HOW DOES SEO WORK?

SEO works like a secret recipe that helps search engines decide which websites deserve a spot at the top of the rankings. It’s not about luck or bribing Google with virtual biscuits, it’s about making your website as relevant, trustworthy and user-friendly as possible. When done correctly, SEO can turn an invisible website into a traffic magnet, bringing in visitors who are actively searching for what you offer.

At its core, SEO revolves around three key areas: on-page SEO, off-page SEO and technical SEO. On-page SEO is all about what’s on your website. It involves using the right keywords, writing valuable content and making sure your site is structured in a way that search engines (and humans) can easily understand. If your website is full of jargon, broken links and confusing navigation, Google will ignore it faster than people skip YouTube ads.

Off-page SEO is about building credibility. Search engines want to show users the most trustworthy and authoritative sites, so they look at how many other reputable websites link to yours. These backlinks act like votes of confidence, if high-quality websites are linking to you, Google assumes you must be worth ranking higher. However, not all links are created equal. Buying a bunch of dodgy backlinks is like trying to win a talent competition by bribing the judges, it won’t work, and you’ll get penalised.

Technical SEO ensures that your site is easy for search engines to crawl and index. This includes things like improving page speed, making sure your site works smoothly on mobile devices and using structured data to help Google understand your content. If your website loads slower than a snail on holiday, search engines will prioritise faster sites instead.

SEO is driven by keywords;the words and phrases people type into search engines. But it’s not just about stuffing as many keywords as possible into a page. Google’s algorithm is smart enough to spot when websites are trying to cheat the system. Instead, successful SEO involves naturally integrating keywords into high-quality, informative content that helps users.

The process of ranking well on search engines doesn’t happen overnight. SEO is a long-term game that requires regular updates, optimisation and patience.

Competitors are always trying to outrank you, and Google frequently changes its algorithm, meaning SEO strategies need to evolve constantly. But once a website earns a strong position in search results, it can generate free, organic traffic for years, unlike paid ads, which stop working the moment you stop paying.

So, how does SEO work? It’s a combination of strategy, optimisation and patience. If you create high-quality content, earn trusted backlinks and keep your website running smoothly, Google will reward you with higher rankings and more visitors. In short, SEO is like a digital popularity contest, but instead of winning over people, you’re winning over algorithms.