What is SEO? a question that every newbie wants an answer to. SEO also known as Search Engine Marketing is a digital marketing practice to improve the visibility of a website in search engines like Google, Bing, Firefox, etc. The prime goal of doing Search Engine Optimization is to get a website to rank higher and derive visitors to a particular website. The higher your website ranks the more traffic (Targeted Audience) it will derive. That’s why SEO is important for websites.

Whether you are focusing on Organic traffic, building a brand, Generating leads, or selling products or services. SEO plays a vital role in its achievement. Though there are many online marketing techniques such as ( PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, Video Marketing, etc.) that do the same, SEO stands out alone due to its low-cost technique and higher success rate in the long run.

For example, when someone searches for “Best shoes for hiking” on Google it shows more than 1k results and an e-commerce website optimized for the same keyphrase could rank #1 in Google, earning lots of clicks and sales conversions. Whereas if you also target the same keyphrase without SEO you might only get one or 2 clicks. The higher a website ranks in search engines, the more visible it is to prospective customers actively looking for that business’s products or services. So SEO is all about increasing visibility and organic traffic from search.

Before we move further on why SEO is important for websites, let us know in depth about what is SEO especially, and what elements are included in SEO.

05 Essential Elements of SEO

Search Engine Optimization becomes very easy when you know about the 05 essential elements of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). These elements make it easier for you to under what is SEO.

1. Keyword Research for SEO

Keyword research for SEO seems very simple, but most people ignore it and eventually fail. Keywords is one the most important factor that plays a vital role in SEO. Well-researched keywords increase your chances to rank higher on the search engines by 30%. You should always spend time researching keywords as that is the base formation of your website and we know very well if the base or foundation is strong the entire structure will be strong.

Now, you might be wondering what exactly are keywords. In simple words, Keywords are phrases or words that people use to find any content online. For example: If you are looking to buy a new pair of jeans, you might gonna search for something like “Jeans for Men” on Google or other search engines. Although the phrase has more than one word it will be considered as a keyword. These types of keywords are also known as Long-tail keywords.

Pro Tip: When you do keyword research try targeting or using keywords that have less competition and high or average search volume. This will give you an advantage to rank your content faster. To do proper keyword research there are many free and paid tools available online. Here are some recommendations Google Keyword Planner (Free), Word Tracker (free & paid), Aherf (free & paid), Semrush (free & paid), Moz Keyword Explorer (free and paid), Uber Suggest (free and paid) etc.

If you consider our recommendation we personally use Aherf, Google Keyword Planner, and Semrush keyword checker tools.

Also read: How to do Keyword research for SEO Effectively

2. Content Creation (The Masterpiece of SEO)

Content Creation is one of the most essential elements of SEO Marketing. It’s all about providing relatable, valuable, informative, and quality content to your audience. When your content structure fulfills these 4 specs search engine algorithms give more weightage to your written content.

For Instance, you have a website related to digital marketing services. Creating blog posts, and publishing articles related to your Niche (digital marketing) will help you gain more visibility and authority for your website. To create compelling content that performs take help from the internet by watching tutorial videos on content creation, reading blog posts, etc.

Pro Tip: Many Beginners believe creating content nowadays is an easy task. Since the revolutionary growth of the internet, there are many tools available online that can effectively create professional content. Especially, Tools that use AI technology that people use for content creation. But, talking about our recommendation we will not suggest you use these tools. Instead be natural, and clear and write content about which you have knowledge or you have researched.

Also read: How to create appealing content for SEO

3. On-Page SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

On-Page Search Engine Optimization refers to the method of aligning and optimizing your webpage content for search engines and users. No Matter if you have written interesting and engaging content, it won’t rank higher if you haven’t paid attention to on-page SEO. On-page SEO in short is the way how you allign your content structure. Whenever, Search engines like Google, Microsoft Bing, etc. crawl any webpage they first check whether that page matches the search intent of a user or not. That is why on-page SEO plays an important role in search rankings.

Now you might be wondering what steps or techniques to follow to make the content structure On-page SEO optimized. We will make it easy for you to do On-page SEO.

