{"id":15131628,"date":"2026-06-01T14:15:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T18:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/what-is-seo-search-engine-optimization\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T17:01:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T21:01:33","slug":"what-is-seo-search-engine-optimization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/what-is-seo-search-engine-optimization\/","title":{"rendered":"What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you have a website or are you thinking about creating one? And do you want to attract more people to your business? If the answer to those questions is yes, then there\u2019s no doubt about it: SEO should be part of your marketing efforts. It\u2019s a great way to build your brand and get people on your site. But to do so, you need to start with the basics. So in this post, we\u2019ll give you an understanding of what SEO is and how you can get started!<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-ai-summarize yoast-ai-summarize\">\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list yoast-ai-summarize-list\">\n<li>SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, aimed at improving website visibility and attracting organic traffic.<\/li>\n<li>Search engines utilize a process of crawling, indexing, and ranking to display relevant results to users.<\/li>\n<li>SEO focuses on technical improvements, content optimization, and brand-building to meet audience intent and support business goals.<\/li>\n<li>There are different types of SEO, including ecommerce, local, and video SEO, each tailored for specific needs.<\/li>\n<li>Effective SEO requires ongoing effort and strategy, encompassing technical SEO, on-page, and off-page practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-seo\">What is SEO?<\/h2>\n<p>The acronym SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Let\u2019s start with a definition from one of our principal SEO experts at Yoast:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group small-testimonial-pattern mb-8 is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity yoastcon-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns testimonial is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column testimonial__image is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:120px\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/avatar_alexmoss_green.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"content-visible wp-image-3527412\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column testimonial__quote is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"text-lg\">SEO is both the art and science of improving a website, and pages within, to be as visible as possible for when people search for a relevant topic within any search platform. SEO covers many areas from technical aspects including optimizing a site&#8217;s performance and structure, to enhancing brand authority by providing great content and matching it with that person&#8217;s search intent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-lg\">\n<p><cite><strong>Alex Moss<\/strong> &#8211; Principal SEO at Yoast<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity yoastcon-separator\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>SEO is the practice of improving a website and its content so it can be discovered, understood, and trusted when people search for relevant topics. Where this used to be focused on traditional search engines like Google and Bing, SEO now also helps content appear in AI-powered search experiences, chatbots, and other discovery platforms. SEO combines technical improvements, content optimization, and brand-building to increase visibility, attract the right audience, and support business goals.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-seo-works\">How SEO works<\/h3>\n<p>So <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/what-does-google-do\/\">how does Google work<\/a>? With search engines like Google, the process consists of crawling, indexing, and ranking. The crawler is an online bot that scours the web to collect all the pages out there and save them in a gigantic database called the index. This index is constantly updated with new pages or updated versions of existing ones. When someone searches online, the search engine calls on the index and uses complex algorithms to determine which pages are relevant to show. This determines the ranking of results shown to the online searcher.<\/p>\n<p>For example, when I search for the term \u2018sustainable phone case\u2019, these results are shown by Google. Based on my search term and the intent behind it, Google deems these results the best ones found in its index.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/results-search-query-sustainable-phone-case-600x405.jpg\" alt=\"search results for search query sustainable phone case\" class=\"content-visible wp-image-4063407\" style=\"border-width:1px;border-top-left-radius:8px;border-top-right-radius:8px;border-bottom-left-radius:8px;border-bottom-right-radius:8px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot of Google&#8217;s results for &#8216;sustainable phone case&#8217;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Organic vs paid search<\/h3>\n<p>SEO is focused on attracting more organic traffic to your website, traffic that comes to your site via unpaid search results. But as you can see in the image above, the search results also show ads and sponsored results. Often at the top of the page. To make a clear distinction, there are a few acronyms in use that are valuable to know:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>SEM: <\/strong>Search engine marketing entails all marketing efforts to show up in the search results, both through ads and organic results.