What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” In simple terms, SEO means the process of improving
your website to increase its visibility in search engines (such as Chrome, Bing, etc).
The higher (or more frequently) a website is displayed in a search engine list (like Google), the more
visitors it is expected to receive
Why is SEO important?
• To help gain more visitors
• Important for social promotion of a website
• It plays an important role in improving the business of a commercial site
• Improving user experience
Step-by-Step SEO Process

1. Keyword Research
Identify the search terms (keywords) that your target audience is using.
Actions:
• Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
• Focus on high search volume + low competition keywords.
• Use long-tail keywords (e.g., “best DSLR under 50000 in India”).

2. Competitor Analysis
Study top-ranking websites for your target keywords.
Actions:
• Analyze competitors’ content, backlinks, structure.
• Identify gaps you can fill or improve upon.
• Tools: Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, SpyFu.

3. On-Page SEO
Optimize elements on your website pages for better ranking.
Key Elements:

• Title tag (include primary keyword)

• Meta description (engaging summary of the page)

• Headings (H1, H2, H3 with keywords)

• URL structure (short, readable, keyword-rich)

 • Image optimization (alt text + file name)

• Internal linking (link to other pages within your site)

• Mobile-friendliness and loading speed

4. Technical SEO
Ensure search engines can crawl, index, and navigate your website.
Actions:
• XML Sitemap submission to Google Search Console
• Robots.txt optimization
• Fix broken links, redirect errors (404s)
• Ensure fast load time (under 3 seconds)
• Use SSL certificate (HTTPS)
• Mobile responsiveness (Responsive Design)

5. Content Creation and Optimization

Create high-quality, relevant, and SEO-optimized content regularly.
Tips:
• Follow E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)
• Add keywords naturally (avoid keyword stuffing)
• Use engaging formats: articles, videos, infographics
• Update old content regularly
• Focus on solving user intent (informational, transactional, navigational)

6. Off-Page SEO
Boost your website’s reputation and authority using external signals.
Actions:
• Backlink building (from relevant, high-authority sites)
• Social media promotion
• Guest blogging
• Influencer outreach
• Directory submissions (business listings)
7. Local SEO (for Local Businesses)
Optimize for location-based searches.
Actions:
• Create & verify Google Business Profile
• Add NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistently across listings
• Get local backlinks
• Encourage customer reviews

8. Analytics & Monitoring

Track performance and continuously improve SEO efforts.
Tools:
• Google Analytics (track traffic, behavior)
• Google Search Console (check rankings, crawl issues)
• Ahrefs / SEMrush (backlinks, keywords, site audits)
• Monitor: bounce rate, time on page, CTR, keyword rankings

1.1) What are Keywords in SEO?

Keywords are words or phrases, that people type into a search engine to find information. In SEO,
keywords are used to optimize a website's content and structure so that it appears higher in the
search engine results pages (SERPs) when people search for those keywords.
1.2) Importance of Keywords in SEO
Keywords play an important role in SEO due to the following reasons
• Boost Organic Traffic: When you optimize your website for relevant keywords, you increase
the chances of it appearing in search results when people search using those keywords. This
can lead to a significant increase in organic traffic to your website.
• Enhance User Experience: Including relevant keywords in your content helps search engines
understand what your website is about and deliver more relevant results to users. This, in
turn, improves the user experience and increases the likelihood of users engaging with your
content.
• Attract Targeted Audience: By targeting specific keywords, you can attract a more targeted
audience to your website. These individuals are actively searching for information related to
your products or services, making them more likely to convert into customers.
• Benchmark Performance: Tracking keyword performance allows you to monitor your SEO
progress and identify areas for improvement. You can use keyword tracking tools to measure
changes in rankings, search volume, and click-through rates.
• Improve Paid Advertising: Keywords also play a crucial role in paid advertising campaigns,
such as pay-per-click (PPC) and cost-per-mile (CPM). By targeting relevant keywords, you can
 display your ads to users who are actively searching for your products or services, leading to
higher click-through rates and conversions.

2) Types of keywords
Keywords are essential components of SEO, as they help search engines understand the relevance of
your content to users' queries. There are several types of keywords, each with its own characteristics
and usage.
2.1) Short-tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords are short and usually consist of one or two words. They are often broad and have
a high search volume. For example, a keyword like "shoes" is a short-tail keyword. Due to their
popularity, short-tail keywords can be highly competitive, making it challenging to rank for them.
Example: "car"
2.2) Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are more specific and contain three or more words. They target particular
audiences and have a lower search volume compared to short-tail keywords. However, they are less
competitive and often easier to rank for. An example of a long-tail keyword could be "best running
shoes for women."
Example: "affordable electric cars in 2022"
2.3) Primary Keywords
Primary keywords are the most important keywords for your content. They represent the main topic
or idea that you want to rank for. Primary keywords should be incorporated naturally throughout
your content, including the title, headings, and body text.

