SEO explained - what is SEO?

This is where to find out about SEO, or "Search Engine Optimisation", what it is, how it affects you and why it's so important for your online business web presence. It will also explain the ins and outs of what to look for, as a layman using the Internet, and how Gumtree Computer Services utilises good SEO practices to ensure your web presence is found by your potential customers.

SEO is the process of making sure your web pages and information can be found "organically" (read, naturally) by the main search engines by utilising various programming techniques that follow what's said to be more than 200 factors which are employed by the search engines themselves to rank your pages based on the information they contain, their authority and usefulness, content quality, relevance, accuracy etc (there are 200 more of these terms to use!). After establishing your website design it's the second major priority in making sure your web presence is found and noticed by Internet users, and indeed because of the complexity of the task, is almost a science unto itself. It's constantly evolving as the algorithms used by the search engines are tweaked and changed to reflect current accuracy of rankings as time goes on (and as so-called SEO experts try to cheat their way to the top).

For the scientists amongst you there is an excellent "periodic table"-style chart from SearchEngineLand which explains in linear detail the importance of various main SEO factors. It's been modified over time as the various factors change in importance.Periodic Table of SEO Success Factors

For instance, back in April, Google, currently the world's most important search engine by statistics, publicly announced some major changes to various factors. For example, if your web pages aren't mobile-friendly (i.e. it can be read clearly by smaller mobile devices without having to zoom or swipe) then you would lose major points in the rankings. Indeed some major players suddenly disappeared from the rankings overnight and had an uphill struggle to regain their positions. Building mobile-friendly websites is something that Gumtree Computer Services has always done so it slipped nicely in to our hands!

Another factor introduced in 2015 has been a new emphasis on quality content over the old (as in, VERY old) technique of concentrating mainly on keywords. If your content is written well, exerts authority about your products and knowledge of such, then you would be favoured over more waffly websites.
One more recent factor to be leaked out is the new emphasis on web pages and websites written about local businesses (rather than global); it's known that more than half of all searches are now hunting for local businesses so it made sense to finally favour local businesses in rankings. Gumtree Computer Services places strong emphasis on your business being a local and regional authority.

If you have any questions about how SEO operates, and how it's going to enhance your web presence, then contact us at Gumtree Computer Services.