Are you at the start of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) journey? Maybe you’ve heard that SEO can help drive traffic to your website and get you higher rankings by knowing how search engines work.
We’re here to remove any confusion or complications around SEO – with some insight on how artificial intelligence (AI) in digital marketing fits into the picture. Once you understand the fundamentals, you can learn how to leverage SEO to drive traffic and generate quality leads.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Let’s start by asking an obvious question: what exactly is SEO?
SEO stands for ‘Search Engine Optimization’, which is the process of getting traffic from free, organic, editorial, or natural search results in search engines. It aims to improve your website’s position in search results pages (SERPs). Remember, the higher the website is listed, the more people will see it.
What are the three pillars of SEO?
As a digital marketer, knowing how to get your brand, website, or company found by searchers is a core skill, and understanding how SEO is evolving will keep you at the top of your game.
While SEO changes frequently in small ways, the concepts of SEO do not. We can break SEO into three core components or pillars that you need to be familiar with – and action regularly:
Technical Optimization:
Technical Optimization is the process of completing activities on your site that are designed to improve SEO but are not related to content. It often happens behind the scenes. A simple example of technical optimization is submitting your sitemap to Google.
On-Page Optimization:
On-Page Optimization is the process of ensuring the content on your site is relevant and provides a great user experience. It includes targeting the right keywords within your content and can be done through a content management system like WordPress, Wix, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, or Shopify.
Off-Page Optimization:
Off-Page Optimization is the process of enhancing your site’s search engine rankings through activities outside of the site. This is largely driven by high-quality backlinks, which help to build the site’s reputation.
How do search engines actually work?
Search engines are used by people when they have a query and are searching online for the answer.
Search engine algorithms are computer programmes that look for clues to give searchers the exact results they are looking for. Search engines rely on algorithms to find web pages and decide which ones to rank for any given keyword. That’s why Google algorithm updates can have a huge impact on brands and marketers so you need to keep on top of them. Remember there’s also social media algorithms to consider for search.
There are three steps to how search engines work: crawling, indexing and ranking.
Step 1: Search Engine Crawling
The first step is crawling. Search engines send out web crawlers to find new pages and record information about them. We sometimes call these web crawlers ‘spiders’,‘robots’ or Googlebots.
Their purpose is to discover new web pages that exist, and to periodically check the content on pages they’ve previously visited to see whether they’ve changed or been updated.
Search engines crawl web pages by following links they’ve already discovered. So if you have a blog and it’s linked from your homepage, when a search engine crawls your homepage, it will then look for another link and may follow the link to your new blog post.
Step 2: Search Engine Indexing
The second step is indexing. Indexing is when a search engine decides whether or not it is going to use the content that it has crawled. If a crawled web page is deemed worthy by a search engine, it will be added to its index.
This index is used at the final ranking stage. When a web page or piece of content is indexed, it is filed and stored in a database where it can later be retrieved. Most web pages that offer unique and valuable content are placed into the index. A web page might not be placed in the index if:
- The content is considered duplicate
- The content is considered low value or spammy
- It couldn’t be crawled
- The page or domain lacked inbound links
Step 3: Search Engine Ranking
The third step is really the most important, and that is ranking. Ranking can only happen after the crawling and indexing steps are complete. So once a search engine has crawled and indexed your site, your site can be ranked.
There are more than 200 ranking signals that search engines use to sort and rank content, and they all fit under the three pillars of SEO: technical optimization, on-page optimization, and off-page optimization.
Some examples of signals that search engines use to rank web pages are:
- Keyword in title tag – Whether the keyword or a synonym was mentioned on the page and within the title tag
- Loading speed – Whether the web page loads quickly and is mobile-friendly
- Website reputation – Whether the web page and website is considered reputable for the topic being searched for
- Backlinks – The quantity and quality of backlinks to a web page
- Content quality and relevance – Is the content valuable and relevant to the website’s target audience?
- Mobile friendliness – Are pages, content and images optimized for mobile?
How does Google order and rank search results?
Google has a collection of algorithms such as Hummingbird, Panda and Rank rain that are responsible for deciding how to order and rank search engine results.
The machine-learning based algorithm RankBrain builds off Hummingbird and works by:
- If RankBrain sees a word or phrase it isn’t familiar with, it uses artificial intelligence to understand it better by connecting it to similar search queries through word vectors – in other words, understand ‘search intent’.
- It allows Google to understand these queries by converting keywords into known topics and concepts, meaning it can provide better search engine results – even when queries are unusual.
- Rather than attempting to be the best keyword optimized result, RankBrain rewards websites that provide user satisfaction (by measuring it) and return the result that the user expects.
For ranking, you should also consider Google’s EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) framework which may not be a ranking factor but it’s a component of its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.
What is an SEO strategy?
- Like anything in digital marketing, you need a strategy to help implement, track and tweak to be successful. It’s the same for your SEO.
- An SEO strategy is focused on optimizing your content to get ranked as high as possible on search engines – preferably page or position #1. Its goal is to boost organic traffic so you get found by your target personas.
- A strategy for SEO also helps you to stay on track with your content. Instead of investing time and money into content that won’t perform, you will create quality content based on performance and user intent.