What are the Best On-Page SEO Techniques?

• Write unique, quality, and plagiarism-free content.
• Focused keywords must be included in the permalink. The permalink is the final URL of the blog or article published.
• The title should contain the focused keyword.
• The introductory paragraph should contain a focused keyword.
• Use headings and subheadings to structure your content properly and include focused keywords or synonyms in headings and subheadings. (Dont over stuff)
• Use synonyms of your focused keyword in the content.
• Include images in your content. At least 1-2 Image alt text should contain the main keyword that you are targetting.
• Add external links in your content of relevant and referring websites.
• Must provide a meta description of your content. This also helps users to identify the content.
• Include transition words like moreover, finally, furthermore, and, beside, etc. while writing the content.

Pro Tip: When we write or structure our content we make sure it complies with all the above-mentioned steps and apart from that we do take care to use active voice in our sentences.

Hope, you are enjoying reading and that we are able to provide you with something valuable. Now, that you know what are the best on-page SEO techniques let’s move forward to our 4th essential element of SEO marketing.

4. Technical SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Technical SEO refers to everything you do for your website to make it easy to access, index, and crawl for the search engines, keeping in mind to enhance user experience. No matter if you have written valuable and quality content, If your website structure is not appropriate, search engines will not give it enough importance, which will negatively impact your website’s rankings. To make more easy technical SEO is a process of working on the base formation and structure of a website to make it easily accessible.

Some of the common techniques used in technical SEO include:

• Choosing the right hosting for your website that has an uptime of 99%.
• Creating a user-friendly site structure that is easy to navigate and understand.
• Improving the page load speed which is also known as website speed.
• Taking care of the mobile-friendliness of a website.
• Submitting site links to search engines like Google etc.
• Fixing any broken links or duplicate page issues.

Above mentioned are a few basic techniques used in technical SEO here’s a reference article on how to do technical SEO.

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5. Off Page SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Off-page SEO refers to the initial optimization that you do outside the website but for the website. In order to gain its visibility on search engines and to improve its search engine rankings. Off-page search engine optimization involves techniques that focus on building the website’s authority on search engines.

The most popular and effective technique for Off-page SEO is building backlinks. Creating high-quality backlinks pointing to your website from other websites notifies search engines that your site is valuable and of higher caliber. Which leads to establishing an authority and improvement in its rankings.

There are many different ways to create backlinks and some of the most popular methods include Guest postings, Infographic backlinks, Social book markings, forum submissions, profile backlinks, image backlinks, etc.

Pro Tip: Try building do-follow backlinks for more relevancy. You can also read how to get quality backlinks for reference.

Now, That you know what is SEO and what the essential elements of SEO let’s continue further on the second topic that why SEO is important for websites.

Top 05 Reasons Why SEO is Important for Websites

Nowadays, every company or website wants to establish itself on the internet, and SEO readily meets that desire this is why SEO is important for websites. There can be many reasons why Search engine optimization is beneficial. So, we are listing the top 05 reasons why SEO is important for a website to help you understand in depth.

1. SEO Improves Website Visibility

SEO can help a website achieve a higher ranking for the organic search on the search engines. Your site will be visible to more people (the searchers) who are specifically looking for what you have to offer. If your pages rank higher for relevant keywords. Increased visibility gets transformed into more targeted visitors finding your website easier to visit without the need for expensive advertisements.

For example, your website provides social media marketing services. When a potential customer searches for social media marketing services using your SEO-targeted keyword i.e., “best social media marketing service provider“ and finds your website already ranking for that term, the searcher is converted to a visitor.

2. SEO Enhances User Experience

A well-optimized website using all SEO approaches such as website speed, website structure, easy navigation, and mobile responsiveness leads to a better user experience. Search Engines like Google, Bing, etc. keep improving their algorithms to provide searchers with an enhanced user-friendly experience. So, if your website is SEO optimized it will automatically lead to better ranking and more visitors. Moreover, the user will love to stay for a longer duration on a website which can also lead to higher conversions.