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SEO: <\/strong>SEO is the practice of improving a website to show up when people search for a relevant topic within any search platform.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><strong>SEA: <\/strong>Search engine advertising is the practice of paying for ads that show up in the search results of relevant keywords.<\/li>\n<li><strong>PPC: <\/strong>Pay-per-click. The advertising model used in SEA, where the advertiser pays a fee each time one of their ads is clicked.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These paid results can allow you to show up as the top result for a search term, but it will cost you money every time a user clicks through to your website. When comparing <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/seo-vs-pay-per-click-advertising\/\">SEO vs PPC<\/a>, they both have their benefits and drawbacks. But more often than not, they complement each other well.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-seo-vs-geo\">SEO vs GEO<\/h3>\n<p>With the constant changes in SEO and uprise of AI-powered search, there are a few other acronyms that you might have encountered. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) being one that&#8217;s being talked about a lot online. This term focuses on optimizing to improve visibility in responses generated by\u00a0AI tools. We want to emphasize that this is not a replacement for SEO. The <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/yoast-perspective-seo-in-2026\/\">Yoast perspective<\/a> is that the acronym SEO still suffices. The fundamentals are the same, we just need to be aware of how applies to AI and other platforms like social media. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-seo-is-important-for-site-owners\">Why SEO is important for site owners<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Huge volume of searches<\/h3>\n<p>The reason that so many (big) companies heavily invest in SEO is the high impact that it can have when done right. To give you an idea, Google, the most-used search engine got around <a href=\"https:\/\/explodingtopics.com\/blog\/google-searches-per-day\">8.3 billion searches per day<\/a> in 2024. A number that has only gone up (and significantly) since 1998. So if you have a website, you want to make sure to show up in Google and other search platforms.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO is intent-driven<\/h3>\n<p>Online search is very intent-driven. Unlike other marketing channels, such as social media, where people happen to scroll upon your brand and content. This means you\u2019re interrupting a user\u2019s experience to capture their attention, which makes it more difficult to get them interested. Showing up in their search results aligns with an existing demand\u2014your customers are actively seeking information, products, or solutions. This makes SEO a powerful inbound marketing strategy, where users come to you rather than the other way around. Because searchers already have intent, they are more likely to convert, making SEO an essential tool for attracting high-quality leads.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Competitive advantage<\/h3>\n<p>Creating a website and leaving it at that isn\u2019t going to cut it. With new websites popping up left and right, it\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult to get noticed and maintain customer loyalty. SEO can provide you with higher online visibility, a stronger brand, more authority in your field, more contact moments with your audience and higher quality traffic to your website (and\/or offline location). All of this, leading to higher brand loyalty and more revenue.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-it-s-not-just-about-clicks\">It&#8217;s not just about clicks<\/h3>\n<p>Today, SEO is about more than earning clicks from search results. Your content may also be cited in AI-generated answers, referenced in AI overviews, or discovered through other platforms. Even when users don&#8217;t immediately visit your website, appearing as a trusted source can increase brand awareness, credibility, and future demand for your business.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-types-of-seo\">Types of SEO<\/h2>\n<p>Although the basic principles remain the same, there are a few different types of SEO worth mentioning. They may not all apply to your situation, but it is beneficial to dive into the ones that do:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/ecommerce-seo\/\">Ecommerce SEO<\/a>: SEO specifically focused on gaining more visibility and organic traffic for online stores. With the goal of acquiring more sales.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/local-search-seo-ultimate-guide\/\">Local SEO<\/a>: Local SEO is the practice of optimizing your website for a specific local area. This is to ensure you are easily found (both online and offline) by a local audience.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/how-does-video-seo-work\/\">Video SEO<\/a>: The process of optimizing videos and video pages to make them appear in the search results for relevant keyphrases. Whether that is Google\u2019s search results or search results on other platforms like YouTube and social media.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/optimize-news-site\/\">News SEO<\/a>: Mainly relevant for news publishers, news SEO focuses on getting content to show up as the top result in Google News and other news-specific areas of the search results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-3-pillars-of-seo\">The 3 pillars of SEO<\/h2>\n<p>SEO is all about optimizing your website to increase your online visibility. But what do we mean by that? What exactly should you be optimizing? Well, there\u2019s a lot you can do and it can be divided up into three main areas.