Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is about maximising a website’s visibility and ranking on search engine result pages (e.g. Google, Yahoo, etc.) when people search up keywords and phrases. It is an important factor to consider if you’re wanting your website to get traffic. Globally, 92.96% of traffic comes from Google Search, Images, and Maps, and yet 90.63% of pages get no organic search traffic from Google at all, so to get the best results marketers must figure out how to get their website to the top of search pages. For a brief explanation of SEO, watch the video below. This video walks through an example of how someone might use SEO while showing its multifaceted nature.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=MYE6T_gd7H0%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Video via Simplilearn on Youtube

Something that is heavily debated in the digital marketing world is whether SEO is purely scientific, or if it somewhat of an art form. 

SEO has a lot of technical aspects. These include:

• Search engine algorithms
• Keyword research
• On-page optimisation (making the site appealing to search engines)
• Off-page optimisation (e.g. link building, content marketing)
• User experience (e.g. mobile phone access, page navigation, page-loading speed)

Marketers need to have a great understanding of these things and be able to analyse and interpret data in order to make informed and sound decisions. While there is methodology to SEO processes, there is also a less technical side too. SEO differs from science in that it is always changing. This is because search engine algorithms are constantly being updated.

SEO could also be considered an art because it requires a level of creativity. One of the best ways to get your website to organically show up highly as a search result is to have thorough, relevant, and quality content that can appease both algorithms and readers. Moreover, it takes a creative approach to build websites that are easily navigable and connect with niche audiences. 

So is SEO a science or art? Well…it’s both! Both technical and creative skills are needed for SEO strategies to be the most effective. This is similar to most marketing aspects: there needs to be a balance of both analysis and imagination. 

For further viewing on the topic, watch the video below. It further reiterates the points above and even goes as far to suggest that all SEO strategies fail without both science and art components.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rPLyfehbqTw%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Video via Bruce Clay, Inc. on Youtube