A generally accepted definition of Search Engine Optimization would state something like, “Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving the quality and quantity of traffic to a website from search engines through organic (non-paid) search results. It involves optimizing website content, structure, and technical elements to increase visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords.”
However, my personal definition is a little simpler: “SEO connects people with answers to those who have questions on the internet.”
For me, the technical and tactical components of SEO serve that end. It’s about people. A simple premise, with complex and nuanced details. I break the components down under two umbrellas: Tactical and Technical SEO practices.
Technical SEO addresses Search Engines’ (Search’s) ability to crawl<a href=link or access and understand the structure and information architecture of a web asset (like a website). Points Search considers the following: access to the sitemap.xml file via the robots.txt file, the health of that sitemap, the hygiene of the header hierarchy (h1-h6), and linking to relevant content within the site. (There, those are some freebies for you.)
These and other technical components make up the signals the website provides to crawlers (spiders, robots) about the site's readiness for consumption by searchers. transforming searchers into users with the magical click on a SERP)
Tactical SEO focuses on content, on-page elements, and meta copy that house the answers. The more relevant and complete the content, the better the likelihood that the content will be stored in Search’s Index of answers: Indexing. Creating and arranging content so it alilgns to the phrases and words that searchers use. I.e., keywords. The better aligned to the searcher’s query, the more likely one particular source will connect.
Providing content for “What is a blue shoe?” serves a different purpose than “What are some $75 blue athletic shoes for hurdle racing?” Arranging and creating content in response to those questions as “different” appeals to different searchers' intents and provides an individualized experience.
Diagnosing Technical SEO Issues:
I get a high-level view of the site by conducting a Comprehensive Site Audit. I begin with a Screaming Frog SEO crawl of the site. I originate with the sitemap.xml (or the sitemap-index.xml) from the robots.txt file
