in the digital age. Understanding and harnessing the power of SEO and SEM can be a game-changer for your online presence and business triumph.
Ready to embark on your SEO and SEM journey? Look no further than Oncepts, a leading company dedicated to optimizing your digital presence. Our expert team specializes in crafting tailored holistic strategies that will elevate your online visibility and drive tangible results. With Oncepts, you’ll unlock the full potential of SEO and SEM, taking your business to new heights in the digital realm. Contact us today and embark on a path to digital success with Oncepts by your side.
