Everything evolves with time, including our technology and digital landscapes. As technology and the digital world advance, all the information we need is just a click away.
“For example, if we try to find a new restaurant, we search for it on our phone, and all the information is easily available on search engines.”
Most of us turn to search engines to find answers, products, or services. You name it, and you get all the information online. Some of the most popular search engines we all use are Google and Microsoft Bing. But how would you know that these search engines will show you the best results first? This is where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) works.
SEO is the process of making your website more visible on search engines. It is based on the appearance, positioning, and usefulness of the content. You can attract more visitors if your website is SEO optimized. Whether you run a blog, an e-commerce site, or a local business, SEO plays an important role in building your online presence and driving traffic.
Let’s dive into the world of SEO:
A Brief Description of SEO
SEO is the abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization. This is a digital marketing practice which you can use to improve your website’s content, structure, and visibility. So that your website ranks higher in organic (unpaid) search results.
SEO helps search engines understand your website’s content and lets users connect with it. It delivers relevant results based on what people are searching for. When people search for something relevant to your website, SEO makes it easier for search engines like Google to find and understand it and helps the well-optimized site appear at the top of its results page. Thus, SEO can help your website drive traffic and increase visibility.
How Do Search Engines Work?
To understand SEO, you need to know how search engines like Google work. It is not a random thing that you have landed on this page. You might have searched for “what is SEO” or something related to SEO, and the search engine has done the rest for you. Google or any other search engine has its specific algorithm to work in real time. The search engine brings forward only those results that it considers the best.
A search engine follows some ranking metrics to assess content. They use bots, also known as spiders or crawlers, to explore the web. These bots scan websites and gather information about their content, structure, and links. The crawled content is then stored in a massive database called an index. The content is then categorized and organized.
When you type a query, the search engine’s algorithm analyzes the indexed content and ranks it based on relevance, quality, and authority. Websites that have high-quality content with relevant keywords have a better chance of ranking higher.
Why is SEO Important?
You might wonder why we need SEO. It helps your website appear in search results. When your website appears in search results, it becomes easier for people to find you. The higher you rank, the more traffic you get. When you get more traffic, it increases your chances of generating leads or sales.
What Are The Types of Search Engine Results?
When you search for a query on Google, you can get different types of results, which are not limited to blogs and articles. Let’s see the variety of search engine results we get:
a). Organic Results
These are the standard website links that we see on the search engines when we search for any information. These are based on their relevance and usefulness to a user’s query. Each result generally includes a title that describes the content of the page, a description or summary that gives us a glimpse of what the page is about, and a URL that links to the full content of a particular website.
Example:
Websites that rank higher in these search results tend to get more clicks from users. It’s human nature that we trust those pages the most that appear in the first few positions. So, if your website appears near the top, it automatically increases visibility and attracts more visitors. That’s why SEO is important to improve your ranking and help people find your content.
b). Google Business Profiles
Google My Business is a tool to optimize your business profile on Google. When you search for something particular in Google, it shows you different types of search results, and these business profiles are one of them. They show a list of profiles related to your search query. For example, if you search for “chocolate pie near me”, Google will show you a list of business profiles of all the bakeries near you that serve chocolate pie.
c). Featured Snippets
When you search something on Google, you might have noticed a box that appears at the top of the SERP after the AI overview. This feature consists of information related to your search query, which is taken from a webpage. This is known as Featured Snippets. It also has the page title and URL so that you can easily find that webpage.
According to Ahref’s SEO study, 12.29% of search engine result pages have a featured snippet.
d). AI Overview
This is a new SERP feature from Google. You can see it at the top of SERP. This is basically an AI-generated summary or answer based on your query. Google also provides some links to the relevant webpages within the AI Overview.
e). Direct Answer Box
Sometimes, when we are in a hurry and need some information at once, we type it on Google and find a box with the answer related to our query. This is a Google SERP feature called the Direct Answer Box. This appears at the top of the SERP. It eliminates the need to click through websites. For example, I have searched here for the Halloween date in 2025, and you can see the answer in the Direct Answer Box.
f). Knowledge Pannel
This SERP feature generally shows information about people, businesses, and events. These panels feature a combination of facts, images, related links, and other related people or businesses. If you want to find accurate information about something or someone, this feature provides you with the same. I searched for the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miazaki, and you can see the results on the right side of the SERP.
g). People Also Ask
Google shows related questions to the recent search query in a People Also Ask box. You can’t see the answer until you click on the arrow to reveal it. The more questions you click on, the more questions appear in the box. With each answer, Google gives you the link to the webpage that has the answer to your query.
