SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Simply put, it is improving or optimizing a website to increase its visibility on search engines.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is currently a trending topic. SEO is a part of digital marketing where a website is optimized to attract visitors or traffic from search engines.

SEO involves following certain methods to rank a webpage on the first page of various search engines (such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo) for specific keywords. In other words, SEO is the process or technique of ranking a website on the search engine results page (within 1-10) for one or multiple keywords.

There is a high demand for SEO-related work in the freelancing marketplace. Additionally, developing this skill can enable you to create your own e-commerce or blog site to earn money. You can also get jobs in various companies inside and outside Bangladesh. Hence, it is a highly demanded career option.

In this article, I have tried to provide you with a clear and comprehensive understanding of SEO. I have also included a brief guideline on its different types and how to perform SEO.

What is Search Engine Optimization or SEO?

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” In simple terms, it means the process of increasing your site’s visibility when people search for products or services related to your business on Google, Bing, and other search engines.

Needless to say, to increase your site’s visibility in search results, it needs to be ranked on the first page. The higher the visibility, the more free (organic) visitors you get. And, no matter how beautiful a website is, it is essentially worthless without visitors.

Let’s start with a story.

Mr. Kamal is a small entrepreneur who makes electric fans using local technology. He has a website where he lists all the models of fans he makes, along with detailed prices.

On the other hand, Mr. Jamal needs a ceiling fan. However, due to being busy with office work, he can’t go to the market to buy one. So, he relies on buying products online and getting them delivered to his home. In this story, these two characters complement each other. Now, Mr. Jamal searches for “ceiling fan” on Google. As expected, ten results came up.

But how will Mr. Kamal sell his product to Mr. Jamal? To sell, his website needs to be among the ten results that appear in Mr. Jamal’s search, right? Because online, thousands of people like Mr. Kamal are selling their manufactured or stocked ceiling fans.

In this situation, the best solution is SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

How Many Types of SEO Are There?

SEO can be fundamentally divided into two main types: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO. However, in the current times, Technical SEO is given equal importance, thus dividing SEO into three categories. Previously, Technical SEO was considered part of On-Page SEO.

SEO can be categorized based on target location:

• Local SEO: This targets a specific area for keyword ranking.
• Global SEO: This targets keyword ranking on a worldwide scale without focusing on any specific area.

Furthermore, based on SEO practices, it can be divided into three categories:

• White Hat SEO: This involves ethical and rule-abiding practices.
• Black Hat SEO: This does not follow any rules or ethics.
• Grey Hat SEO: This is a mixture of both White Hat and Black Hat SEO practices.

The Two Main Types of SEO We Mostly Do

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO refers to all the activities undertaken to properly organize and optimize a website or blog for better performance. This involves setting up suitable URLs, Titles, Keywords, Descriptions, Tags, and Meta Descriptions for the website or blog. The elements included in On-Page SEO are:

• Keyphrase
• Text Length
• Headline
• Header Tag
• Outbound Links
• URL Optimization
• Responsive Theme/Template
• Content
• Image Optimization
• Internal Links
• Title Tag
• Meta Description

Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO involves sharing your website or blog content’s links on various popular social media platforms, creating backlinks through different methods, posting on various forums, and overall promoting the website or blog to increase its popularity.

The elements included in Off-Page SEO are:

• Link Building
• Backlinks
• Trust
• Domain Authority
• Page Authority
• User Comments
• Social Media
• Guest Posting

Reasons to Do SEO:

Keyword Ranking:

By implementing SEO, your website’s content will rank on Google. This means your site will appear on the first page of Google, either in the first, second, or third position. As a result, anyone searching for a keyword will find your site first. You need to select keywords with a significant search value because if no one searches for the keywords you select, no matter how well your article is SEO optimized, it won’t benefit you.

Another important aspect of keyword research is Keyword Difficulty. Suppose you select a keyword with a high search value, but many high-quality websites are already ranking for it. In that case, you will need to put in a lot of effort to rank your site.

Branding Benefits:

Imagine your website is well-positioned due to effective SEO. Many people visit your website daily, and your sales are steady. This creates a strong brand image among visitors.

Increased Traffic Generation:

SEO will result in significantly more organic traffic to your website. Suppose you have optimized your website for SEO. In that case, when someone searches for a keyword on a search engine, and it matches your website’s keyword, your content will appear on the first page of Google. Ranking on the first page means more people will read your content, increasing your organic traffic.

Business Expansion:

One of the main advantages of SEO is business expansion. Effective SEO results in high Google rankings, leading to more product sales. This generates sales and good publicity, eventually expanding your business. Once this happens, there’s no looking back.

If an article posted on your website does not appear on the first page of Google, you can’t expect any significant benefits from it. Being on the first page means appearing among the top 10 results for a keyword search on Google.

Consider this: when we search for something on a search engine, we only look at the results on the first page to find what we’re looking for.

In other words, if we can’t get our website’s article on the first page of Google, the chances of getting visitors or traffic to our blog or website are minimal. Therefore, proper SEO is essential for your website. In the next blog, I will share detailed instructions on how to do on-page and off-page SEO.

Why is SEO necessary for a website?

Nowadays, people first search on Google to know about any product or service. To ensure that your product or service ranks well in these Google searches, you need to perform SEO for your website. The work doesn’t end after creating a website. To keep the website operational and active, many tasks need to be done. SEO plays a crucial role in increasing the visibility of your website after it is created.

In the current era, almost everyone uses websites for marketing to grow their business. If you have your website and add content to it but don’t see product sales, it indicates that your website is not properly optimized with SEO. To bring a website to the first page of search engines, you must do SEO for your website. If your website is not SEO-optimized, it will be positioned on much later pages of search engine results. Therefore, even if a customer searches for your product by name, the websites of those who have optimized their products will appear first, while yours will remain behind. In such a situation, your website needs to be SEO-optimized.