Types of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

On-Page SEO

The first an the formost type of SEO Optimization is On-Page SEO, It refers to the optimization of
individual web pages to improve their ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). It is a
methods of search engine optimization that involves optimizing various elements of a web page to
make it more relevant and appealing to search engines and users.

Why is On-Page SEO Important?

 • Improved Rankings: On-page SEO can help improve the ranking of individual web pages in
SERPs, leading to increased organic traffic.

• Increased Click-Through Rate (CTR): By optimizing title tags and meta descriptions, on-page
SEO can increase the CTR of search results, leading to more visitors to the website.

• Improved User Experience: On-page SEO can improve the user experience by making web
pages more relevant, informative, and engaging. This can lead to increased time on site,
lower bounce rates, and higher conversion rates.

Elements of On-Page SEO

There can be multiple elements of On-Page SEO, some of the most common are as follows:

• Title Tag: The title tag is the clickable headline that appears in search engine results. It
should be concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords.

• Meta Description: The meta description is a brief summary of the web page that appears
below the title tag in search results. It should be informative and compelling to encourage
users to click on the link.

• Header Tags: Header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) are used to structure the content on a web page
and indicate the importance of different sections. They should be used strategically to
highlight important keywords and phrases.

• Content: The content on a web page should be high-quality, relevant to the target audience,
and optimized for relevant keywords. It should be well-written, engaging, and informative.

• Images: Images can enhance the user experience and make a web page more visually
appealing. However, they should be optimized for the web by compressing them and using
descriptive alt tags.

• Internal Links: Internal links connect different pages on the same website. They help search
engines understand the structure of the website and distribute link equity throughout the
site.

• External Links: External links connect a web page to other websites. They can be used to
provide additional information, cite sources, or build relationships with other websites.

2. Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to the optimization of factors outside of a website to improve its ranking in
SERPs. It involves building backlinks, promoting the website on social media, and engaging in other
activities to increase the authority and popularity of the website.

Elements of Off-Page SEO

• Backlinks: Backlinks are links from other websites to a specific web page. They are a key
factor in determining the authority and popularity of a website in the eyes of search engines.
Hence they plays an integral role in as a part of one of the type of SEO (Search Engine
Optimization).

• Social Media Engagement: Social media engagement, such as likes, shares, and comments,
can help increase the visibility and popularity of a website. It can also help build relationships
with potential customers and drive traffic to the website.

• Brand Mentions: Brand mentions, such as mentions of the

website's name or products on other websites, social media, or
forums, can help increase brand awareness and improve the
website's reputation.
Benefits of Off-Page SEO

• Improved Rankings: Off-page SEO can help improve the ranking of a website in SERPs,
leading to increased organic traffic.

• Increased Brand Awareness: Off-page SEO can help increase brand awareness by promoting
the website on social media, building relationships with other websites, and engaging in
other online activities.

• More Backlinks: Off-page SEO can help build backlinks from other websites, which can
improve the authority and popularity of the website in the eyes of search engines.

3.Technical SEO

One of the most important types of SEO is Technical SEO. It refers to the optimization of
the technical aspects of a website to improve its ranking in SERPs. It involves optimizing the website's
structure, code, and other technical elements to make it more accessible to search engines and
users.

Elements of Technical SEO

• Website Structure: The structure of a website should be clear and easy to navigate. It should
use a logical hierarchy of pages and categories to make it easy for search engines to crawl
and index the website.

• Website Speed: The speed at which a website loads is a key factor in determining its ranking
in SERPs. A slow-loading website can lead to a high bounce rate and lower rankings.

• Mobile-Friendliness: A website should be mobile-friendly to ensure that it can be easily

accessed and used on mobile devices. This is becoming increasingly important as more and
more people use mobile devices to access the internet.

• Security: A website should be secure to protect user data and prevent hacking. This can be
done by using a secure hosting provider, implementing SSL encryption, and regularly
updating software.

Benefits of Technical SEO

• Improved Rankings: Technical SEO can help improve the ranking of a website in SERPs by
making it more accessible to search engines and users.

• Increased Organic Traffic: By improving the website's structure, speed, and mobile-
friendliness, technical SEO can increase organic traffic to the website.

• Better User Experience: Technical SEO can improve the user experience by making the
website faster, easier to navigate, and more secure. This can lead to increased time on site,
lower bounce rates, and higher conversion rates.
Benefits of SEO marketing

SEO marketing has many benefits, such as :

• Increased website traffic: When your website starts ranking higher in SERPs, it becomes
more accessible to the users, who are in hunt of relevant information or products that you
offer. The increase in visibility would lead to a higher click-through rate, resulting in
exponential growth in website traffic. More the traffic, the more the chances of audience
engagement that will in-turn convert to customers or leads

• More leads and sales: You are more likely to produce more leads and sales when there are
greater visitors to your website. The prime goal of a business website is to generate more
leads or sales. Increases in website traffic will lead to a larger pool of potential customers.
Optimization of your website for search engine, improves the audience visit to the website
who are genuinely interested in the product and services that you offer.

