Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short, in simple terms is an umbrella term for efforts made to get your website on the top of search results pages, increasing website traffic, boosting conversion rates, and more. It’s all about getting your brand in front of people before your competitors. 

SEO is Not Magic—It’s Hard Work

Some people think SEO is like waving a magic wand to make your website popular. But that’s not true. SEO isn’t a trick or a quick fix. It’s real work that takes time and effort. 

Big wins, like optimizing blog content, can take 3 to 6 months to show in data reports, whereas smaller wins, like technical improvements, can often be seen immediately or within weeks of efforts beginning. 

When done right, SEO can really help your website and your brand.

Be Careful Who You Trust

Watch out for people who say they “work for Google” and offer to do SEO for you. Google employees don’t call random people to work on their websites. Always check if someone is really an expert before letting them mess with your website.

For example, I (owner of Be the Page SEO), am Google Digital Marketing and E-commerce certified—which you can fact check with the link in the footer of this website, on my LinkedIn profile, and so on. 

Even with this, I would never claim to “work for Google” or, my favorite stretch of truth, “work with Google.” The reason for saying this is, “Because I work with Google to help my clients rank.” No, that’s not how that works.

And you don’t need to know all there is about SEO to make sure the people you’re hiring are doing what they claim to be doing. You can check their SEO efforts with free tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Page Speed Insights, and Accessibility Insights for Web (Free Chrome extension).

Different Types of SEO

SEO has several different sub-categories, sometimes called ‘pillars of SEO.’ All these smaller parts work together to make up the whole. The number and types of SEO categories can change as search engine algorithms update, technology advances, and new tools emerge. 

Here are the main types of SEO, including the new addition of GEO:

• On-page SEO: Making your website’s pages easy to read and understand.
• Off-page SEO: Getting other websites to talk about you.
• Technical SEO: Making sure your website works well behind the scenes.
• Content Optimization: Writing stuff people want to read.
• Local SEO: Helping people nearby find your business.
• Website Accessibility: Making your site easy for everyone to use.
• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): This is a new part of SEO with the development of AI. It’s all about making your website friendly for AI-powered search engines. These new search engines can create answers on their own, so GEO helps your site work well with them.

Why SEO Matters

The goal of all this SEO work is to get your website on the first page of search results. It’s like being on the front page of a newspaper – more people will see you there!

This, in turn, increases website traffic, conversion rates, sales, etc., helping your business meet its goals and grow your brand. 

SEO Takes Time

Remember, good SEO doesn’t happen overnight. It’s like growing a garden. You plant the seeds (do the SEO work), water them (keep updating your website), and over time, your garden (your website’s popularity) will grow.

SEO might seem complicated, but it’s really about making your website the best it can be. When you do it right, more people will find and enjoy your website.