How SEO Works

[learn why everyone obsesses over this marketing campaign type]

What is SEO?

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of making your business more visible online by improving how high your website appears on search engines like Google when potential customers search for products or services you offer.

Think of it like being on the main street of the internet—SEO is what helps more people see your “storefront” and come inside to do business. It’s about making sure your website is closer to the top of the search results and thus easier to find.

How It Works In A Nutshell

Google’s ranking algorithm, which was originally patented as **PageRank**, evaluates the relevance and authority of web pages to rank them in search results. At its core, the algorithm analyzes two main factors: **content relevance** and **link authority**. Content relevance is determined by how well your website’s text, images, and structure match a user’s search query, using natural keywords and providing valuable, comprehensive answers.

When two websites are relevant to the user’s search query, then the algorithm looks for authority.

Google evaluates the quantity and quality of external websites linking to a page (backlinks). High-quality backlinks come from reputable, authoritative websites—like trusted blogs, news outlets, or industry leaders—carrying more weight because they signal credibility to Google. These backlinks are seen as “votes” of confidence, with higher authority links (like those from reputable sites) carrying more weight.

Additionally, the algorithm is considered to look at over 200 ranking factors, including **site speed, mobile-friendliness, user experience**, and **freshness of content**, to provide the best possible results. The exact formula is kept proprietary and is constantly updated through algorithm updates like **Panda**, **Penguin**, and **RankBrain**. 

The Benefits of SEO

The main goal of SEO is to bring more relevant visitors to your website, which can result in increased sales, more leads, and greater brand awareness. Unlike ads or social media posts, SEO can keep working for you 24/7. When done right, it helps your business get noticed by people who are already looking for what you offer, which can lead to more steady, long-term growth. It’s an investment that can continue to pay off well into the future. The quality of traffic is also higher because the searcher is “searching” for what is on your website.

For example, if you cleaned carpets for a living, your website would be about carpet cleaning and you would want to show up at the top of Google, when someone in your city searched “Carpet Cleaning Near Me” or maybe they will ask a question related to your service like “How to remove the smell of dog pee from carpet?” If you showed up #1 for these keywords, then it is very likely that you will get the majority of clicks. Now if 5,000 people search for these keywords every month, imagine the amount of good traffic that will come to your website.

The Key Components of SEO

SEO has three major parts: on-page, off-page, and technical. On-page SEO involves optimizing your website’s content with the right keywords so that search engines can better understand what your business offers. Off-page SEO is about getting “votes of confidence” from other websites, which tells Google that your website is trustworthy. Finally, technical SEO ensures that your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate—things that help keep visitors happy and coming back for more. An SEO consultant’s job is to create a plan to help you with each of these parts and they all work together.

SEO is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

SEO takes time to show results, but it’s worth the wait. Just like building a successful business, SEO is a long-term strategy that grows gradually but steadily. While it may take months to see major progress, the results are lasting and continue to compound over time. Think of it as planting seeds today that will yield a harvest in the future. Patience and consistency are key to building sustainable traffic and success through SEO. Once you earn a top spot and rank well for a keyword, it is sometimes difficult for a competitor to catch up or outrank you. The competitor would either have to be “more relevant” to the keywords or “more authoritative” and both of these goals take time.

I worked with a client that achieved top rankings for multiple primary keywords in his niche. He stopped working on SEO, but stayed at the top spot for close to 5 years. His website was relevant and had a lot of good backlinks so the domain’s authority was high.

Transparency and Trust

One of the biggest misconceptions about SEO is that it’s a secret formula or magic trick that can instantly boost your website to the top of Google. In reality, SEO is a series of best practices and ongoing efforts that make your website more valuable to search engines and users alike. Most of the quick strategies are what is considered “black-hat” tactics and could get your website penalized.

SEO consultants have tried to game the system since the conception of search engines. However, most of these tactics are spammy and Google catches them. For example, we talked about how backlinks can help increase a website’s authority…so the logical question is how to get a million backlinks even if they are from spammy websites. Sounds reasonable at first, but Google looks at backlink quality and will penalize websites with a low quality link profile.

In most cases, SEO is best worked on with the mindset of quality over quantity.

Being transparent about the process shows that it’s not about quick fixes, but about building a strong, lasting online presence. That’s why working with a professional who stays on top of constant updates in SEO is crucial to your success.