A Beginner’s Guide to SEO: What Is It & Why Is It Important?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) refers to the process of optimising your website to improve search rankings, get more organic traffic and build a strong foundation for your website overtime. Clixpert is a multi-award-winning Digital Marketing & SEO Agency in Sydney NSW that’s helped thousands of clients improve their rankings and website user experience. With over a decade in this highly dynamic industry, we’ve learnt that it’s crucial to stay on your toes and update yourself to stay on top of the game. 

An Introductory Guide to Search Engine Optimisation 

Whether you’re new to SEO or just looking for what’s changed in terms of SEO strategies in the last five years, this Beginner SEO Guide is for you. It’s packed with useful information, statistics and expert tips to help you grasp the concept of SEO and tap into its potential. A lot has changed in the Digital Marketing world in the last decade. We’ve seen Google and other search engines tweak and improve their algorithms to facilitate a better user experience. Voice searches are now more popular than ever before, thanks to voice assistants such as Siri and Alexa. But, one thing that’s stayed constant is SEO’s effectiveness in driving traffic and improving your website’s search engine ranking. 

What Is SEO? 

Let’s start with tackling the fundamental question: what is SEO? It’s the process of increasing the quality and quantity of organic traffic to your website. In simple terms, SEO is about understanding user intent and providing them with the best answer/content for their search queries to improve your website’s ranking on Google, Bing and other search engines. Search Engine Optimisation is all about understanding and catering to your audience’s intent while at the same time delivering content in a way that makes it easy for search engine crawlers to find and locate. 

How Does SEO Drive Organic Search Results? 

According to Google’s Economic Impact Report, organic search is 5X more valuable than Google Ads. Organic Search is a subset of Search Engine Marketing (SEM). It refers to unpaid results that are ranked algorithmically, unlike paid search which must be bought. Paid search is great for boosting traffic and getting more visitors to your website in the short term. It’s a great option if you’ve got a promotion or targeted marketing campaign happening and want to boost traffic to your site. Organic Search, on the other hand, has a much longer turnaround time. The advantage though is that it delivers results long-term, compounding ROI so you can enjoy the fruits of your labour for years to come. 

There was a time when the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) used to be pretty simple. Ads were positioned at the top of the search results and clearly marked as such, and the organic results were listed below the ads. But, as Google changed over the years, so did the SERPs. Today, when you search on Google, your Search Engine Results Page (SERP) will be filled with both more advertising as well as more dynamic organic search results. SERP features such as featured snippets and People Also Ask (PAA) boxes can be targeted by SEO. 

Featured Snippets

These are short experts of text that appear at the top when you search for something on Google. Google’s algorithm picks text that it thinks answers the user’s query/search and features it in a quick, easy to consume format. This gives the user a preview of the content available on that particular site and they can then make the decision to click on the link to find out more. 

People Also Ask (PAA) Boxes

The People Also Ask box is another dynamic SERP feature. It contains a set of questions that Google deems as relevant and related to your original search query. When you click on a question, the box expands and displays a brief answer to the question. The user can then click on the link to visit the site for more information if they think that the content will sufficiently answer their query. 

While not a part of traditional SEO, dynamic SERP features like PAA and Featured Snippets offer great opportunities for you to reach more users and get more eyeballs on your site. 

The Importance of SEO in Digital Marketing in 2021

Search engines drive the most significant portion of online traffic. Sure, paid advertising, social media and platforms like YouTube can improve traffic as well. But search is definitely at the top of the ladder when it comes to driving traffic and conversions. So, it’s a no-brainer that you need to invest in SEO to yield the best results for your website in terms of traffic, ranking and conversions. SEO is unique in that it is one of the only digital marketing channels that pays dividends over time. A well-written and optimised web page or blog will keep ranking for the right keywords, driving traffic to your site over months and years to come. Compared to paid marketing efforts like PPC that require continuous funding, SEO is a much more budget-friendly solution. 

DIY SEO Vs. Hiring an SEO Specialist, Consultant or Agency 

Are you wondering if you should hire an SEO Expert or tackle it yourself instead? Well, it depends on how much time and effort you’re willing to invest in learning SEO. Search Engine Optimisation is a vast field that’s constantly changing. Every time Google or another search engine tweaks its algorithm, it’ll have a direct impact on the performance of your SEO efforts. So, unless you’re ready to learn everything there is to know about SEO and keep yourself updated on all the latest updates that occur in the world of digital marketing, DIY SEO can do more harm than good.

If you decide that the best course of action is to hire a specialist, do your research and make sure you hire a Good SEO Company that’s been around for a long time and have a solid client base to back their claims. At Clixpert, we offer many different SEO Packages and Services, so you can find one that perfectly fits your budget and needs. We provide real-time data and results, so you get the best bang for your buck. 

White Hat SEO Vs. Black Hat SEO 

White Hat SEO refers to SEO strategies, techniques and practices that are in line with Google’s guidelines as improving page speed, fixing 404 errors… Its primary aim is to improve user experience. 

Black hat SEO, on the other hand, refers to dodgy SEO strategies and techniques that completely disregard actual users and their needs and are done solely to trick/fool search engines. While black hat SEO can be effective, it is unethical and puts your website at high risk of being penalised and/or de-indexed. This is why it’s vital to hire a Reputable SEO Agency that will not stoop to such unethical practices and shortcuts to achieve results. 

