SEO can improve your organic traffic and SERP positioning. This is what SEO performance means and how to improve it.

There is one question that keeps most digital marketers awake at night: how can I get my website to the top spots of search engine results (or SERP)? Since search engines like Google have been around, the answer to that question has been mostly the same: SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

Organic search traffic, or traffic that comes from users’ own queries on search engines, is the biggest traffic source for websites (with a global share of around 53%) and an essential component to generate revenue. That means there is a huge potential for businesses to reach a global audience. But there’s a catch.

“Organic search traffic, or traffic that comes from users’ own queries on search engines, is the biggest traffic source for websites with a global share of around 53%”

There are over 1 billion websites, about 100 thousand searches per second, and over 600 million blogs. That’s a a huge mountain to climb, considering you're fighting for the top 5 results for a search or keyword. So, what's the most effective way of getting a website to rank among the top organic results pages? By the end of this article, you will know what is SEO, what its advantages and limitations are, and common SEO mistakes to avoid in your marketing strategy.

What even is SEO?

SEO is a digital marketing strategy aimed at optimizing the visibility and ranking of a webpage in search engine results pages (SERPs). The primary goal of SEO is to increase organic (non-paid) traffic to a website. Since most internet users rely on search engines to find products or services, leveraging SEO is crucial.

In short, on-page SEO, comprising SEO techniques that rely solely on you and your website, delivers results through a combination of 2 things:

Relevant content on your website, like blog posts, product pages and so on, that users like, read and share
Technical considerations, like picking a keyword with high search volumes and low competition and placing it in specific places of your page

Further down below, you can find vital mistakes that may hurt the performance of your online business, but first let’s summarize its key benefits and its limitations.

SEO benefits and limitations

SEO offers a multitude of benefits for brands, like increased visibility and traffic, alongside some inherent limitations – a key one being how long it takes to actually see results.

SEO Benefits

Reduced costs. Most businesses can end up paying thousands of euros in Google Ads every month to buy their way into the top stops in search results. Alternatively, with SEO customers naturally arrive at your site via Google, and you don’t pay for it
Increased visibility. By positioning websites at the forefront of search results, SEO attracts organic traffic
Enhanced credibility. Websites in top search engine results are seen as more credible and attention worthy.

SEO Limitations

SEO requires patience and continuous effort as search engine changes take time
Your brand will face fierce competition in popular niches, which makes it difficult to achieve and maintain top rankings
Naturally, there are costs to actually create and maintain content, albeit much lower than advertising
There are an average of 12 algorithm changes per day and at least one major update every year, meaning that to keep up brand managers need to be on their toes
There are nearly two hundred rules that determine how Google classifies, ranks and gives relevance to certain content

Despite the limitations, a well-executed SEO strategy remains indispensable for any business seeking to thrive in the digital landscape.

How SEO works

To understand how SEO works, we need to first look into how search engines work. Search engines employ bots that continuously crawl websites, following links and storing the information they find. This is called indexing.

The point of SEO is to help search engines index a webpage in a way that suits a brand's goals. This process involves researching keywords, writing relevant, high-quality content that matches user intent, and optimizing meta information (such as headers, meta descriptions, meta titles and other info) to facilitate page crawling.

It is important to point out that content writing is not SEO itself, although it is related and important to a successful SEO strategy. Content writing should meet the needs of the audience, while SEO content writing is about optimizing content to rank on the first page of search engines.

What are SEO benchmarks?

SEO benchmarks include specific metrics to measure the performance of a website in search engines, including:

Organic traffic - refers to website visits generated through unpaid search engine results
Keywords ranking - evaluates the visibility of a website by assessing its position in search engine results for specific search terms
Bounce rate - indicates the proportion of visitors who leave a site after viewing only one page
Conversion rate - measures the percentage of website visitors who take desired actions, such as making a purchase or filling out a form

These metrics act as a benchmark for your website SEO strategy.