3. It is Cost Effective That is Why SEO is Important

As compared to other forms of online marketing and lead generation, SEO provides a very cost-effective solution for businesses looking to gain their visibility online. Unlike paid advertisements which can be very expensive to run and manage over time, investing in SEO is a long-term strategy that typically requires less ongoing spending once the initial foundational work is done.

Quality SEO gains popularity and brings results that last for months and years after implementation, saving money in the long run. While paid search and social media ads can bring fast results, they lose their appeal when stopped. The effects of SEO remain much longer which is why SEO is important.

Here’s an example to illustrate how SEO can be cost-effective:

Consider a small local computer shop looking to get more clients or customers. They have a limited budget. Paying to paid advertisements such as Pay-per-click (PPC) ads or Social media ads can be an effective way to get customers but cost per click (CPC) or impressions really add up, especially for a small business. Just $100 a day in advertisements equal to a budget of $3000/ month. Whereas, with SEO the computer shop can optimize their website, focus on relevant keywords, and build backlinks from other sites.

Within a few months, their site will climb the search engine rankings, they will start appearing on the first page of search engines and businesses start to kick in bringing more customers much faster and for a longer duration. SEO will take some time and regular efforts but it costs little beyond the SEO tools or software and services if outsourced.

4. SEO Keeps You Ahead of Your Competitors

Unlike one website there can be many other similar websites that provide the same services or offer the same products which are considered competitors. SEO is the best way to keep your website ahead of your competitors. In this Digital era creating a website for your business is not enough to gain attention. It’s the SEO, which can outperform and bring awareness about your brand’s website among the people and keeps you ahead of your competition.

5. SEO Builds Trust and Authority of Your Website

Imagine having a website appear in the top search engine results pages (SERPs) can greatly strengthen a brand’s trustworthiness and authority in the eyes of searchers. when users search for a product or service, they naturally believe that the top-ranked web results displayed by the search engine are more reliable and relevant.

If your website consistently shows up on the first page for your related keywords, visitors will unknowingly consider your business as a reputable authority in the field. Developing trust and authority leads to more conversions and sales as visitors feel confident in your abilities and secure in doing business with your company.

Remember, SEO is the Gateway to Success in Long Run

Now that you know what is SEO and why SEO is important for websites. Start building your SEO strategy by working on the foundation such as (fixing the errors of your website, focusing on valuable content, building backlinks), etc. Do remember is the gateway to success but you have to be patient and consistent the results will pay you off in the long run.

We hope that you learned something new today. If you enjoyed reading this article or have any feedback to share kindly write in the comments or drop us an email at suppot@zoiint.com. Your feedback is valuable to us and encourages us to stay motivated.

Want to learn digital marketing check out How to Do Digital Marketing from Home for Beginners 2.0

FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions)

Here are some questions that you might be having related to our topic i.e. what is SEO and why SEO is important for websites.

How much time it takes to rank a website through SEO?

If you have followed the best practices of SEO from starting on your website. It usually takes around 3 to 6 months for a website to gain higher visibility on the search engines. To rank a website through SEO in the top 10 search results totally depends on various factors such as website strength, competitors, budget, etc.

What is the difference between SEO and SEM?

SEO which is also known as Search Engine Optimization refers to building authority and visibility of a website to rank higher on the search engines through unpaid forms of advertising techniques. SEO is more effective in gaining regular organic traffic in the long run.

Whereas SEM which is also known as Search Engine Marketing refers to promoting a website to gain visibility and traffic mostly through paid advertisements, it can also include SEO as well. The most commonly used Search Engine Marketing technique is PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertisements. SEM is more effective in gaining quick traffic in a short span of time.

Can I make money through SEO?

Yes, definitely you can make money through SEO. There are many ways you can utilize SEO to make money online. It’s hard to list all of them but here are two common methods to earn money from SEO:

1. Create a Website and do SEO

Firstly, create a website or a blog start doing SEO, and earn money through Google Adsense or other ad networks.

2. Become a freelancer and sell your SEO services

Once you become an expert in SEO you can offer a variety of SEO services or a complete SEO package to potential clients to get SEO for their websites. There are many freelance platforms that you can join by selling your SEO services such as Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, etc.