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Writer's pictureShelley Iverson

SEO 101: Search Engine Basics

Updated: Nov 7, 2023

What is the definition of SEO? Short for Search Engine Optimization; “The process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine. The key to getting more traffic lies in integrating content with search engine optimization and social media marketing.”



Shelley's Social Media Basics of SEO
Shelley's Social Media Basics of SEO

SEO words with ranking authority description

SEO is very much about WHAT people are searching for; what keywords they are using, what do they want to get out of their search, even location plays a role. The good old hashtag, #themoreyouknow, reigns true here too. The more you know what your “people” want to see, and how they are getting the content they want, the better for your business.

Once you know what they want, now you can focus on how to deliver it in such a way that search engines, like Google, will find your webpage.

What is a search engine, you ask?

“A program that searches for and identifies items in a database that correspond to keywords or characters specified by the user, used especially for finding particular sites on the World Wide Web.” If only this worked when parents were trying to search for the right cup their kid wants to use today, LOL! Your wheels may be spinning now, asking yourself, what was the first search engine? Check out this timeline; it explains it all.


So how do search engines even work?

“Search engines work by taking a list of known URLs, which then go to the scheduler. The scheduler decides when to crawl each URL. Crawled pages then go to the parser where vital information is extracted and indexed. Parsed links go to the scheduler, which prioritizes their crawling and re-crawling.” There is a grand diagram available if you need a visual. We use search engines for everything nowadays. You don’t even have to type in your question if you have a smartphone or smart device. “Ok, Google… What is the weather going to be today?” It is that simple and easy to access the information we are seeking.




What’s this Organic SEO, you say?

Very similar to “Organic” naturally grown foods, that is Organic SEO, obtained naturally. Organic SEO “refers to the methods used to obtain a high placement (or ranking) on a search engine results page in unpaid, algorithm-driven results on a given search engine. Methods such as boosting keywords, backlinking, and writing high-quality content can all improve a site’s page rank.” Make sure that your website’s SEO on EVERY page is set-up to get you results. Hiring a specialist will ensure that your business’s web presence is expanding by creating goal-orientated campaigns to get you results.

SO why is SEO important again?




SEO importance
SEO importance

Close up of Google Letters

If you’re not showing up in searches and your website is going unnoticed, then you are less likely to be getting new visitors to your website. SEO will help to increase your traffic and potential growth of the business. Your competition is most likely already taking advantage of SEO and the fact that you are not. This study is very eye-opening, even for me; “90.88% of pages are invisible in Google.

“Last year, we studied almost a billion web pages to see how many of them are invisible—i.e., receive no organic search traffic whatsoever.” Seriously you guys, over 90% of ALL websites are getting NO traffic… What did you pay for that site? How much time and energy did you put into it? And now what, nothing’s happening. If you want to make an ROI (return on investment), you should be doing everything you can to get people on that fantastic website of yours.




Shelley's Social Media 2020 business goals
Shelley's Social Media 2020 business goals

2020 letters in front of a picture

So is your business focusing on SEO for 2020? It should be, the benefits are there for you to reap. You need to sow the seeds and get your website optimized. Remember, you want the full advantage of SEO, click through to your site and business growth. It is not just about how many it is

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