So, What Exactly is SEO?
If you’re in the business of marketing, advertising, or media business, you’ve probably heard of the term SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It sounds complicated but think of it as a system that sends signals to search engines that your pages are worth showing on Google’s index.
Simply, Google uses a mathematical formula—an “algorithm”—that gives a score to every website. Once someone searches something relevant to your site, Google will rank the best pages according to what people are looking for.
The Algorithm
The algorithm is what’s important here. Helen Overland, Digital Manager of eCommerce, explains it simply by using the bucket example: Think of an algorithm as a room that has many empty buckets. One bucket gives you a score for the quality of your site; another gives you a score for how many sites link to you; another for how many trust you. Your goal is to fill up more buckets than any other website.
Having the highest score in each bucket will affect your search engine ranking for the better. Basically, “optimizing” your site means getting the highest score in many different buckets so that you rank higher in the search results.
SEO Ranking Factors
Question. Would you rather purchase from an online store that is trustworthy or an online store that has fast page speed? Of course, we would like both… but I’m sure we would rather purchase from a website that will protect our credit card information rather than a website that will load five seconds faster than the other. What I’m trying to get a across is that some buckets are worth more than others.
Trust, Authority, and Quality. These are the top buckets to get high scores in. There are hundreds, but focus on these:
Trust
If you consistently have poor reviews on your website, people lose trust. You’re not going to rank very high on Google. You must prove that you are reliable. You can do this by getting other trustworthy sites or blogs to link to you – an online newspaper site, industry links, happy customers, vendors, partners, you name it. Prove that your highly credible and that people can trust you.
Authority
If you’re the most popular site, Google will know you’re doing something right. Show them that you have authority in your business field. Fill the authority bucket by having a fan base. Get people to comment on your site, leave testimonials, post pictures with your product, etc. Strive to connect with people and have them talk about you.
Quality
Google wants to show customers the best quality websites. One way to be of quality is by having good and unique content. If you’re selling shoes and your content is the same as every other shoe store, you’re not showing Google that you’re the best…you’re showing them that you’re the same. Boost up your quality by including things like shoe customization, information on how to clean them, what the best material is, etc. The more information and creativity you give will make you stand out in terms of being a “quality website”.
So really, SEO is there to show popular search engines whether your site is the best and deserves to show up on the first page. If you are the most trustworthy, authoritative, and have the best quality, Google will confidently pick you as the best offer for searching customers. Use SEO, fill up as many buckets as you can and watch your business grow!
Your Team at Branded Marketing & Promo Inc.