Search engines have become a powerful tool for consumers to find products and services with just a click. Companies should consider this digital tool when it comes to doing business. The digital marketing strategy that can help you expand your reach on search engines is SEO, also known as search engine optimization. 

The top reasons why SEO is important for businesses are because it is cost-effective, increases your website traffic and puts you above the competition. A report has found that 61 percent of marketers consider SEO efforts and boosting organic presence as their top inbound marketing priority. 

There are a few ways you can do SEO: do it yourself or hire a Denver SEO expert. Whatever choice you decide to make, here are some basic SEO terms you should know before getting started.

Common SEO terms 

SEO

SEO is short for search engine optimization. This digital marketing strategy is the process of making your website rank higher on search engine page results (SERPs). 

SEM

SEM is the abbreviation for search engine marketing. This strategy is the practice of advertising on search engine page results (SERPs). 

Anchor Text

Anchor text is the hyperlinked text that you may see on websites and blogs. It is important for SEO because using keyword-rich anchor text could enhance your rankings.

Canonical URL

A canonical URL is the URL of the best representative page from a group of duplicate pages. An example of this is if a post or product is attached to two different categories and exists under two URLs. 

Duplicate content

Duplicate content is when a website contains two different pages that have the identical or near-identical content. Having duplicate content on your website can affect your ranking on search engines. Google rewards unique content. 

Keyword

A keyword (or keyword phrase) is a word or phrase that exemplifies the brand, services offered, or products sold. Keywords are especially important in SEO because they help users and search engines identify what your website is all about and what you offer.

Meta description

Meta descriptions are HTML elements that give a brief description of what is on your web pages. It is displayed on a search engine results page (SERP) giving users a brief description of the web page before they click on it. 

Nofollow link and tag

A nofollow tag tells a search engine to ignore the link. These links do not rank on search engines or affect current search engine ranks. 

SERP

SERP is short for search engine results page. This term describes the list of results that are displayed after a search on search engines. It contains a website link and a brief description of the page. 

Sitemap

A sitemap is a list of your website information that includes pages, videos and other important files. It is important to have a sitemap, so Google and other search engines can crawl your site faster. 

Title Tag

A title tag, or page title, represents a web page’s title. It appears as a clickable link on search engine page results pages and is an important part of SEO. This tag should accurately identify your web page’s content. 

Website traffic

Website traffic refers to the number of Internet users who visit your site. There are different types of website traffic: organic, direct, social and paid traffic. Organic traffic is the visitors that come from search engines. 

Hire a Denver SEO expert! 

If you find yourself second-guessing your company’s SEO strategy, give Denver Media Group a call. Our SEO experts are specialized in increasing the online visibility of your website. Contact us to learn more about SEO services.