What is SEO?

SEO (Search engine optimisation)

SEO is a digital marketing tool that enhances your visibility during web searches. When users search for products or services related to your business on a search engine (for example Google, Bing Etc) your website will be given a ranking, the higher the ranking, the further up your website will appear in the search engine results. Using keywords and updating content regularly helps to increase the flow of traffic to web pages which creates more opportunities to convert prospects into customers.

How does SEO work?

Search engines use bots to crawl through the pages on the web, collecting information about those pages and putting them into an index. Next, considering hundreds of ranking factors, algorithms will analyse the findings and determine which order the pages should appear on the results pages.

Different from paid ads, you cannot pay search engines to appear higher on the organic search results.

What are the main factors of SEO?

Google uses over 200 ranking factors designed to present the most relevant pages, providing users with an efficient search experience. Some of the factors taken into consideration are:

• Relevant and high-quality content
• User experience and website speed
• Mobile-friendliness and responsive design
• Backlinks from authoritative and trustworthy sources
• Domain authority and page authority
• Keywords and keyword placement
• Page and site architecture
• Social signals and engagement
• Security and HTTPS encryption
• Page loading speed and performance.

 

Relevant and high quality content

Content is an important part of SEO as it is the main way to engage with audiences. Knowing your purpose and creating content that is relevant to your brand, interesting and shareable is key. Updating/revising old content and consistently adding content can help to boost your SEO ranking and builds trust between you and your prospects.

User experience and website speed

User experience and website speed are important factors for SEO success. A good user experience can keep visitors engaged, while a fast-loading website can improve search rankings and organic traffic. By optimising user experience and website speed, website owners can improve their chances of ranking high in search results and reaching more potential customers.

Mobile-friendliness and responsive design

Mobile-friendliness and responsive design are critical for SEO success. A mobile-friendly website provides a good user experience, which can improve engagement and conversions. A responsive design ensures your website looks great on all devices, which can improve search rankings and lead to more traffic and conversions. By optimising mobile-friendliness and responsive design, website owners can improve their chances of ranking high in search results and reaching more potential customers.

Backlinks from authoritative and trustworthy sources

Backlinks from authoritative and trustworthy sources are essential to SEO because they improve the credibility and visibility of your website, as well as your website’s domain authority. When a reputable website links to your content, it signals to search engines that your website is a valuable source of information. This can help your website rank higher in search results and increase your exposure, leading to more conversions. High-quality backlinks from authoritative and trustworthy sources can also improve your website’s domain authority, which is a key factor in SEO success.

Domain authority and page authority

Domain authority and page authority are important to SEO because they are metrics that measure the credibility and authority of a website and its individual pages. Domain authority is a score that predicts how well a website will rank in search engine results, based on various factors such as the number and quality of backlinks, website age, and content relevance. Page authority is a similar metric that predicts how well a specific page on a website will rank in search results. Both metrics are used by search engines to determine the credibility and relevance of a website or page, and they play a significant role in SEO. Websites with higher domain authority and page authority are more likely to rank higher in search results and attract more traffic, which can ultimately lead to more conversions and business success.

Keywords and keyword placement

Keywords and keyword placement are important to SEO because they are the foundation of how search engines understand the content of a website. Keywords are words or phrases that people use to search for information on search engines, and they help search engines match relevant content to search queries. By using relevant keywords on a website, it becomes easier for search engines to understand what the website is about, which can help it rank higher in search results for those keywords. Keyword placement, or where and how keywords are used on a website, is also important to SEO. By strategically placing keywords in the website’s content, metadata, and other on-page elements, website owners can improve the website’s relevance to specific keywords and increase its chances of ranking higher in search results for those keywords.

Page and site architecture

Page and site architecture are important to SEO because they affect how search engines crawl and understand a website’s content. The architecture of a website determines how pages are organised and linked together, and it can impact how easy it is for search engines to navigate and index a website. A well-structured website with clear, logical page and site architecture can make it easier for search engines to understand the content of a website and rank it appropriately in search results. Good page and site architecture can also improve user experience by making it easier for users to navigate a website and find the content they are looking for. By designing a website with a clear and intuitive structure, website owners can improve both their SEO and user engagement.

Social signals and engagement

Social signals and engagement are SEO ranking factors because they can indicate the popularity and authority of a website. Social signals refer to the number of social media shares, likes, and comments a piece of content receives, and search engines may use this information to evaluate the quality and relevance of a website’s content. Engagement, which includes metrics such as click-through rates, bounce rates, and time spent on a website, can also signal to search engines that a website is offering valuable and relevant content to its audience. The more social signals and engagement a website has, the higher the website may rank in search results, as search engines interpret this as a sign of website authority and credibility. Thus, website owners should focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that can generate social signals and engagement to improve their website’s SEO.

Security and HTTPS encryption

Security and HTTPS encryption are important SEO ranking factors because they play a critical role in ensuring user safety and data privacy. HTTPS encryption, which uses SSL/TLS certificates to encrypt data transmitted between a website and its users, can help protect users from security threats such as hacking, data breaches, and identity theft. Search engines prioritize user safety, so they tend to favour secure websites with HTTPS encryption over insecure ones. Additionally, websites with HTTPS encryption can benefit from higher click-through rates, as users are more likely to trust and engage with secure websites. As such, website owners should ensure that their website is secure and uses HTTPS encryption to improve their website’s SEO and protect their users’ privacy.

Page loading speed and performance.

Page loading speed and performance are crucial for SEO because they significantly affect user experience and website engagement. Websites with slow loading speeds and poor performance may have high bounce rates and low engagement rates, which can negatively impact their search engine rankings. Search engines prioritise user experience, so they tend to favour websites that load quickly and provide a seamless user experience. Fast-loading websites can also help to improve the user experience, which in turn can lead to higher engagement rates and more conversions. Website owners can optimise page loading speed and performance by using techniques such as image optimisation, minifying code, and reducing server response time, among other methods. By improving page loading speed and performance, website owners can improve their website’s SEO and provide a better user experience for their audience.

SEO Issues

Even though search engines are constantly evolving, they are still not perfect. So, it is up to you to take action to sidestep any failings.

For example, if a website doesn’t have a well-organised link structure, then search engines may not be able to crawl the site index properly which can lead to lower rankings.

Areas where search engines can run into problems include:

• Coding errors
• Forms
• Non-textual content such as images, flash, audio files, and video

How Flipp Design can help

With a wealth of experience from working with established businesses, brands, and start-ups, we understand that every company is different, and everyone’s goal is unique. Everything we do is bespoke, custom designed, and with SEO in mind, helping you to reach your future goals.

We’d like to help boost your SEO ranking with:

• Responsive Website Design
• Content Management Systems
• Search Engine Optimisation
• UX Prototyping