SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization,” which is the process of improving your website’s visibility in search engines like Google and Bing when people search for products or services related to your business. The better your pages appear in search results, the more likely you are to capture attention and attract prospective and existing customers to your business.
How Does SEO Work?
Search engines like Google and Bing use bots to crawl web pages, moving from site to site, gathering information about these pages, and organizing them into an index. Think of this index as a massive library where a librarian can quickly retrieve a book (or a webpage) to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Next, algorithms analyze pages in the index, considering hundreds of ranking factors or signals to determine the order pages should appear in search results for a given query. In our library analogy, the librarian has read every book and can recommend the ones that answer your questions.
SEO success factors can be seen as proxies for aspects of user experience. They help search engine bots assess how well a website or page can provide what a searcher is looking for.
Unlike paid search ads, you cannot pay search engines to achieve higher organic search rankings, which means SEO experts need to put in the work. That’s where we come in.
The SEO Periodic Table organizes factors into six main categories, each weighted based on its overall importance to SEO. For example, content quality and keyword research are key content optimization factors, while crawlability and speed are critical site architecture factors.
The newly updated SEO periodic table also includes a list of toxins that diminish SEO best practices—shortcuts or tricks that might have worked to secure high rankings back when search engines were less sophisticated but can now harm your ranking, at least until you’re caught.
We also have a new section on niches, diving into the SEO success factors for three key categories: Local SEO, News/Publishing, and E-commerce SEO. While our overall SEO periodic table will guide best practices, understanding each niche’s unique SEO aspects can help you achieve results for your small business, recipe blog, or online store.
Search algorithms are designed to display relevant, trustworthy pages and provide users with an efficient search experience. Optimizing your site and content with these factors in mind can help your pages rank higher in search results.
Why is SEO Important for Marketing?
SEO is a fundamental part of digital marketing because people conduct trillions of searches each year, often with commercial intent to find information about products and services. Search is typically the primary source of digital traffic for brands and complements other marketing channels. Greater visibility and higher ranking than your competition in search results can significantly impact your bottom line. However, search results have evolved over recent years to offer users more direct answers and information that keeps them on the results page instead of directing them to other websites. Consider that features like rich results and Knowledge Panels in search results can increase visibility and provide more information about your company directly in search results.
In short, SEO is the foundation of a comprehensive marketing ecosystem. Understanding what your website users want allows you to implement those insights across your campaigns (paid and organic), your website, all your social media properties, and more.
How Can I Learn SEO?
For a comprehensive dive into SEO, the SEO Periodic Table will introduce you to all the key concepts you need to know, including elements for successful on-page and off-page SEO and the “Toxins” or tactics that can harm your ranking.
The table and accompanying report also cover three search niches:
- Local SEO
- News/Publishing SEO
- E-commerce SEO
The SEO Periodic Table serves as the basis of this SEO Guide. Together, these resources will help you learn about SEO and refine your strategy for success.
