Easy to understand SEO definition with visual aid.
SEO or Search Engine Optimization, is the process by which a website, blog, or other digital media is structured in such a way that search engines like Google will display that media first for a given search term. Don’t worry, here is an example.
If someone searches for the phrase “DUI attorneys in Toledo Ohio”, the first result is said to be “better optimized” for that particular phrase than the second result or any other result for that phrase. See the picture below.
Now, our intention is not to over simplify the SEO process. The concept and definition is simple. However, the process, is anything but simple.
SEO can be divided into 2 main catagories
Onsite SEO
Onsite SEO is exactly what it sounds like. Any changes that you make to the website itself is considered onsite SEO. This can include things like adding content (the words on the page), changing the heading on the page to something more relevant, making the URL something relevant.
Offsite SEO
Offsite SEO is perhaps not as obvious besides to say its what you do not on the website. Which you might be asking, What can you do if you are not on your website? The answer is, link building. This might be just a bit harder to wrap your head around. In simplest terms, it is putting a link on someone else’s website that points back to your website. For example, I make you a website and at the bottom of your website I put “website designed by Website Elevation Corp” This is a back link and Google likes this. In Google’s mind, the more back links you have, the more creditable your website or specifically your web page must be. This can be a very difficult thing to accomplish. It requires many many hours of article writing, reaching out to webmasters of relevant websites that may consider a link exchange, and many other factors. Don’t go crazy and start throwing you money and link to anyone that will take it. You can hurt your SEO efforts by putting you link on websites that are very disreputable. Link farms are not what you want to put your link on. This is where an SEO company would come in handy. A good SEO company has connections with good link building websites and they know the ones to stay away from.