Search Engine Page digitally (ex. google, bing etc) digitally illustrated

To understand search engine optimization and internet marketing for your business, you should first understand the purpose of search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Search engines compete for your business; they want you to use their search engine. To compete for your business, each search engine aims to guarantee that the results they show for a specific search are as good as possible. Their findings must be relevant to each search.

 Your goal is to have your business ranked near the top on the first page of the results for all the keywords that a potential customer would use to search for your services. In order to achieve your goal, you have to have a clear understanding of how search engines work.

Keep Your Website Relevant, Accurate, and up-to-date 

Relevant: For search engines relevant texts are important. This is because the search results are meant to be as accurate as possible in matching users’ distinct search queries. The more accrue the search result, the better the user experience, which ultimately builds trust with the user and search engine. In order to help search engines help you, make sure that your website content is as relevant to your business service as possible. Continue to publish content that is relevant to the region your business serves, include images that can increase relevance.

Accurate: To judge the quality of the data on each website, local search engines use NAP (name, address, phone)  information found by crawling the web or collected from data providers. Consistent NAP information is essential for obtaining more citations and improving search engine rankings, as well as for attracting more local customers.

Up-To-Date information: Search engines love websites that have new content. when you search up a topic, the first few results are posted within the same year. Make sure you continue to highlight new and upcoming events/project that is happening in your business. For example, A local Richmond restaurant can utilize their weekly special on their website to help their website stay fresh and up-to-date.

More Tips To Build Your Small Business >

That’s what search engine optimization (SEO) really is, making your website the best source of information possible so that your goal is adjusted with the search engines’ goals.
Make sure you update your website frequently. For example, If you’re a local restaurant, consider highlighting weekly specials or events. For search engines relevant texts are important. This is because the search results are meant to be as accurate as possible in matching users’ distinct search queries. The more accrue the search result, the better the user experience, which ultimately builds trust with the user and search engine. In order to help search engines help you, make sure that your website content is as relevant to your business service as possible. Continue to publish content that is relevant to the region your business serves, include images that can increase relevance. 

How Search Engines Work

With Infographic for more clarification.

search engine infographic explaining PPC or CPC (Pay per Click or Cost Per Click) , Map Listings also known as local SEO, and Organic Listings
Infographic explaining PPC, Map Listings and Organic Listings

Search Engine Result Page (SERP)

When people type “Graphic Designers RVA” as their search keywords and press search, Google, Bing, or Yahoo responds with the search engine result pages (SERP). Research indicates that over 85% of the overall traffic is listed on the first page of the search engine results. By dissecting the standard SERP, we can better understand how the search engine would aim to help its clients find the best results

Organic Results

Search engines don’t get paid to list organic results and are shown because the search engine finds certain websites to be the most likely to meet the searcher’s needs. Organic listings can receive 70-75 percent of the traffic on the average search engine result page.

Local Map Results

“Google My Business” and “Bing Places for Business” were designed to help researchers find local services or businesses. As a business owner, Google, Yahoo, and Bing enable you to build a local map listing of your company for free on their platform. But in order to get ranked highly, there is definitely a lot of strategies that go behind that.

Paid Search (or Pay-Per-Click) Results

Search engines are in the business of making money. Search engines make money by helping companies to show advertising for particular keywords and pay a fee when a visitor clicks on an ad, which then forwards the visitor to the advertiser’s website. For example, businesses are bidding on keywords such as “graphic designer near me” and paying a fee each time a visitor clicks on their ad. Research indicates that Paying Search ads earn 17 percent-25% of the traffic on the average search engine result page.