Top SEO tools

When it comes to search engine optimization, having access to the right tools is essential to boost the content you create and achieve the best results for your brand. There are several SEO tools available to help maximize your online business performance.

At Articulate we built our free SEO tool – Articulate App - which allows any brand or agency to:

Perform Keyword research for analyzing keyword search volume to obtain the most accurate data to create a content strategy;
Access pre-structured briefings our content blueprints help create SEO-optimized content more efficiently;
See AI generated content ideas, ensuring an innovative and relevant approach for the target audience;
Curate keywords lists to help select and prioritize keywords for the future
Track strategic keywords to see how your brand ranks for specific keywords, and track your ranking over time

And did we mention it is totally free? As with all our tools we develop for brands, they are totally free. Brands only pay for the content they actually create with the help of our experts – nothing else.

10 SEO mistakes to avoid

Even if you are doing everything else correctly, there are some SEO mistakes that are easy to let slip in and that can have an outsized effect on your strategy.

1. Missing Alt Texts for images

Google can’t read images so it uses Alt Text instead. Filling in this alternative text is essential, so that search engines understand the visual resource in question and show it to the user more easily. To guarantee a good positioning when searching, always use relevant keywords, keep it relatively short, describe the image as specifically as possible, avoid keyword stuffing and keep away from expressions such as “image of” or “picture of”.

2. Keyword stuffing

The evolution of the Google algorithm emphasizes the importance of avoiding excessive keyword repetition across text, infographics, and other visuals. While it may seem beneficial to signal content perfection to search engines, this strategy can actually lead to penalties, causing a drop in your website’s ranking and undermining the performance and credibility of your brand’s published content.

3. Indexing issues

Google Search Console helps any online content manager ensure that the visibility and indexing of their pages is done correctly. From server errors to improper URL structures, addressing indexing issues detected through Google Search Console is vital to maintain and improve organic traffic and rankings, ensuring your content receives the visibility it deserves.

4. Confusing URLs

URLs that appear to be excessively long and with terms that are difficult to understand (e.g. numbers mixed with letters) are also not helping your Google ranking. The URL must have keywords that make sense for the business, always using direct, succinct, and consistent terms. The link must be “friendly” for search engines.

5. Slow Page Load Speed

Slow-loading pages can frustrate users and lead to higher bounce rates, negatively impacting search rankings. Optimizing page load speed by compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing code can improve user experience and SEO performance.

6. Thin or Duplicate Content

Thin content lacking depth or uniqueness, as well as duplicate content across pages or websites, can harm SEO efforts. Creating high-quality, original content that provides value to users is crucial for improving search rankings.

7. Neglecting Metadata Optimization

Ignoring title tags, meta descriptions, and other metadata elements can hinder search engines’ understanding of your content’s relevance. Optimizing metadata with relevant keywords and compelling descriptions can improve click-through rates and search visibility.

8. Broken Links

Broken links and redirect chains can disrupt user experience and dilute link equity, affecting search rankings. Regularly auditing and fixing broken links and optimizing redirects can enhance website usability and SEO performance.

9. Overlooking Image Optimization

Failing to optimize images with descriptive filenames and captions can hinder search engines’ ability to index and understand visual content. Proper image optimization can improve accessibility, user experience, and search rankings.

10. Lack of Regular Monitoring and Analysis

Failing to regularly monitor and analyze SEO performance metrics can result in missed opportunities for optimization and growth. Regularly tracking key performance indicators such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates is essential for identifying areas for improvement and making informed decisions to enhance SEO efforts.

Articulate, leaders in SEO performance

With over a decade of expertise, Articulate has been a trusted partner in guiding brands towards organic growth through strategic SEO initiatives. We understand that mastering the ever-evolving landscape of SEO is essential for driving organic growth and staying ahead of the competition. Get in touch with our team of SEO experts to find out how you can boost your Google ranking.

SEO: what it is, why it matters and 10 mistakes to avoid

What even is SEO?