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"455\" src=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/3-pillars-seo-600x455.png\" alt=\"Illustration of the 3 pillars of SEO\" class=\"content-visible wp-image-4063529\" style=\"border-width:1px;border-top-left-radius:8px;border-top-right-radius:8px;border-bottom-left-radius:8px;border-bottom-right-radius:8px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The 3 pillars of SEO: Technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technical SEO<\/h3>\n<p>First of all, it\u2019s important to focus on the technical part of SEO. Technical SEO is all about improving a website\u2019s technical aspects to improve user experience and make search engines understand your pages. Aspects that fall under <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/what-is-technical-seo\/\">technical SEO<\/a> are:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Loading time of your pages<\/li>\n<li>Making the right parts of your site crawlable for search engines<\/li>\n<li>The amount of dead links on your site<\/li>\n<li>Security&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Use of structured data<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Search engines value these aspects because they want to present their users with websites that provide a proper user experience. A page that takes forever to load, doesn\u2019t exist anymore, or isn\u2019t secure, provides a terrible user experience and will not make users happy. Also, aspects such as crawlability and <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/structured-data-schema-ultimate-guide\/\">structured data<\/a> help search engines understand what your pages are about. This helps search engines understand your relevance and allows them to rank your pages higher.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On-page SEO<\/h3>\n<p>Although technical SEO is also part of <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/what-is-onpage-seo\/\">on-page SEO<\/a>, this can be seen as \u2018under-the-hood\u2019 optimization to improve your pages. The other efforts that can be categorized as on-page SEO are targeted at optimizing the content on a page. Think of:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The quality of your content<\/li>\n<li>Use of the proper keywords<\/li>\n<li>Showing E-E-A-T in your content<\/li>\n<li>Site structure<\/li>\n<li>Internal linking<\/li>\n<li>Well-thought-out URLs, titles, and alt tags&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On-page SEO mainly revolves around <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/ultimate-guide-content-seo\/\">content SEO<\/a> and using the elements around that content to improve your findability for relevant terms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Off-page SEO<\/h3>\n<p>In contrast to on-page SEO, <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/off-page-seo\/\">off-page SEO<\/a> entails everything you do for SEO outside of page optimization. Such as external link building, social media and local SEO (off-site). This is focused on growing your reach and building your brand to attract more traffic. An important part is <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/what-is-link-building\">link building<\/a>, getting other relevant websites to link to your content. This can really help boost your visibility and improve your reputation as an authority &#8211; see links as like votes of confidence from other websites&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s a lot more you can do. For example, speaking at events, doing interviews, and blogging for other websites. These activities give you the opportunity to showcase your expertise and reach new people. When you own a local shop, these might not be as relevant. In that case, it\u2019s important that you focus on the experience that people have with your shop. Make sure that customers leave happy and that this experience is positive, offline and online. This also extends to social media. Although your activity there does not directly impact rankings, it pays off to be in contact with your audience there as well. And provide a similar (positive) experience through these platforms as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One final aspect that you shouldn\u2019t forget about is your business listings. Make sure these are accurate on your <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/google-my-business\/\">Google Business Profile<\/a> and other websites that are relevant to your business.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-seo-ranking-factors\">SEO Ranking factors<\/h2>\n<p>To determine what results to show, and in what order, search engines use ranking factors. Ranking factors, or <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/ranking-signals\/\">ranking signals<\/a>, are characteristics of a page that search engines look at to determine how relevant that page is for a specific search query. Although the exact list of ranking factors and their importance is a bit of a mystery and changes from time to time, we do have a pretty good idea of the most important ones:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The quality, relevance and usability of your content<\/li>\n<li>External and internal links<\/li>\n<li>The technical aspects of your site (f.e. security)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/page-experience-google-ranking-factor\/\">User experience<\/a> on your site (site speed, easy navigation, mobile parity)<\/li>\n<li>The overall online presence of your brand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to these top-ranking factors, there are plenty of others (both known and unknown). But to get a head start with SEO, it makes sense to focus on these aspects first. If you want to quickly check your page&#8217;s performance, you can count on our <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/tools\/seo-checker\/\">SEO Checker tool<\/a> to help you flag issues and provide recommendations on how to improve. