SEO FAQ

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It is the practice of optimising a website to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages.

SEO helps websites gain organic (non-paid) traffic from search engines, increasing their visibility, brand exposure, and potential for conversions or sales.

Search engine crawlers, also known as spiders or bots, are automated software programs that browse the internet and index web pages for search engines.

Keyword research is the process of identifying and analysing the specific words and phrases people use to search for information, products, or services online.

Search engines use complex algorithms that consider various factors, such as relevancy, authority, user experience, and technical aspects, to determine the ranking of web pages.

On-page optimisation involves optimising individual web pages’ content, HTML source code, and structure to make them more search engine-friendly.

Off-page optimisation refers to activities undertaken outside of a website to improve its search engine ranking, such as link building, social media marketing, and guest blogging.

Meta tags are snippets of HTML code that provide information to search engines about a web page’s content, such as title tags and meta descriptions.

A backlink is a hyperlink from one website to another. Backlinks are a crucial factor in SEO, as they indicate to search engines that a website is reputable and trustworthy.

Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. It helps search engines understand the context and relevance of the linked page.

A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages of a website, helping search engines crawl and index the site more effectively.

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. It helps transfer link equity from the old page to the new one and ensures users and search engines are directed to the correct location.

Long-tail keywords are more specific and targeted search terms that usually consist of three or more words. They have lower search volume but higher conversion potential.

Duplicate content refers to identical or substantially similar content appearing on multiple web pages, which can negatively impact a website’s search engine rankings.

A mobile-friendly website is designed to display properly on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, providing a seamless user experience.

Local SEO focuses on optimising a website to improve its visibility in local search results, targeting users searching for products or services in a specific geographic area.

A meta description is an HTML attribute that provides a concise summary of a web page’s content. It appears in search engine results below the title tag.

Domain authority is a search engine ranking score developed by Mos that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine results pages.

Organic search results are website listings that appear naturally on search engine results pages, while paid search results are ads that website owners pay for to appear prominently.

A 404 error is an HTTP status code indicating that the requested web page could not be found. It is important to fix 404 errors to prevent negative impacts on SEO.

Optimising images, reducing server response time, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and using caching mechanisms can help improve website load speed.

Domain age refers to the length of time a website has existed. Older domains are generally considered more trustworthy by search engines.

Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. It helps improve search engine rankings and drive referral traffic.

A robots.txt file is a text file placed in a website’s root directory that instructs search engine crawlers which pages or sections should not be crawled or indexed.

Social media can indirectly impact SEO by increasing brand visibility, driving website traffic, and attracting backlinks from social sharing.

SEO focuses on improving organic search visibility, while SEM (Search Engine Marketing) encompasses paid search advertising, like Google Ads.

A featured snippet is a highlighted search result that appears at the top of organic search results, providing a concise answer to a user’s query.

Optimising images involves compressing files, using descriptive filenames, adding alt text, and ensuring appropriate image sises to improve page load speed and accessibility.

A canonical tag is an HTML element that helps prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred version of a web page when multiple versions exist.

Structured data is a standardised format using schema.org vocabulary that helps search engines understand the content and context of web pages.

No, SEO cannot guarantee top rankings as search engine algorithms are ever-evolving and influenced by various factors beyond your control.

SEO results vary based on competition, industry, and other factors. Significant results usually take several months to show, but minor improvements can be seen within weeks.

Black hat SEO refers to unethical practices that try to manipulate search engine rankings, while white hat SEO follows guidelines and focuses on user experience and quality content.

Keyword density refers to the percentage of times a specific keyword appears on a web page compared to the total number of words. It used to be a key ranking factor but is less important now.

A crawl budget is the number of web pages search engines are willing to crawl and index on a website within a given timeframe.

The Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows website owners to monitor and maintain their site’s presence in Google search results.

Optimise for voice search by using natural language, focusing on long-tail keywords, providing concise answers, and ensuring your website is mobile-friendly.

The Google Knowledge Graph is a database that provides structured information about people, places, organisations, and various topics, enhancing search results with rich snippets.

A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect from one URL to another. It is typically used when a web page is temporarily moved or under maintenance.

Domain mapping is the process of assigning multiple domains to one website, allowing users to access the same content through different domain names.

A site audit is an evaluation of a website’s overall health, identifying issues affecting its performance, visibility, and user experience.

Optimise your website for mobile by using responsive design, optimising images, reducing page load speed, and ensuring easy navigation and legibility on smaller screens.

A title tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a web page. It appears as the clickable headline in search engine results.

Keyword cannibalisation occurs when multiple pages on a website compete for the same target keywords, confusing search engines and potentially diluting ranking potential.

A blog is a regularly updated section of a website that typically features articles or posts. Blogs help SEO by providing fresh, relevant content, attracting backlinks, and engaging users.

A nofollow link is an HTML attribute that tells search engines not to pass any authority or ranking value to the linked page. It is commonly used in user-generated content or paid links.

Optimise your website for local search by including your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on every page, claiming your Google My Business listing, and encouraging customer reviews.

Write SEO-friendly content by conducting keyword research, creating valuable and engaging content, using headers and subheadings, optimising meta tags, and including internal and external links.

Indexing is the process search engines use to add web pages to their database, while ranking refers to the order in which your website is listed in the search engine resuilts.