A Basic Definition

Search Engine Optimization, otherwise known as SEO for short, is the practice of growing traffic to your page through organic (organic meaning results that were not paid for) search engine results (like Google, Yahoo, and Bing).

So How Does SEO Work?

Sometimes using Google feels like magic. Type in a series of words or a question and it nearly instantly spits out a long list of results for you to choose from. So, what is it exactly, that powers the magic? To answer that, we need to take a look at how search engines work. Every search engine will have its own nuances, but the basic gist is the same. Search engines use “web crawlers” that are automated programs that go out and find all of the information they can on the internet. That information is then compiled and categorized so that when you type something into your preferred search engine, it can tell you what it found using its web crawlers.

The optimization part of SEO is what you, as someone who creates content, can do to make it easier for the web crawlers to do their job and help get your information front and center when someone is searching for something relevant. Since web crawlers pick up on a variety of different pieces of information, there’s quite a bit you can do; including adding title tags (the clickable headlines you see whenever you’ve used a search engine), site descriptions, and keywords that help the crawlers classify your information.

Interested in learning more about SEO? Stay tuned for future blog posts!