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-seo-now-vs-early-days-a-brief-history\">SEO now vs early days: a brief history<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO in the 90\u2019s<\/h3>\n<p>Although websites have been around for a little while longer, people started optimizing their sites for search engines in the mid-1990s. As you can imagine, SEO was a lot simpler back then. The algorithms that search engines used were way less advanced and relied on ranking factors like keyword density to determine the relevance of a page. The \u2018trick\u2019 back then was making sure the keyword was being used enough times throughout your page and in your meta tags.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Search engines evolving<\/h3>\n<p>Naturally, the companies behind search engines quickly realized the issue with this approach. Displaying the results that use the keyword most isn\u2019t always the best experience for their users. So they had to find a way to better handle how potential results were being ranked. Search engines like Google started working on ways to get smarter and rely less on \u2018tricks\u2019 and static ranking factors. This resulted in a number of <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/google-algorithm-updates\/\">algorithm updates<\/a>, each resulting in a smarter Google that was more capable of understanding the relevance of a page.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With a team working non-stop on improving Google\u2019s search engine, the focus moved from factors like keyword density to user experience and high-quality content. These algorithm updates are still very much a part of the SEO field, with Google releasing a new one (or multiple) every year. You can expect this to be a continuous process where search engines adapt to current search behaviour and adjust their algorithms to keep showing users the best results for their search query.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-seo-in-2026\">SEO in 2026<\/h3>\n<p>So, where does that leave us in 2026? As mentioned, search engines continue working on their algorithms to improve their users&#8217; experience. The focus points of <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/2026-seo-predictions-by-yoast-experts\/\">SEO in 2026<\/a> are still high-quality content and technical factors like site speed, security and mobile parity. But an important development we can&#8217;t ignore is that SEO is expanding. It is no longer limited to traditional search engine results pages. People now also get their information through AI assistants, AI-generated search results, social platforms, and video platforms.<\/p>\n<p>The fundamentals of SEO haven&#8217;t changed. That&#8217;s why we continue to use the term SEO. The channels are expanding, but the core principles remain the same. More people are using AI tools for their online searches and search engines are also investing in providing AI-driven search experiences. An example of that is <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/google-ai-overviews\/\">Google AI overviews<\/a>, where Google uses AI to pull together and combine information on a search query from different resources. This is then shown in one overview, with the hope that this directly answers the specific question asked.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"328\" src=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ai-overview-for-search-query-site-structure-600x328.jpg\" alt=\"AI overview for search term site structure\" class=\"content-visible wp-image-4063521\" style=\"border-width:1px;border-top-left-radius:8px;border-top-right-radius:8px;border-bottom-left-radius:8px;border-bottom-right-radius:8px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A possible zero-click search, where the definition of site structure is shown in an AI overview.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One result of that is zero-click searches, where search engines or AI tools show the complete answer to a search query in their results. This can lead to fewer clicks to your website, but it still pays off to be the website that provides that answer. In fact, this is a good example of the direction in which SEO is going. Shift your focus from \u2018just clicks\u2019 and maintaining a specific spot in the search results to building a strong brand and being visible on different platforms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group small-testimonial-pattern mb-8 is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity yoastcon-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns testimonial is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column testimonial__image is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:120px\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/08\/avatar_carolynshelby_yoast_purple.