What is SEO: Definition, By what method it works and What it is forEvery day, several million posts are published worldwide on blogs and websites, so if we need to give the idea in the top positions of search engines, we must do more than “pray”.

A website or blog without traffic is not of much use. So if you want your project to be successful, you have to invest time – and money – in doing a good SEO since the difference between appearing or not on the first page of Google determines, in most cases, that a business succeeds. Or fail.

Please keep reading and discover what SEO is, what it is for, how it works and why your internet project should apply it.

What is SEO?

The period SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization, an acronym for “Search Engine Optimization”.

This term is also known as Natural Positioning, Search Engine Optimization or Web Positioning.

The objective of SEO, and its reason for being, is to improve, through consistent and specific actions, and the application of techniques and tools, the visibility of a website (or a blog) in the organic consequences of search engines for one or more several specific words that are relevant so that it is positioned above the competitors.

Why is this done? To increase the organic traffic of visits captured from search engines. And that, at the same time, this traffic is qualified and interested in what we offer.

It should be noted that, although we talk about search engines in general, focuses specifically on actions and techniques aimed at “pleasing” Google. Therefore, it is this search engine that sets the guidelines and rules to follow in SEO; since it alone covers about 90% of all searches made on search engines.

And it is essential to always keep in mind, when doing SEO, that the results usually take time to arrive; so (typically) short-term results are not seen, but it is a medium and long-term job.

SEO: Why is it Essential for Your Online Project?

SEO is essential for any business that wants to have an online presence. Thanks to SEO, the user experience can be improved while helping search engines better understand what our site is about and whether or not it is helpful for said users.

An online business can meet users interested in its products and services through SEO.

Some of the main reasons for the importance of SEO for an online project are:

  • Generates highly qualified visits, increasing the visibility of the project.
  • It helps build trust and credibility, both with Google and with users.
  • It allows you to measure and optimize all the time, adjusting what is not working well and enhancing what is.
  • Improves the impact on social networks; the more people visit a website, the more likely they will share it (if they find what they are looking for and need).

As you can see, the advantages are multiple. However, perhaps the most important or relevant is that after an adequate initial investment of time and money, when you manage to position yourself, you will be able to enjoy receiving highly qualified quality visits without additional costs.

How Does a Search Engine Work?

In a nutshell, Google (and search engines in general) always aims to provide users with the most appropriate answer for their search intent.

To do so, follow a three-stage process:

  1. Crawling: Search engine bots crawl the web, looking for all available pages. To do this, they follow the links, going from one to another, and compiling all the information about said websites.
  2. Indexing: once all this information has been compiled, search engines organize it so that they can access it quickly and in an orderly manner and collate it in an “index”.
  3. Delivering results to users: Finally, when a user performs a search, the search engines (using an algorithm based on hundreds of factors) determine what content best responds to that search and provide the user with a list of relevant results.

SEO On-Page and SEO Off-Page: What are They, and How Do They Differ?

In , actions can be carried out both inside and outside the web; this is called SEO On-Page and SEO Off-Page, respectively.

Occupancy’s take a quick look at what each one is about.

SEO On Page

Through On-Page SEO, we must ensure that the website is optimized, through a set of techniques and actions applied to the website itself, so that Google can “understand” its content and it is easy to categorize and position it.

Among the most relevant on-page factors are:

The insertion of the keywords for which we want to rank in strategic places within the page, such as the main title, the meta-description, the subtitles, etc.

The loading time of the site.

Image optimization.

The format of the URLs.

The inclusion of a Sitemap.Xml.

Off-Page SEO

On the other hand, we have Off-Page SEO, which is the part that works outside the website, that is, external factors, which also help us position our site in Google, but over which we do not always have complete control.

Among the most relevant off-page factors we can mention:

Quantity and quality of backlinks and their thematic affinity.

The authority of the page.

Mentions in the local media.

We obtain the performance (or CTR ) in the search results and the time spent on the site.

The age of the site.

The impact of our content on social networks.

As you can see,  On-Page alone does not guarantee that you will be able to position yourself in the first positions, but this objective is achieved when it is complemented with SEO Off-Page.

SEO Whitehat vs SEO Blackhat (and SEO Greyhat)

There are several ways to carry out SEO, depending on what type of strategies are used, which are:

White Hat SEO.

Blackhat SEO.

Greyhat SEO.

I determination briefly explain the characteristics of each one.

SEO White Hat

White hat SEOs follow the quality guidelines Google sets, avoiding using fraudulent or illegal tactics or techniques.

It is a way of thinking about the long term with a notion of sustainability over time.

In other words, this type of SEO does not try to manipulate search engine rankings through deceptive practices. They follow the established guidelines and try to satisfy both Google and users in the best possible way.

If you could reappearance that you want to create a sustainable online business, focusing on satisfying your audience and charitable them the best possible content, respecting the rules of the game of search engines, Whitehat SEO is for you.

SEO Black Hat

On the other hand, the “black hat” SEOs seek to trick Google by manipulating the rankings, to position quickly and make a profit, but without a long-term vision.

Usually, websites positioned in this way are penalized and often fail to recover.

The idea and purpose of black hat SEO techniques are usually to get an immediate financial reward, take advantage of the shortcomings of search engines and devise new ways to circumvent them.

SEO Blackhat is for you if you want to make quick money, but without creating a long-term asset, focusing on tricking search engines and not considering the user at all.

SEO Greyhat

Finally, there are the Greyhat SEOs, which are halfway between Blackhat SEO and Whitehat SEO. In different words, they go a little further than Whitehat SEOs, but they do not use all the techniques (especially the riskiest ones) of black hat SEOs.

Search Intent: Key Concept in Current SEO

Fashionable recent times, a concept is becoming more and more relevant: the “Search Intent” or “Search Intent”.

Before, some time ago SEO was more “simple” For example a website could position. Some content page just by having a good number of backlinks pointing to said URL.

In addition the searches (and the results that the search engines gave) were based on “keywords”, which led to abusive practices. Such as keyword stuffing (a technique that was based on repeating a keyword. Consistently without much meaning throughout a text with the sole intention of favouring its position in the search results).

However today search engines – more specifically Google – have evolved and are no longer based only on keywords. But when a user searches they try to “understand” that search. Trying to guess the intention that the person has when searching.

In this way when creating content each query or search intention must be analyzed and find out. How Google interprets that search intent for a specific set of keywords.

Therefore although carrying out a good keyword analysis is still essential. It must be combined with a search intent analysis for each specific search. Developing the content from there.

Conclusions

SEO is a vast subject that is continuously changing and being updated. For this reason, despite knowing what SEO is why it is essential and the most relevant aspects in consideration. You must always seek to expand your knowledge and stay updated. Do you already know the SEO factors that you must take into account to position yourself in Google?

As you saw to get good positions in Google, you have to optimize. Your website for SEO And if you do things right. It can become the best ally in your digital marketing strategy.