What Is SEO and How Does It Work?

What exactly is SEO? Read about the basics you'll need to know to get started, as well as the three most important SEO success tips.

What Exactly Is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization.

At the most basic, SEO rankings are the process of getting your webpage to rank as high as possible in Google when somebody searches for burrito blanket or whatever it is you sell, advertise, or discuss.

The higher your webpage ranks, the more visible your company is, and the more traffic and revenues it is likely to generate.

One of the reasons SEO upsets so many people is that it is constantly changing.

Why? Because when marketers sink their teeth into a new "strategy," they have a tendency to run it into the ground.

In essence, we are the reason we can't have nice things.

SEO is an ongoing battle to get more eyes on your webpage and persuade Google that it is worth sending searchers to.

Your Top SEO Questions Are Answered

So, what is important when it comes to SEO?

• Is it all about the connections?
• Is the URL really that important?
• So, what exactly is a meta description?
• Do you really need to write a 2,000-word blog post four times a day?

Before delving into the more technical side of SEO, I'll address the most frequently asked questions about SEO.

Is SEO Dead?

Yes. It’s completely dead.

Our jobs are over. You should just quit now.

I’m kidding, mostly.

I’d argue that SEO is constantly dying repeatedly. Consider Bill Murray's performance in Groundhog Day.

As the strategies we have come to know and love are replaced with new, more successful strategies, SEO best practices die and new ones emerge.

So, while SEO isn't dead, it is constantly evolving. If you want to be successful in SEO, you must be willing to roll with the punches.

What Is The Most Important SEO Factor?

There is no single golden SEO factor that out ranks all the others.

One of the most popular comments in SEO is, "Well, it depends..."

This may be infuriating, but it is the truth.

• Do links matter? Yes.
• Do you have to have links to rank? Probably, but not necessarily.

Does content length matter? Yes, but a poor long article will not outperform a good short post.

I can go on, but I believe you get the idea.

How Long Does SEO Take to Work?

Well, it depends. (Sorry!)

Only Google understands how its algorithms perform.

They do issue updates, and there are a few lists of the most ranking factors available.

The fact is that SEO takes as long as it takes – depending on your strategy, this could be weeks or even months. If someone else does something a tad bit better, you may be pushed to the bottom of the SERPs.

3 Tips for Actually Succeeding in SEO

There are two kinds of SEO advice: the technical stuff I mentioned above, and the core principles of SEO. The technical aspects will evolve, but these SEO tips will stand the test.

If it appears shady, it will most likely burn you.

You've probably heard the terms black hat, white hat, and gray hat SEO.

hat in black SEO refers to practices that are completely in violation of Google's terms of service. As in, building ten sites and interlinking them to fool Google into thinking your shoddy bitcoin sites are legitimate.

This is where the abbreviation PBN comes into play.

Then there's the gray hat, which, while not technically incorrect, treads a fine (gray) line.

White hat SEO is completely legal and above board. Some, however, have made the case that the white hat is no longer in use.

Many SEO professionals toe the line between black hat and gray hat. And many of them are burned.

If you want be successful in SEO, you must do things correctly.

If something doesn't feel right, such as buying or selling links, it will most likely burn you and destroy your site.

Believe me. The long-term risk is indeed not valuable it.

Check out Real Experts.

There are many SEO "experts."

Some of them guarantee that they will get you to the first page of Google. Others don't do SEO but write a lot about it.

Follow the advice of true SEO specialists and take the advice of others with a grain of salt.

Why is SEO important for marketing?

Even though people conduct trillions of searches each year, often with advertising intent to find information about products, SEO is a critical component of digital marketing. Search is frequently the primary form of online traffic for brands, supplementing other marketing channels. Greater visibility and higher ranking in search engine results than your competitors can have a significant impact on your bottom line.

However, search terms have evolved in recent years to provide users with more direct answers and details that is more likely to maintain users on the results page rather than driving them to other webpages.

Also, features in the search results such as rich results and Knowledge Panels can increase the visibility and provide users with more information about the company directly in the results.

To summarize, SEO is the basis of a well-rounded marketing ecosystem. When you realize what your website visitors want, you can apply that knowledge to your campaigns (paid and organic), website, social media properties, and more.

How can I learn about SEO best practices?

Moz has the best SEO learning resources on the web. Start at the beginning and read the updated Beginner's Guide to SEO if you're totally new to the world of search marketing. Check out all of our learning options below if you need advice on a particular subject or want to explore more material for all levels of expertise.

SEO Training Institute

You've arrived! Explore articles for free like this one on a variety of topics ranging from SEO basics to local search to mobile and international site strategies. The Education Center is organized by topic for ease of navigation, and each article contains links to additional content that you may find useful along the way.

The Moz Academy

Moz Academy offers an extensive catalog of on-demand coursework led by expert instructors and designed with hands-on learning in mind for those serious about investing in their SEO education. We offer the chance to earn valuable industry qualifications with our world-class certifications in SEO Essentials and Technical SEO, in addition to a variety of courses for all skill levels.

How-To Guides

Our SEO guides, published and compiled by the industry's top experts, cover everything including auditing your site for relative efficacy to hiring the best SEO managers. They are organized by skill level and are available for free.

The Moz Blog

Long regarded as one of the most valuable sources of SEO information on the internet, the Moz Blog is easy to navigate by category and includes donations from industry experts. The blog is home to our popular Whiteboard Friday series, as well as valuable updates on all aspects of SEO several times per week.

Webinars on Demand

Our webinar series features talks by Moz's team of subject matter experts on the most recent innovations in search marketing. It's a marketing conference experience that can be accessed whenever you want.

Q&A on SEO

Moz's Q&A Forum, which is powered by our community of 500,000+ digital marketers, contains hundreds of thousands of SEO answers to questions from people just like you. Join the community and post your own question, or browse discussions on topics ranging from Moz tools to other aspects of marketing.

Your SEO achievement story begins right here. Have fun learning!

Best SEO tools

As a fairly separate discipline, SEO relies on a variety of tools and software to assist with website optimization. Some commonly was using free and paid tools are listed below:

Google Search Console (previously known as "Google Webmaster Tools") is a free tool offered by Google that is a standard tool in the SEO's toolkit. GSC gives rankings and traffic reports for top search terms and pages, as well as assistance in identifying and resolving on-site technical issues.

Google Ads Keyword Planner - Another free tool offered by Google as part of their Google Ads product is Keyword Planner. Even though it is intended for paid search, it can be a useful tool for SEO because it provides specific keywords and search terms volume, which can be useful when conducting keyword research.

Backlink analysis tools - There are several link analysis tools available, the two most popular of which are AHREFs and Majestic. Backlink analysis tools allow users to see which websites are linking to their own or competitors' websites, and they could be used to find new links during link building.

SEO platforms - There are numerous SEO platforms that bring around each other many of the tools required by SEO to optimize websites. Moz, Bright Edge, Search metrics, and Linked are among the most popular. These platforms monitor keyword rankings, assist with keyword research, identify on-page and off-page SEO chances, and perform a variety of other SEO-related tasks.