What is SEO and How Do Search Engines Work

You’ve probably heard of SEO by now and wondered what it’s all about. But before giving you a super technical definition that you probably won’t understand right away, let me tell you that SEO started back in the 90s. That’s right, it’s not something new — it’s been around for 26 years. In 1997, the term "high ranking" was brand new and just emerging. So if you doubted that SEO is just a “fad,” let me assure you that today it’s one of the most in-demand online skills.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and, according to Wikipedia, it is “the process of improving the visibility of websites or web pages in the order of results returned by a search engine.”

In short and simple terms, SEO is when you go on Google and search for something you’re interested in (maybe a product you want to buy or a service you need), and you see (under the paid links) some options from different brands/companies/people. The question is: how did the first option… get to be first, and how did that happen? You might say it’s rude to answer a question with… another question, but trust me, by the end of this article, you’ll have a much better understanding of what SEO is.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is the process of increasing a site’s visibility in the organic results of search engines. If you have a website, a blog, or an online store, SEO can help you attract more traffic, get qualified leads, and increase your authority online.

How do search engines work?

Search engines like Google use crawlers (bots) to scan the internet and index web pages. Then, their algorithms analyze over 200 factors to decide the order of displayed results.

The process has 3 essential steps:

1. Crawling – Google discovers new pages.
2. Indexing – Pages are analyzed and stored.
3. Ranking – Determines which pages appear first for a particular search.

Want to understand exactly how crawling and indexing work? We wrote about it in our article on How Search Engines Work.

What types of SEO are there?

SEO is divided into several branches:

• On-Page SEO – Everything you do on the site: structure, content, headings, meta tags. Complete guide here: On-Page Optimization.
• Off-Page SEO – What happens outside your site: backlinks, digital PR.
• Technical SEO – Site structure, speed, indexability, canonicals.
• Local SEO – Optimization for local results in Google Maps.
• Holistic SEO – An integrated approach that considers the whole digital ecosystem (UX, content, social, PPC).

Essential Steps in an SEO Strategy

1. Keyword research – start with user intent. Guide here: What are keywords and their types.
2. Content and structure optimization – articles, service pages, categories.
3. Link building – naturally, through valuable content or partnerships.
4. Continuous analysis and adaptation – monitor positions and visitor behavior.

For a complete process, see our article: How to do a keyword analysis

What ISN'T SEO?

SEO is not about “tricks” or manipulation. Google is smarter than that. Instead of searching for shortcuts, focus on:

• quality content,
• a pleasant site experience,
• clear answers to users’ questions.

The Benefits of SEO for Your Business

• Increase organic traffic
• Reduce reliance on paid ads
• Greater authority in your industry
• Better conversions

SEO is a long-term investment. Results don’t show up overnight, but they become more solid over time.

How does Google measure “relevance”?

Google takes into account hundreds of signals. Some essential ones:

• Content quality
• Time spent on site
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• The number and quality of links to your site
• Mobile experience and site speed

Final Recommendations

• Write for people, not for algorithms.
• Don’t overdo keywords.
• Optimize your URLs – see What is a URL.

Who needs SEO?

Here I invoke all businesses and entrepreneurs who truly believe in their products or services and struggle to reach their consumers. I totally understand you! Now that we’re all gathered here, let’s answer the previous question. Becoming the top choice requires a lot of work and expertise for an SEO specialist, but it’s nothing impossible. With the right tactics and constant website monitoring, the specialist optimizes your website so your business gets to the first page. So, it takes continuous work and effort for you to enjoy website traffic that ultimately turns from potential clients into brand lovers. Who wouldn’t want as many buyers as possible? Who doesn’t need SEO!

So, there’s not someone in particular who needs SEO, but rather anyone who wants to scale their business and grow online.

How SEO Optimization Helps Attract Potential Clients to Your Website

If someone visits your website and makes a purchase or calls you for a service, that means they’ve become aware of your business. If they’re satisfied, there’s a high chance they’ll spread the word. Therefore, SEO not only promises you the top spot on Google but helps you be there when people need you most. And when people need you, they can turn into potential clients, right? Thus, optimizing your website can bring you as many leads as possible.

And since we’ve mentioned optimization — the big mystery in SEO — I really want to clarify and explain what SEO optimization is and why it’s so ambiguous for everyone. Well, the big secret is actually made up of the following:

SEO On-Site and SEO Off-Site

Let’s take a look at your website or any other site (if you don’t have one) and analyze a few aspects. Surely the following are included, right?

1. content (this includes text, images, media)
2. HTML elements
3. the website’s design or architecture

Everything mentioned above represents On-Site SEO. When we want to optimize the website, we look at these aspects, making sure they’re always in order.

When it comes to external efforts, we refer to Off-Page SEO. Here, strategies include link building, content marketing, reviews on various sites, and of course, a strong social media presence. It’s like finishing the interior of a house and now focusing on beautifying the exterior. Surely, when you want to arrange your yard, you need professionals, right?

What Practices Exist in SEO Optimization?

You probably know the movie Alice in Wonderland. Do you remember the Mad Hatter? The one played by the great actor Johnny Depp. Imagine there are two Johnny Depps playing the same hatter. One wears a white hat and the other a black one. The difference is that one is well-intentioned and follows all the rules, while the one with the black hat is ill-intentioned and breaks every rule possible.

Now that you have this story in mind, I want to tell you about White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO. Just like in the example above, White Hat SEO represents the practice of reaching the top position by following Google’s rules and satisfying user needs. In contrast, Black Hat SEO refers to methods where some specialists don’t follow any rules and even steal data to sell it further.

But the story doesn’t end here. There’s a surprise character: Grey Hat SEO. This practice is based on healthy backlinks and the idea that if another site references yours, your site becomes more credible in Google’s eyes. This way, you rank higher. Pretty clever, right?

What KPIs Should You Track in an SEO Campaign

Whenever you do something, no matter what it is, you need to set some reference points to make sure the process is working. The same goes for SEO. For a specialist to know things are going well, they consider these aspects:

1. User source (here, Google Analytics shows us where users come from)
2. How many times you appear on Google (here, Google Search Console shows click-through rates and the number of clicks)

There are a lot of things an SEO specialist looks at when managing a website, but the most important activity is perseverance. Rising in the rankings is not a process that takes two days — it’s a long-distance race. Once you choose to embark on this journey, you need ambition not only to finish one race but as many as possible.

We’ve talked about the 90s, definitions, potential clients, on and off-page optimization, white, black, and grey hats, as well as various indicators to evaluate your work, but we haven’t talked about one thing: whether I’ve managed to make you more familiar with the world of SEO.