• Increased brand awareness through SEO Marketing: For long-term success, brand
recognition is essential. Your brand becomes more recognizable and credible when visitors
have a great experience on your website and it frequently appears among the top search
results. In the realm of SEO marketing, brands that consistently rank at the top of SERPs
(Search Engine Results Pages) are more likely to be trusted, which may significantly increase
brand recognition and foster consumer loyalty. Additionally, the heightened brand awareness
facilitated by effective SEO strategies may create new business prospects, including alliances
and collaborations.

What is Search Engine Marketing and How it Works?

Search Engine Marketing is the method of promoting and advertising in which the organisation’s
content is made to be found at a higher rank when searched for in a search engine. The concept is
similar to search engine optimisation (SEO) except for the fact that search engine marketing is a paid
advertisement.

Search engine marketing helps businesses to target consumers towards their products and services.
What the companies do is buy top-ranked search engine result pages to display their personalised
ads through the help of an auction process. Some of the commonly used search engines are Google,
Bing, and Yahoo.

How does Search Engine Marketing Work?

Search engine marketing works by the following process:

Step 1: There are certain phrases or keywords that consumers use while searching for a product on a
website.

Step 2: The companies need to list the probable topics in a spreadsheet that they want to rank. The
topics listed should correspond with the products and services that they assume will mostly be
demanded by the consumer.

Step 3: Next they need to broaden the topics and identify the specific keywords or phrases that they
think their customers might use or are already using while looking for the product or information.
This process of determining the most used keyword is known as keyword analysis. Keyword analysis
can be done with the help of certain tools and software such as Google Analytics, WordStream, and
Hub Spot’s source report. It must be made sure that the keywords are the exact phrases used by the
consumers.

Step 4: After bidding for the appropriate keywords, the marketers purchase ad space at the top of
search engine result pages so that their advertisements are displayed at a higher rank when searched
for the same.

Step 5: The payment to the search engine providers is done based on pay-per-click. In this system,
every time a user or a consumer clicks on the website’s link, it gets tracked and they get their
payment based on the number of clicks generated.

Importance of Search Engine Marketing

1. Helps the Consumers in Convenient Online Purchasing: Consumers looking for particular products
can search for the same by simply using keywords that match suitably with the specifications of the
product. In this way, the products will reach to right customers.

2. Convert Leads to Potential Customers: In search engine marketing, only interested consumers
search for particular products that they seek to buy. Therefore organisations directly place their
products in front of potential customers. This generates high rates of conversion in the business.

3. Targets Huge Traffic: Search engine marketing enables quick targeting of large audiences as the
products and information are readily available as and when searched for.

4. Pay-Per-Click: In a pay-per-click, organisations pay advertisement companies only based on the

total number of clicks generated from the website link. In this way, organisations pay only for the
potential customers who seem to be interested in the products and services. Thus, search engine
marketing cuts down high advertisement costs.

5. Enhances Trust: Because search engine marketing attracts large traffic, it ensures a maximum
number of visitors to the website due to which it increases trust signals by Google.

Disadvantages of Search Engine Marketing

1. Involves Cost: Though search engine marketing is a cost-effective strategy, i.e., it cuts down
maximum advertisement cost through pay-per-click, we cannot disagree with the fact that, unlike
search engine marketing, search engine optimisation is a similar marketing strategy which is unpaid
and generates results organically.

2. High level of Competition: In the race to advertise and display products at a higher rank in search
engine result pages, most organisations are trying to capture the top ad space. In this process, the
number of competitors is increasing as well and the cost of pay-per-click by the advertisement
companies is also rising eventually.

3. Requires Time: The entire process starting from identification of keywords to bidding for the same
to ultimately advertising the search engine result pages requires a huge amount of time.

4. Needs Proper Examination: Identification and bidding of keywords is a crucial job as the entire
strategy depends on targeting traffic and conversion. Therefore proper examination and expertise are
required for this purpose.
5. Chances of Fraud: Competitors might click on the ads to increase the pay-per-lick cost without
generating conversions.

Basis SEM SEO

Improves sponsored rankings Optimises unpaid rankings in

Function
in search results. search results.

It is a paid advertisement It displays organic search

Cost model. Payment is done on results i.e., they are unpaid
the basis of PPC. means of advertisement.

The contents advertised

The contents advertised
through SEO are shown in the
through SEM are shown at
Ad space rank middle or below the SEM
the top of the search engine
advertisements on the search
result page.
engine result page.

