What Is SEO? A Guide to Search Engine Optimization

Users and search engines prefer a well-structured site with a fast loading time and high security – all of which are essential technical SEO factors. An example of SEO is optimizing a website’s title tags and meta descriptions to include relevant keywords, which increases its likelihood of ranking for those search queries. When you built your website, you likely created it with your users in mind, trying to make it easy for them to find and explore your content.

SEO optimization

Google uses a multi-step process to discover, store, and rank web pages. With so much jargon and endless advice online, it’s hard to know where to begin. You can schedule weekly or daily audits with Semrush’s Site Audit tool. Note that you may need a web developer or SEO specialist to help SEO Anomaly you with technical tasks. Many of the other good SEO practices in this guide are good for UX, too. You can typically add alt text via your word processor or website editor.

SEO optimization

When you find potential competitors using one of these tools or by exploring who’s ranking for targeted keywords, you can drill down into those domains and webpages further. The Ahrefs traffic value metric is also really useful here, showing you in real dollar terms how successful keywords can be if you can rank for them. Develop SEO-friendly header tags, like your H1, H2s, H3s, and so on, by reviewing the top-ranking URLs for your target keyword to better understand its search intent. Some of the best rank tracking tools out there can help you identify the pages ranking well for your keyword, like Ahrefs. Then, use your header tags to target your keyword, plus help users find the information they need. On-page SEO deals with optimizing individual web pages to improve their search engine rankings and user experience.

How to Use PageSpeed Insights

SEO optimization

Generative engines allow users to search with longer sentences, multiple trains of thought, or even entire paragraphs, as the model breaks down the input into chunks it can process. When you type a long, complex question into an AI tool like ChatGPT or Perplexity, it breaks the prompt into smaller, search-like queries and runs those through its model. That includes its internal training data and, depending on the engine, external sources like the web. One key advantage of Serpstat is its batch analysis capability. You can analyze multiple domains or keywords at once, making it a better fit if you’re managing multiple projects. Exploding Topics is a trend discovery and market research tool.

  • “Keyword” is used more widely to describe single and multi-word search queries.
  • Some of the easiest ways to ensure that your site loads quickly include not overloading it with media or features, optimizing image sizes and sticking to one or two fonts throughout.
  • And parts of your URL can appear in search results, meaning optimized URLs can help users understand what your page is about too.
  • Think of SEO tools as your digital magnifying glass and toolkit for your website.
  • So, whether you’re a seasoned SEO strategist or just starting, the wealth of free tools available means there’s no excuse not to optimize your site.

Keep Up-To-Date And Keep Learning

SEO optimization

That insight shifted our focus toward more LLM-friendly copy and formatting. Some brands are already winning in generative search because of their positioning in media, third-party content, and user discussions. They are also showing up in Gemini for many related local search queries. We personalized the content by featuring a mortgage professional as the author, who wrote from a first-person perspective. The author’s expertise improved the E-E-A-T of the content, which is an important signal of quality content.

Featured snippets are bits of content that Google pulls from pages to answer search queries. Additionally, your images may show up as previews in Search or in Google Discover. But it’s still a good idea to give that little piece of content some thought because it may entice readers to choose your page among others on the SERP.

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