Do you see web optimization as something shrouded in mystery? Contrary to popular belief, SEO is not an ancient, unknowable magic that only a select few have understanding of (though there are those who would have you think that).
Instead, search engine optimization simply involves taking certain steps to make sure your website is as visible as possible in search results. Most of these steps are quite practical, and you don’t have to follow every SEO trick in the book for it to work. Once you understand SEO, the work is mostly in staying consistent.
How Does SEO Work?
SEO is essentially a way to get “organic” listings in SERPS (search engine results pages). When someone uses a search engine website such as Google, Yahoo, or Ask.com, the search engine returns results for that search term in order of relevance. Search engines determine relevance based on a number of factors. The point of SEO is to optimize your website to give as many cues as possible to search engines so that they consider your site relevant to its users.
SEO is different from paid search ads. Though ads do appear in search results, those spaces aren’t considered organic.
On-Page vs. Off-Page
In SEO circles you hear a lot about on-page and off-page SEO. When you modify your website for optimization reasons, this is on-page SEO. Any SEO you do outside of your website is off-page. You should use a combination of on-page and off-page techniques, since search engines use both to rank the relevance of your website.
