All major search engines, such as Google and Bing, have primary search results where web pages are listed and ranked in order of what the search engine considers most relevant. The visibility of a website on search engine result pages (unpaid) can be improved through the process of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is similar to a quality control process and incorporates search engine friendly elements into a website to increase page authority. https://www.redevolution.com/what-is-seo/

SEO is divided into two main areas of success factors: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page search ranking factors include those almost completely within the publishers control. This refers to elements comprising a web page to which you could ask yourself: What content is being published? Are HTML codes included that would help determine relevancy to search engines and users? Is the site user friendly or does it hinder search engines? Off-page search ranking factors include those out of the publishers control. These are used because publisher-controlled signals could not always be trusted, as some publishers made themselves out to be more relevant than they are. This refers to links pointing to the site from another relevant website. https://www.reliablesoft.net/how-to-perform-a-seo-audit-of-your-web-site-checklist-included/

Today I will be looking at the key on-page SEO factors.

Firstly, content. The content of the website is arguably the most important SEO factor, as it is the foundation upon which a business is built and represented. All other factors will rely on the quality of content. Ask yourself these questions: is the website producing quality content? Does it represent a business more than average? Does it differ from competitors? If so, how? Do you provide potential customers with a reason to carry on reading? Do you offer a real value to visitors that they won’t find elsewhere? It is important to ask these questions and critically evaluate the content of the website.

Secondly, good keyword research. The content of your website should incorporate the key search terms used by customers throughout to maximise exposure. The more times the key search terms can be incorporated, the higher the chances are of being recognised and getting results. They must be included within reason, and it should not be obvious that those terms are repeatedly mentioned. There are a range of tools, such as Google Trends, that allow you to gain information on what search terms are most used relevant to your content. Then ask yourself, are those key search words included in your content? If not, it may be worth reviewing your content and making some amendments. https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2066257/what-people-search-for-most-popular-keywords

Thirdly, site architecture. The architecture of a website is often underestimated, however, if a website has a good structure it be user friendly, and also search engine friendly. Search engines scan over all websites and so the easier it is to scan, the higher the chances of acquiring a better search ranking. In the last few years, google searches have increasingly been made on mobile devices. So ensuring your site is mobile-friendly will be worthwhile. Perhaps even consider introducing a mobile app? Speedy sites also hold a very small ranking advantage over slower sites, as one of Googles aims is to make the web a faster place. http://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo

This website has very good and helpful links when looking at SEO and the importance of different factors. It has videos and images that clarify the different factors, see below.

http://searchengineland.com/seotable

There are of course many other factors that all contribute to successfully improving your websites search engine friendliness. Focus on the basics, and it will massively improve your websites ranking for selected keywords over a period of months or even years. Not only does generating quality content result in ranking improvements, but it will also make it much more accessible for customers. The significance of selected keywords for the search engines will develop over time through incorporating them into textual content on the website. http://www.whatisseo.com/what-is-possible-through-seo.html

To summarise. Conduct research and recognise what kind of content your potential customers are looking for, and what you have to offer. Build a great site including the content people want and make it easy for them to share it. This could potentially successfully increase your website traffic. https://www.redevolution.com/what-is-seo/

Next time I will be looking into off-page SEO factors, and how they can be used effectively to increase search engine rankings.

Watch this space.