Search Engine Webmaster or Search Console Guidelines

A good rule of thumb is to follow webmaster or search console guidelines. Search Engines what you to succeed because the better your website and content, the better the user experience. And that’s what it’s all about, enriching user experience. While different search engines have different guidelines, the basic principles remain the same: don’t try to fool the search engines. Instead, put in the work to create quality content that caters to your audience in the best way possible.

Understand & Fulfill User Intent

When a person is searching for something on Google, whether it’s a new pair of shoes, a pet adoption agency or a best-selling book, that product/service they’re looking for is their ‘’user intent’’. An SEO specialist’s role is to understand user intent and do keyword research and integration to connect the relevant content to the user in a quick and efficient manner. As SEO Experts, we are basically problem solvers. 

User intent falls into three major categories: 

Transactional: When a user searches for a product to buy. Example: Best deal for a Nutribullet

Informational: When a user is looking for information. Example: Best Thai restaurant near me

Navigational: Searching for a specific website. Example: HubSpot 

You can better understand user intent by engaging in keyword research and by analysing your top-ranking competitors’ content to figure out what they’re doing different with regards to content. 

Providing high-quality, well-researched content in an easy-to-consume format will help you achieve higher ranking in search results. 

Understand Your Website/Client’s Goals 

Before you start putting SEO Strategies in place, you first need to sit down and discuss the website/client goals in detail to gain a clear understanding of where you need to focus your efforts. 

To do this, you need to identify your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Common KPIs include: 

• Email/newsletter signups
• Brochure/eBook downloads
• Sales
• Phone calls
• Online inquiries

Notice how factors such as ranking and traffic are not included in the list? That’s because they’re the consequence rather than the cause. To put it simply, there’s no point in having thousands of visitors to your site if you’re not achieving your KPI of having them signup for your newsletter. Similarly, if your website’s KPI is sales, then having 100 visitors a month with 40 conversions is much more desirable than having 800 visitors a month with 10 conversions. 

This is why it’s important to understand the main objective of the website. Are you looking to generate more inquiries, get sales or looking to share information about your product/service/brand to increase brand awareness/presence? Depending on your answer, your SEO Strategies and techniques will have to be tweaked accordingly. 

Guidelines for Representing Your Local Business on Google

If you’re a local business, creating and maintaining a Google My Business Listing is important. Here are some basic guidelines to follow when setting up a GMB listing for your business.  

Things to Do

• To be eligible for a GMB listing, you need to have a physical address. This can either be your store’s address or if you don’t have a store, your home address.
• Ensure all information you provide is 100% accurate such as your business name, address, phone number, website address, business categories, hours of operation and more. Inaccurate or false information can result in your business listing being taken down by Google.
• Complete your business profile. Aim for a 100% complete listing. This means uploading photos of your storefront and getting customer reviews to build your reputation.

Things to Avoid 

• Inaccurate or misleading information regarding any aspect of your business.
• Engaging in bad practices such as ‘’keyword stuffing’’ in an attempt to boost your listing.
• Abusing the review feature with either fake or paid positive reviews for your business or attempting to bring down your competitors with fake/malicious negative reviews.
• Using virtual addresses or PO boxes instead of a genuine physical address.

Voice Search SEO: How Does It Differ from Traditional SEO?

Voice Search SEO has been steadily climbing up the ladder and is now the most popular way for users to search online. The biggest change this has brought about is making search queries more conversational. Voice searches also make it easier to identify user intent. 

For example: A user looking for pizza delivery may go about it in different ways in text and voice searches. 

The text search query might be something like this: ‘’Pizza delivery near me’’, whereas the same query in voice search might go something like this instead: ‘’Find pizza delivery open now’’ or ‘’Which is the best place for pizza delivery in Redhill?’’ 

Top Tips to Rank #1 In Voice Search 

1. Think in terms of voice search queries 

To offer useful, relevant content for voice search, you need to think like a user. FAQs and blogs that target user queries is a great place to start. You can answer user queries and provide them with informative content that addresses their needs. 

2. Incorporate Long-tail Keywords 

With voice search SEO, long-tail keywords are the way to go. Basic keywords are not very conducive to voice searches. Use phrases and questions that are conversational and flow like a voice search that a user might do. 

3. Provide Clear, Easy to Comprehend Content 

Google, Siri and Alexa will rely on excerpts from your page to answer a user’s query. So, ensure your content is easy to comprehend. Focus on definitions and how-tos and have a lot of subheadings to make your content easy to navigate for crawlers and search bots. 

4. Adopt a Mobile-first Approach 

Almost all voice searches happen on mobile devices. This makes it imperative that your site is mobile-friendly, meaning the pages load quickly and the layout works perfectly on mobile devices. 

Interested in finding out more about Voice Search SEO and Google Assistance? Here’s an interesting article on 10 Amazing Hacks To Optimise Your Site For Google Assistance.

Contact Us to Find Out About Our Amazing SEO Packages 

Looking for a Google Adwords Premier Partner that offers attractive SEO packages and more to help you succeed online? Get in touch with our experts here at Clixpert. We’ve helped numerous clients achieve their digital marketing goals. Our specialists will be happy to sit down with you for an initial consultation to figure out your needs, and devise a customised plan to help you get there. 

To get in touch with us, call 1300 254 973