Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of making your website rank highly on Google’s search results. It helps your site attract traffic by making it easier for searchers to find the content they need, and it helps search engines understand the importance of your pages. Because Google delivers results on a page level, each page’s role matters when search engines decide how to prioritize your content.
SEO is a central part of online marketing because most users begin their journey with a search. Search engines present results as a ranked list of the most relevant websites, and the top-ranked result gets forty to sixty percent of all clicks. The second and third results receive a smaller share, and in the US roughly 80% of users never go past the first page. Even a small improvement in your ranking can translate into more traffic and more business.
How the SEO industry has grown
SEO adoption has expanded quickly over the past two decades. In 2006 there were hundreds of SEO firms in the US alone, while the UK had only about 30 SEO companies. By June 2008, Google held an almost 90% market share in the UK. Despite the hundreds of SEO companies now operating worldwide, many of them are not very effective, which is why choosing the right tactics matters if you want to reach more customers and generate more leads. SEO can also help you capture traffic from sources such as TV ads when used correctly.
Why SEO matters for your website
If your website is already generating traffic from search engines, it is critical to make sure your content stays relevant. Optimizing each page for each search query can lift your organic search rankings and build brand recognition, and a good SEO strategy can increase your online traffic by more than ten fold. Search engine optimization also improves your site’s overall reputation with search engines, which in turn drives more traffic, so it is worth knowing which keywords you are targeting and which you are not.
Reaching the right market
SEO is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach a global market, letting you connect with potential customers across different continents and countries. In Germany, Google had a 77% market share in 2003, and by June 2008 it held a nearly 90% share in the UK, which is why SEO should be the core of any website strategy. If you are targeting a specific country, your site should be optimized for the dominant search engines in that market, such as Google and Bing in the UK, or Google for local search in the US. Without that optimization, your site will struggle to drive the visitors and sales your business needs.
FAQ
What does search engine optimization actually do?
SEO makes your website rank more highly on Google’s search results so that searchers can find your content more easily. It also helps search engines understand the importance of your pages and decide how to prioritize them.
Why is ranking on the first page of Google so important?
The top-ranked result gets forty to sixty percent of all clicks, and in the US about 80% of users never go past the first page of results. Even a small improvement in your ranking can lead to noticeably more traffic and business.
How dominant is Google in the markets SEO targets?
By June 2008 Google held an almost 90% market share in the UK, and as far back as 2003 it already had a 77% share in Germany. SEO techniques are therefore usually built around the dominant search engines in the country you are targeting, such as Google and Bing in the UK.
Related coverage
- How Search Engine Optimization Can Help Your Website Rank Higher in SERPs
- What Is Search Engine Optimization?