SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. It is the process of optimizing a website and its content to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). The goal of SEO is to increase organic (non-paid) traffic to a website by making it more relevant and attractive to search engines and users.
In essence, you must understand how search engines such as Google function. When a person searches for something, such as “How can I become more attractive?”, Google must provide them with the answers. Search engines use algorithms to analyze the search intent of users and determine the ranking of websites in their search results, whether the answer is related to losing weight, eating a healthy diet, or showing quick solutions such as surgery or skincare products. SEO entails understanding these algorithms and implementing various strategies to optimize a website’s structure, content, and other factors that influence search engine rankings.
SEO techniques can include keyword research and optimization, in which relevant keywords are strategically integrated into website content to match user search queries. Other aspects of SEO include on-page optimization, which involves optimizing elements within a web page (e.g., title tags, meta descriptions, headings) to improve visibility to search engines. Off-page optimization involves building high-quality backlinks from other reputable websites to increase the authority and credibility of a website.
Websites can improve their visibility in organic search results, attract more targeted traffic, and ultimately enhance their online presence and business success by implementing effective SEO practices.
According to research by Edison Tse et al.(1) , Google is not as popular in some major Asian countries as it is in the US and Western countries. For example, in China, where the Internet population is the largest in the world, Google has a market share of only 21%, while the local search engine Baidu has a market share of 70%. In Korea, the local search engine Naver has a market share of 62%, while Google has only a 4% market share.
However, in Malaysia, Google is the default search engine for 97.22% of users (2). As a result, businesses in Malaysia should optimize their websites for Google search.
Search Engine usage in Malaysia in 2022
Organic search refers to when a user finds a website without the website paying Google to promote it. There are several benefits to organic search, including:
- It is not a short-term gain, but rather a long-term investment.
- It is more credible and trustworthy for a website to appear as the top result in Google search than to pay Google to highlight it as an option.
Here is a screenshot of a typical search for “How to lose weight”
As you can see, the top results are all from websites that have optimized their content for Google search. If you want your website to appear in the top results for relevant searches, you need to implement effective SEO practices.
Some tips for effective SEO include:
- Using relevant keywords throughout your website content
- Creating high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience
- Building backlinks from other websites to your website
- Optimizing your website for mobile devices
By following these tips, you can improve your website’s visibility in organic search results and attract more targeted traffic.
There are a lot of ways on how to do Search Engine Optimization that we will cover in our future topics. However, if you want a quick result and someone to handle the work for you, consider using our service and visit us here and we’ll manage your website for you. We have a team of experts and combined 20 years of experience in this field to help you with your business. Schedule an appointment for further consultation.
References
- Tse, Edison & Zhao, Wugang. (1970). Competition In Search Engine Market. Journal of Business Strategies. 28. 123-150. 10.54155/jbs.28.2.123-150. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355135977_Competition_In_Search_Engine_Market
Market share of leading search engines across Malaysia in 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/954408/malaysia-market-share-of-search-engines/
