SEO (search engine optimization) is a set of processes aimed at improving a website’s visibility in search engines, like Google, with the goal of getting more organic traffic. SEO is about fulfilling users’ search needs by creating relevant, high-quality content and providing the best possible user experience.

SEO activities can take place both on-site and off-site. That’s why you may often see SEO divided into “on-page” and ”off-page” categories. 

In practice, SEO typically involves:

Keyword researchContent creation and optimizationTechnical optimizationLink buildingWhy Is SEO Important?

Every day, Google users conduct billions of searches for information and products. It’s no surprise that search engines are usually one of the biggest traffic sources to websites.

To harness this traffic source’s potential, you need to appear in the top search results for your target keywords. 

And the top three organic results get more than 50% of all the clicks.

This is where SEO enters the picture. 

Search engine optimization plays a key role in improving your ranking positions. Better rankings mean more traffic. And more traffic means new customers and more brand awareness.

In other words, neglecting SEO would mean neglecting one of the most important traffic channels—leaving that space completely to your competitors.

SEO vs. PPC

Most search engine results pages (SERPs) contain two main types of results: 

Paid results: You have to pay to be here, through pay-per-click (PPC) advertising