SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving a website so it ranks higher on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the practice of optimizing a website to improve its visibility and ranking in “organic” (unpaid) search results. The goal is to attract more visitors by ensuring the site appears at the top of the list when someone searches for a relevant keyword.
1. How SEO Works
SEO works by helping search engine understand your website and decide where to rank it in search results. Search engines like Google use algorithms to show the most relevant and useful pages to users. This process generally involves three steps:
- Crawling: Search engines send out “bots” (spiders) to scan the internet and find new or updated content.
- Indexing: Once a page is found, the search engine parses the content and stores it in a massive database called an index.
- Ranking: When a user types in a query, the search engine looks through its index and uses over 200 “ranking signals” to decide which pages are the most relevant and high-quality.
Simple Example
Imagine you own a cafe called The Coffee BEANS in kannur. Here is how you would apply SEO:
The Goal: You want to appear #1 when someone searches for “best espresso in kannur.”
On-Page Action: You create a blog post titled “Why We Have the Best Espresso in kannur,” using that exact phrase in your H1 tag and describing your organic beans and roasting process.
Off-Page Action: A popular local food blogger visits your cafe and writes a review, linking back to your website. This tells Google your site is authoritative.
Technical Action: You compress the high-resolution images of your latte art so your website loads in under 2 seconds on a customer’s phone.
In One Line
SEO helps your coffee shop appear on Google when people search for coffee near them.
