The Ultimate Question: What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is the practice of increasing the quality and quantity of traffic to your website through organic (also referred to as “free”, “natural”, or “earned”) search engine results.
One of the most common ways to find information on the internet is to type a search query into a search engine such as Google, Yahoo!, or Bing to name a few. The search query will return a search engine results page(SERP) which is ranked based on a multifactor algorithm. These algorithmic factors examine many elements like crawlable content, page speed, and mobile friendliness, to how your site is being linked from other websites.
In order for users to best find you via search queries, you need to show up in the first few results for any given search query. The average web user using a search engine won’t go past the first 5 results listings. A 2017 study by Ignite Visibility shows that out of the first ten results for any given search, the first result for any given search has a click-through rate of 20.5% and that 65% of all traffic went to the first 5 results.
Optimizing to rank highly in the first five rankings is what SEO is all about. Garnering inbound customers that are looking for your business and your services helps to create shorted conversion funnels.