What is SEO and why is it important?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a practice of optimizing websites to increase the discoverability of the website by target audiences through organic (i.e., not ad supported) search results. For example, SEO can help a webpage rank more highly in search results when an ideal audience member searches for relevant terms.
SEO is important for content marketing because it can help:
- Increase organic traffic to webpages
- Improve brand awareness by positioning MSU and units as trusted resources through higher search result rankings
- Optimize the cost-effectiveness of marketing efforts
- Boost ability to reach targeted audiences through keyword research and content tailoring
- Build credibility and trust through higher search result rankings and quality links to the website from reputable sources
How Search Engines Rank Content
Search engines, like Google or Bing, scan the internet using tools called crawlers, spiders or bots. They index the content they find on websites, including the URL, text, images and videos. They then use an algorithm to rank webpages for matches against search topics.
Algorithms take many factors into account when determining result rankings. For example, the algorithm may evaluate:
- How relevant a webpage’s content is in relation to a search query
- How recently the webpage has been updated, giving favor to “fresh” content
- How credible the website is, using good reputation and backlinks from other high-quality websites as signals of the authority of the website
- If the website offers a good user experience, including being mobile-friendly, loading quickly and being easy to navigate
The search engine then presents the results to the searcher. The way these results are presented varies based on the content, the type of search query and the context of the search. In some cases, search engines are beginning to show the result content excerpt right on the search engine results page. In other cases, the search engine lists links to pages. Users who use a voice-activated device to search for information (e.g., Alexa, Siri) will hear the top result read aloud by the device.
SEO can help websites improve result ranking so that they are presented in the list of results for search queries. It’s not possible — or logical — to try to rank for everything, so units must be judicious and have a strategy for the keywords targeted. There are also technical SEO efforts that can improve search rankings.
Consider Search Intent and User Behavior
As content authors craft content for a website, it’s important to consider search intent and user behavior. Understand the target audience’s user journey and how the pages on the website align to this journey. Select keywords and craft content to meet needs and expectations.
For example, a prospective student may be looking for a “business school near me” or “business school in Michigan,” but they haven’t decided on which school to apply to. In this case, they need to learn about MSU and about MSU’s business-adjacent programs. By contrast, another prospective student may be specifically researching MSU and may search “business programs at Michigan State.” They would benefit from more in-depth information focused on academic program options to address their specific search need.
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Documentation updated: May 2, 2024