58% of Google search results have the People Also Ask feature, according to Moz.
h). Image Packs
In this SERP feature, you can see a group of images related to your search query. When Google thinks that these images can help users, it displays them.
i). Shopping Results
This is a paid listing that appears at the top of SERP in a carousel format, which displays images, prices, and the seller’s information.
j). Video Results
Google displays this SERP feature when it knows that the user can benefit from a video. Usually, a pack of 3 videos are displayed at first with a “view all” option.
Google uses 88% of videos from YouTube.
k). Top Stories
These are generally links to news articles about what is happening in the world. In the older version, this was the “News for” box, but in December 2016, they changed it to Top Stories. These results completely depend upon the freshness and relevance to the user’s query. They change throughout the day depending on the currently popular news.
Unlike paid ads, which are labelled as sponsored, SEO believes in organic strategies. Additionally, SEO improves the user experience. If your website is well optimized, it will be faster, mobile-friendly, and easier to navigate. This will keep visitors engaged and reduce bounce rates(not staying on one page for a long time). It also increases the credibility of your website. Because sites that appear at the top of search results are often recognized as more trustworthy.
Types of SEO
SEO is divided into three main categories: On-page SEO, Off-page SEO, and Technical SEO.
1. On-Page SEO:
Through on-page SEO, you can optimize the content and elements of your website to make it search-engine friendly. It includes:
- Keywords: Using relevant keywords that people search for.
- Domain names: Website’s unique online address.
- Meta Titles & Descriptions: The clickable title and short description that appear in search results.
- Headings & Content: Using proper headings (H1, H2, H3) and creating high-quality, valuable content.
- Internal Linking: Linking to other pages on your site for better navigation.
- Alt Text: Alt text describes images to help search engines understand them.
- Images: Visually support the content.
- Internal links: Connect pages within the website.
- Site maps: Help crawlers to understand the website’s structure.
- Main body text: Provide the core information.
2. Off-Page SEO:
Off-page SEO is everything you do outside of your website to make it a more trustworthy and popular one. The actions you should take for off-page SEO include but are not limited to the following:
- Link-building boosts the authority of your website and makes it trustworthy.
- Local SEO Strategies improve visibility in local searches.
- Social media marketing engages the audience and drives traffic.
- Digital PR enhances the reputation of your website through online publications.
3. Technical SEO:
When you create a website, it needs to be easy for search engines to find and understand. For that, you have to improve the technical parts of your website. This is where technical SEO comes in. It works at the backend and fixes links that don’t work, speeds up the loading process of the pages, and makes sure your website works smoothly both on computer and phone. A fast and smooth website keeps people engaged and helps search engines recognize it as a reliable one.
What is The Purpose of SEO?
By investing in optimization, most of us want to achieve the following goals:
1. To Be More Visible on SERPs
It becomes easier for people to find your website if it frequently appears in search engine results pages or SERPs. When your website ranks higher, that means it is showing up closer to the top and gets more clicks from visitors. You can attract more potential visitors if your site is more visible. So, to increase your website’s reach and online presence, you must improve SERP visibility.
2. Drives More Traffic to Your Website & Multiple Other Platforms
You can bring more visitors to your website if it ranks higher in search results. Because people tend to click on results that are higher in ranking. This is not only applicable to websites but also to other digital platforms, like blog posts, social media profiles, or videos. The more exposure your website gets, the more it becomes recognizable. Thus, better SEO can give you more visibility across multiple platforms and can draw in a large audience.
3. Brings the Right Traffic
If your website is well-optimized, it doesn’t only bring more visitors but brings the right ones. When you target specific keywords and optimize your content, you attract people who are genuinely interested in what you are offering. That means you get visitors who truly like to engage, enquire, and purchase. Better quality traffic can increase the chances of converting visitors into customers or loyal followers.
4. User-Friendly Experience
You can make people understand your content easily if it is clear, relevant, and easy to find. They can get relevant information to their search query if your website uses clear language, helpful headings, and simple navigation. This makes them stay longer and improves their experience.
5. Easier for Search Engines to Navigate
If you want your website to rank accurately, search engines should understand your content. For that, you can use proper tags, clear URLs, and organized site structures. This will help search engines read and index your pages. When search engines easily understand your content, they rank it higher for relevant searches. This way, you can appear in front of the right audience by improving your website’s readability.
Key SEO Insights For Your Online Success!
SEO is a great way through which search engines can find your website easily. If your website is SEO optimized, it helps your website rank higher on search engines when people search for things you offer. Relevant keywords, quality content, and technical improvements help your website rank higher in search results and attract more visitors. No matter how small or large your business is, SEO helps you reach more people, build authenticity, and increase conversions.
In today’s competitive digital landscape, staying updated with SEO is mandatory. Investing in SEO best practices has become a necessity. Keep learning, stay updated with trends, and watch your website traffic soar!