How does SEO work?
To understand how Search Engine Optimization works, we have to understand how search engines function. When a request is typed in the search engine software searches the internet to find the strongest combination of words in your initial request. Websites that have the words of your request in them are then crawled over by the software to see if the word strings are valid and applicable with strong supporting links and backlinks. The websites that have the strongest returns show up in your search engine.
The initial search is for keywords and once websites have been found with those keywords, the search engine goes to work comparing all of the sites found with their algorithm to discover which has the greatest compatibility with your initial request. Since all major search engine companies have their own search engine algorithm, the results you see on Google might be different than the ones you see on Bing, for example.
Google is usually thought of as the industry-standard for search engines and most optimization is done to strengthen the response from Google’s algorithm. All major algorithms undergo regular updates and since the guidelines for the algorithms are not released to the public, finding the strongest combination of keywords, links, content and backlinks can be a full-time job for companies that want to maintain a high ranking for SEO.
What makes a website have a strong SEO presence includes:
- Content
- Links
- Backlinks
- Keywords
This is also how most SEO companies rank the specific attributes of your SEO ranking. Content is the most important factor, followed by strong links to supporting websites and backlinks from authoritative websites. Keywords are used to get search engines to your page, but overuse will actually worsen your ranking on search engines.