- Top tip: If you’re a small business or one operating in a specific area, then local SEO can improve your visibility online and is an important element to bake into your strategy. It will help you get found by people in your area.
How to set objectives for your SEO strategy
Setting SEO objectives is a vital part of any SEO strategy. It is important to set SEO objectives – and align them with your overall business objectives as:
- They encourage buy-in from key stakeholders
- They help you to formulate your SEO strategy
- They ensure goals are met
What metrics should you measure for SEO?
While it can feel like a time-consuming task to set objectives, measuring them can help you make progress with your SEO in the long term. So what metrics should you measure to track performance?
- Keywords – These are the terms people type into search engines or social media sites. By tracking which keywords your site ranks for and the performance of each will help you understand the visibility of content to your target audience. This metric is for Top of the Funnel (TOFU).
- Organic traffic – This refers to visitors who arrive at your website through organic search results. An increase in organic traffic is a good indicator that your SEO strategies are working. This is a TOFU metric.
- Search Engine Results Page (SERP) results – SERP rankings show where your page appears for specific queries and the higher you are, the better your visibility. This is a TOFU metric.
- Time spent on page – This shows how long people are spending on your pages. If people are spending a long time on a page this suggests they are finding the content valuable and informative. This is a Middle of the Funnel (MOFU) metric.
- Engagement rate – This measures how people are enganging with your site and include likes, shares, time on site or comments. A high engagement rate is a good indication that your content or message is working. This is a MOFU metric.
- Click-through rate – This metric shows how many people are clicking through on a page or site after seeing a search result. The higher the CTR, the better! This is a TOFU metric.
- Brand awareness – This measures recognition and recall of your brand name or products/services which can lead to brand loyalty and brand recognition. This is a TOFU metric.
- Leads and revenue – By linking leads and revenue to SEO you can see how effective your activities and efforts are and look to replicate those that perform. This a Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU) metric.
- Domain authority – This metric predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results so improving domain authority correlates with stronger SEO performance. This is a TOFU metric.
Grow our SEO market share from 3% to 5% in the next financial year – This objective focuses on growing market share.
How to set objectives for different types of businesses
- The focus of your objectives will vary depending on whether your business is transactional or informational.
- If your business is transactional and you have an e-commerce element, you’ll want to set your objectives around tracking sales and lead conversions. However, if you’re a non-ecommerce commercial site, you’ll want to focus on lead generation.
- If your business is informational, you are more likely to set objectives focusing on brand awareness or website traffic.
- Remember, even when you have fully implemented your SEO strategy, SEO is never finished. With SEO, you may need to change tactics midway through, play a long game, and wait to see the end results. But with a solid SEO foundation in place – and a little patience – the benefits of your SEO strategy should become apparent, leading to a better user experience for customers and more conversions for your business.
What are the best SEO tools?
Luckily, there are loads of great resources and tools out there to help with your SEO activities. Some have free plans and others are paid, so it’s about finding what’s best for you.
Ranking and reporting SEO tools
- Google Search Console
- GA4
- KWFinder
- SemRush
Page Speed Insights
SEO audit tools
- Screaming Frog
- SEOptimer
- Moz
SEO keyword and content research tools
- Google Keyword Planner
- Answerthepublic
- UberSuggest
- BuzzSumo
SEO AI tools
- seoClarity
- Surfer
Why Choose Digimate IT Services for SEO?
At Digimate IT Services, we bring together proven SEO strategies, cutting-edge digital tools and personalized attention to help your website stand out in today’s competitive online market. We understand that every business is unique — which is why our team begins by analysing your goals, target audience and industry landscape. Then we craft a custom SEO roadmap that covers technical optimisation, content and keyword strategy, high-quality link building and local visibility enhancement. With transparent reporting and a commitment to long-term growth, we help you not just chase rankings but drive relevant traffic and conversions. Choose Digimate IT Services and you’re partnering with a team that treats your digital growth as our own.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What kind of SEO services does Digimate IT Services offer?
We provide a full suite of SEO services including keyword research & strategy, on-page optimisation (content, meta-tags, URL structure), technical SEO (site speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability), off-page optimisation (quality backlinks, domain authority building), and local SEO to help you rank in regional searches as well. - How long will it take to see results from your SEO service?
SEO is a strategic long-game. At Digimate IT Services, typically you’ll begin seeing positive movement in rankings and traffic within 3 to 6 months, though the full benefits — including higher conversion rates and domain strength — may take longer depending on competition, website condition and selected keywords. - Is your SEO service suitable for small/local businesses?
Absolutely. For small or local businesses, we emphasise local SEO, helping you appear in local searches, optimise your business profiles, manage reviews & citations, and attract nearby customers seeking your products or services. - Do you train clients (or individuals) in SEO?
Yes — in addition to delivering SEO services, Digimate IT Services offers training programs where you or your team can learn SEO fundamentals, tools, analytics, content strategy, and hands-on implementation. This is ideal if you wish to build in-house capabilities or better understand how SEO works alongside our services. - How do you measure and report SEO performance?
We make use of tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and other SEO analytics platforms to track key metrics such as keyword rankings, organic traffic, click-through rate (CTR), time on page, bounce rate and conversions. We provide transparent reports and suggest optimisations based on data to ensure accountability and forward movement.
