When people have a question, most turn to Google or some other search engine. A high volume of organic traffic to websites comes from search engines as a result. To capture their share of this traffic, businesses are constantly vying for the top position on search engine results pages (SERP). This is where SEO comes in.

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is an ever-evolving set of strategies, tactics, and best practices that help businesses create websites and other digital content that rank well on search engines. Why is SEO ever-involving? Google and other search engines run on complex algorithms that are regularly updated. These algorithms are what search engines use to determine which pages to rank highest.

SEO is just one part of a broader digital marketing strategy, which can include content strategy, display advertising, social media, and other disciplines. Often, considerations for SEO overlap with the considerations and objectives of other digital marketing disciplines. For businesses doing any kind of marketing, sales, or advertising on the web, consistent adherence to at least basic SEO principles is a must. A longer-term, more comprehensive SEO program is ideal.

People use search engines to find quality, authoritative content that meets some need. The need to seek help with a product or service. The need to buy products and services that solve a certain problem. The need to consume media and entertainment. Common examples of this kind of digital marketing content include blog posts, infographics, video, ebooks, whitepapers, social media posts, and case studies, though there are many others.

Creating content and orchestrating its dissemination for easy discovery by your target audience is sometimes referred to as content marketing. Again, content marketers and digital marketing agencies will apply and consider SEO principles in their content strategy to ensure that content ranks highly on search engines and reaches the right audiences.