In a SEM, traffic stops as soon SEO takes time to rank higher

Effectiveness
as pay-per-click is withdrawn. in search results.

SEM provides short-term SEO provides greater

Time
outcomes. outcomes in the long run.

SEM is entirely dependent on The marketing strategies in

Marketing strategies advertisement costs spent by SEO need to be analysed and
the company. tailored from time to time.

PAY PER CLICK:

What is PPC Marketing?

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is a marketing model where advertisers pay only when their link is clicked and
the user visits their website, application, or any other specified webpage. By this model, advertisers
need not pay for the mere placement of their links but will pay when users click the link provided
and visit the landing page.

Search Engine Advertising, a model in PPC, is where advertisers have to select a specific word, called
a keyword, and bid for it. Hence, every time a user searches for that keyword, an ad will be
displayed. For example, if a clothing company bids for the word 'linen shirts', every time a user
searches for that word, an ad will appear at the top of the results displaying the company.

Benefits of using PPC Marketing

Here are some benefits of using PPC marketing over organic marketing:

1. Tracking the Marketing

PPC Ads can be easily measured and traced. Performance stats are available where the advertisers
can see impressions, number of clicks, conversations, etc. This can be used to understand the traffic
and help in isolating the PPC campaign efforts. Also, this data can be used in long-term SEO
marketing.

2. Variable Budget Allocation

Advertisers can change the amount of advertising at any point of time. As the advertiser has to pay
only when the link is clicked rather than mere placement of the ad, the advertising amount can be
fixed and it won't cross the limit.

3. Irrespective of Algorithms

SEO and content-driven marketing are liable to search engine algorithms. However, PPC marketing is
reliable as it rarely undergoes any changes because of algorithms. Also, even though there is a low
SEO rating for the website, PPC ads will work efficiently without being affected.

Platforms Offering PPC Marketing

Various platforms offer PPC Marketing to make use of their heavy traffic. Each of them consists of
millions of users worldwide and can help advertisers reach their target audience.

1. Google Ads

Google Ads is the biggest PPC platform, with nearly 28% of the market share. The ads appear
in Google search, AdSense websites, YouTube, and various other partners. It has an average CPC
(cost-per-click) of $2-4 for search ads.

2. Bing Ads

Bing Ads (Microsoft Ads) is another popular ad platform, mainly among PC and laptop users. Ads
appear on Microsoft search engine and Yahoo, with an average CPC of $1.5.

3. Facebook Ads

As a large section of mobile users has Facebook accounts, advertisers having such a target audience
can go for this. Ads will appear on Facebook and its partner websites/apps. It has an average pricing
of $0.95 per click.

How does PPC marketing Work?

PPC Marketing has a simple process, which can be easily understood. Here are the steps to show
how it works:
• Select the specific platform you want to campaign, for example, Google Ads or Bing Ads, and sign
up for their advertising platforms.

• Select the keyword. Choose this wisely as most of your marketing experience will largely depend
on the keyword you are bidding on.

• Decide your target demographics, such as area, age, gender, etc., the price you are willing to pay
per click, and over all budget.

• Select the images and videos that you want to show in your ads.

• Send the bidding.

• The auction will decide the advertiser and the place where the ads will be shown.

• Pay as per the clicks your ad has received.

This is a generalized process to make a PPC ad in Ad platforms. Various platforms have different
structures and an advertiser is free to investigate the same and advertise accordingly.

Tools for PPC marketing

PPC tools are software applications that can assist and manage PPC marketing campaigns. These are
essential in understanding and designing profitable advertisements. PPC tools can streamline tasks
by automated bidding, improve the return on investment, and save a lot of time.

Here are some tips you can follow in choosing a better PPC tool for your campaign:

1. Understand the Need

One must have a clear idea of the type and range of PPC campaigns they are going to choose, and it
must be based on various demographics. As many of the tools are priced, one must evaluate the
required features before going for tools.

2. Integration

PPC programs should be easily integrated with other software tools used for ad campaigns. For
example, a given PPC tool must be integrated with existing SEO campaign tools for better
advertising.

3. Ease of Use and Pricing

The given tool must be user-friendly and quick to learn. After understanding the features needed,
check for the tools that are offered at a lower cost. It must be compatible with the PPC campaign
budget and aid for the same.

4. Tools Required for PPC Marketing

There are a wide range of tools available online to manage the PPC marketing. However, one must
select the tools based on the requirements.

• PPC Management Tools

• Call Tracking Tools

• Landing Page Tools

• Keyword tools

• PPC Analytics and Automation Tools and many more.

Some of the popular tools for PPC Marketing are:

• Google Ads Editor

• Microsoft Advertising Editor

• SEMrush

• SpyFU