Understanding the Basics of SEO: Technical, Content and Usability - Clapping Dog Media

Understanding the Basics of SEO: Technical, Content and Usability

SEO is complex.

It isn’t just about more traffic. Traffic for traffic sake isn’t very helpful.

SEO is the art and science of attracting targeted traffic to your site and then enticing that traffic to do something productive on the site like to sign up for a demo, subscribe to a newsletter or buy something.

In order to get traffic to come to the site and to convert, we focus on three basics of SEO: Technical, Usability and Content.

Each of these play a crucial role in improving a site’s visibility on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) and at attracting more traffic — and they all work together.

parts of SEo

 

Technical SEO, What is it and Why is it Important

Technical SEO is the process of making sure a website is set up properly so that search engines can easily find and understand it.

Remember, Google defined search as “When trillions of people ask trillions of questions in hundreds of languages all at the same time and they expect an answer in less than one second.”

Google has to understand all of the queries as well as all of the internet simultaneously. Technical SEO involves things like optimizing website structure, fixing broken links, and making sure the website loads quickly – this all helps Google figure out where and how to categorize the site.

Why is it important? Well, if a website isn’t set up properly for Google, it will not show up very high in search results, which means less traffic and fewer visitors. Plus, technical SEO can also improve things like website speed and user experience, which can lead to more engaged visitors and ultimately, better results for the website.

Technical SEO is critical for site migrations.

When a site changes the hosting or domain or platform there is a significant amount of work needed to ensure that the organic traffic and ranking keywords are maintained.

Quality Content, What is it and why is it important for SEO

Quality content for SEO means creating content that’s not only relevant to your target audience but also valuable and engaging. This can be in the form of blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and more.

Why is it important? Well,  Google wants to provide their users with the best possible search results. And one way they do that is by ranking websites with high-quality content higher in search results. So, if you want your website to rank well, you need to create content that’s not only optimized for search engines but also provides value to your audience.

Plus, quality content can also help you build credibility, authority, and trust with your audience. If you consistently produce content that resonates with your audience, they’re more likely to engage with your brand and become loyal customers.

Usability, What it is and Why it is Important for your business

Usability for SEO refers to how easy it is for users to navigate and interact with your website. It includes things like website design, layout, and functionality.

Why is it important? Well, again Google wants to provide their users with the best possible search results, and one way they do that is by ranking websites with good usability higher in search results. If users come to your site and engage with it, Google will assume your site is a good answer for that search query. If your website is difficult to navigate or use, users will not not stick around very long, which will decrease the engagement rate and hurt your search engine rankings.

Good usability can also help you improve user engagement and conversions. If your website is easy to use and provides a good user experience, visitors are more likely to stay on your website, explore your content, and potentially convert into customers.

If you are getting started with SEO, three areas to focus on are technical, content and usability. By starting with these you will improve your sites visibility and overall performance.

 

Site Design Rebecca Pollock
Site Development North Star Sites