Search: What are SEO and Link Building?

Pulling up results...

SEO may be a daunting term, but when put into perspective it’s really about visibility. But you may wonder, why is SEO important? And what is link building? We’ll be going through the what, why and how for each and why they’re important for businesses and what that may entail in the future.

SEO, what is it?

SEO is known as search engine optimization and focuses on the visibility of a company or website on the first results page of a search engine such as Google or Bing. SEO can build website traffic, exposure or other ways of awareness and engagement with a brand. Often, those that utilize search engines will not make it to the second page, and in personal experience, it's rare to even scroll more than once to obtain the information needed in that search.

How does it work?

Using SEO can be done through many ways whether it's keywords, content, social media or other methods mentioned in the imagery above. Algorithms utilize website content and compare this information to provide results pages with similar content to what you may have searched up. Higher quality or relevant content may pop up first or rank higher on the page.

Why is it important?

SEO can not only help consumers find what they're looking for with ease but also allow companies to gain traction or other methods of acquisition through search engine optimization. Higher website traffic, higher returns on investment or other forms of KPI can be shown through utilization of SEO in marketing tactics. Whether consumers are just starting their buying journey or are looking for that niche item, SEO can provide the relevant information and advantages in the long run.

What is "link building"?

One way that SEO can be strengthened is through link building, but what is that? According to MOZ, link building can be seen as the process of obtaining hyperlinks to your website that may be utilized on other sites. Simple links on independent websites can increase direct traffic to your own site increasing that click through rate and other metrics. Being able to make use of link building can increase the performance of your page on results pages.

But how does it work?

There are a number of ways to link build as there are many tactics to obtain these links. Whether it be through social media pages, blog comments, job listings or other forms, this allows references to be built upon other website pages. You can increase relevancy through product or service differentiations or through referenced content. Utilizing reference links can also aid in audience information access, such as the links I am providing in this article, these websites gain traffic for the benefit of both the user and the creator.

Creating a good link may take some investment, but they create better recognition and boost authority within search engines.

Why is link building important?

Link building raises rankings upon search engine results pages. Without links there is no competing against other websites as there is no authority or reach. Being relevant, useful and creative not only showcases that authority but creates a usefulness to your website, company as well as your audience. Utilizing link building and being comfortable with the process of manual link building will benefit your company in the long run. These promotional efforts are some of the ways to build online presence as well as acquire those that are searching for your product or service.

The future for SEO:

With online presence becoming a huge factor in brand association and personality, SEO may have some issues within the performance of results pages. This can refer to spamming results pages, poor navigation, or even user experience amongst the search engine. As important as link building can be, the user's ability to reach your website may be the key factor in higher rankings amongst results pages.

For those using mobile devices, this may be one issue that SEO runs into. As someone who does a handful of searches on their phone, it's important that links and results are compatible and useful for the information I'm seeking out. For companies that utilize SEO tactics, being able to invest in both desktop and mobile SEO may be the make or break for relevancy and click through rates. If pages are not loading, sites are not mobile compatible or other user issues, this can increase bounce rates and evidently worsen user acquisition. It's important to be mindful of issues such as these in order to optimize (no pun intended) your website's authority and reliability. SEO is one huge factor that boosts ROI on online marketing efforts, investing in this tactic will allow your business to thrive in the long run.