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"content-visible wp-image-4102221\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column testimonial__quote is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"text-lg\">Rankings still matter, but they are no longer the end goal. They are a proxy for visibility, not a guarantee of impact. As search shifts from ranking pages to selecting sources, rankings should be interpreted alongside presence, citation, and narrative accuracy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-lg\">\n<p class=\"text-lg\">\n<p><cite><strong>Carolyn Shelby<\/strong> &#8211; Principal SEO at Yoast<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity yoastcon-separator\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-setting-seo-goals\">Setting SEO Goals<\/h2>\n<p>SEO experts used to closely monitor ranking positions, clicks, website traffic and stats like bounce rates. Naturally, all of this data is still relevant, but there has been a shift in what goals to focus on. Search behavior has changed, and search engines and other online tools are showing your content in many different ways. So it\u2019s not just a number game anymore. You need to focus on the overall perception of your brand and being present in the right places.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Set SEO goals related to engagement, brand awareness, user experience on your website, user satisfaction, and how all of this can be related to sales or other actions you want your audience to perform. This can be trickier than just looking at your daily rankings but will give you a better idea of the success of your SEO strategy and how you\u2019re perceived.&nbsp;By online tools and your audience. The action plan in our <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/yoast-perspective-seo-in-2026\/\">Yoast Perspective report 2026<\/a>&nbsp;helps you shift your metrics from traffic to influence.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-learn-seo-and-get-started\">How to learn SEO and get started<\/h2>\n<p>Although it consists of a lot of different aspects, it is possible to tackle (a lot of) SEO yourself. Let\u2019s look at how you can do that and what resources can help you get started.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Start with the basics<\/h3>\n<p>Before you get to content creation, it\u2019s important to get your technical SEO in order. If you know your way around redirects, optimizing page speed, crawlability, security and structured data, make those your first priority. If not, let your site builder help you out or hire someone with a background in technical SEO. When that\u2019s done, you can start looking at site structure and the content on your pages.<\/p>\n<p>By doing <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/keyword-research-ultimate-guide\/\">keyword research<\/a>, you will be able to create content that aligns with your business and gets people to your website. It will also give you loads of input on topics to write about. With the rise of AI-generated content, it&#8217;s even more important to create original content that reflects your insights and expertise. This will enable you to set up an SEO strategy and plan to continue working on this throughout the year. Because SEO is never done. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to create a realistic plan and keep yourself (or your team) to it. This might feel like a lot of effort, but remember that SEO not only brings more traffic to your site, it also helps build your brand and increase user loyalty in the long run.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How we can help you<\/h3>\n<p>At Yoast, we want to make SEO accessible for everyone. And we want to help you do it yourself. That\u2019s why we offer a <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/\" id=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/\">free SEO plugin<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/\">premium SEO plugin<\/a> for WordPress sites, allowing you to get started on improving your site without too much trouble. Our free plugin comes with features like the SEO and readability analyses, which give you feedback on your content right away. It also handles parts of the technical SEO for you. Our Premium plugin gives you access to some more features like AI-powered features, a redirect tool, and the possibility to add multiple keywords per page. Making SEO even easier to work on.&nbsp;There is also a <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-shopify\/\">Yoast SEO app for Shopify<\/a> that comes with a lot of the same features, but is more focused on SEO for online stores.<\/p>\n<p>We also offer a variety of SEO courses in our <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/academy\/\">Yoast SEO academy<\/a>, where you can find 5 free courses to get started. For example, the SEO for beginners course, the WordPress for beginners course and a course on structured data. If you\u2019re a Yoast SEO Premium user, you get access to all 16 courses on there. Which will really help you dive into the different aspects of SEO and how to tackle them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Finally, we have an SEO blog with numerous blog posts on <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/tag\/seo-basics\/\">SEO basics<\/a>, more advanced SEO, new developments and related topics. All of this to make sure that you have all the tools you need to successfully work on SEO yourself!<\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">Read more: <a data-prefix=\"Read more\" href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress-seo\/\">The ultimate guide to WordPress SEO &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/what-is-seo\/\">What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\">Yoast<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"inmi-source\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/what-is-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Money \u2013 Digital Marketing \u2013 yoast<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you have a website or are you thinking about creating one? And do you want to attract more people to your business? 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