What is SEO? Learn SEO Types, How it Works, and More

Google shows you websites, ads, local businesses, eCommerce stores, etc., for any search you do. Why do you always click on the top results of the first page instead of going to the end of the search? That’s what SEO or search engine optimisation is all about. 

You can make a lucrative career in SEO when you learn to apply what the brightest minds are doing to keep their websites on top results of Google or any other search engine. These professionals take guidance from SEO courses online and practice, practice, practice…

And that’s what this article aims to help fast learners like you. 

What is SEO?

SEO or search engine optimisation is the process of improving the visibility of websites on Google, Bing or other search engines when users type queries about products or services or look for any other information online. 

SEO is one of the most important types of digital marketing. Its primary function is to get a page on the first result or page of a Google search. Let's simplify it more. 

So, when a website or its webpages are search engine optimised, they have better chances to rank on Google or other search engines in the top positions (or on the first page) for specific queries or keywords. With a higher position on the search engine through proven SEO techniques, more visitors will click on the page. 

In short, the importance of SEO for businesses lies in earning organic traffic that ultimately leads to conversions. 

The SEO techniques or types cover on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO broadly. They go hand in hand and never exclusively. 

Learning different types of SEO, including on-page and off-page SEO, and technical SEO is primary to getting jobs in this space. Consider these the stepping stones for finding a successful career in SEO (Refer to SEO interview questions and answers in 2025).  

Also, right now, SEO is evolving with AI and voice search, creating potentially growing niches. Trend-wise, it will also be about how fast you adapt to these technological advancements, focus on quality and not just quantity, and understand changing user behaviour, at least moving forward towards the next decade.  

More importantly, you should think about how Google gets websites to rank. 

Crawling and Indexing 

Google’s vast network of servers crawl the web. They look for new and updated web pages. Googlebot is a program that simulates a user browsing the web. 

It visits each page and analyses its content, structure, and links. It then adds the page to its index, a massive database of web pages, and stores relevant information about each page, such as its content, URL, and links.

Ranking 

When a user enters a query into Google, the search engine retrieves relevant pages from the index and ranks them based on various factors, including relevance, quality, and authority. 

The ranking algorithm uses hundreds of signals, including the page's content, title, meta description, URL, backlinks, etc.

Displaying Results Based on Relevance 

Once the user types keywords or queries, Google displays the most relevant and useful web pages on the search engine results page (SERP), along with features such as featured snippets, images, videos, and other types of content. 

The relevance of keywords in SEO is extremely important to consider. There are different types of keywords catering to unique intents. They can be classified into four types 

1. Navigational - The user is looking for specific information about the product or service on a website. 
2. Transactional- The user is looking for products or services to purchase or take action.
3. Commercial - The user wants to know more about the product or service and researches options.
4. Informational - The user is looking for information on a product or service. 

The SERP also includes paid ads that appear above the organic search results, which businesses can bid on to get more visibility. Refer to explore more about paid ads on our blog on search engine marketing that discusses the basics. 

Updating and Refining

Google constantly refines its algorithm to provide accurate and useful query results. That’s why regular updates to its guidelines ensure that businesses follow best practices and avoid spammy or manipulative black-hat SEO tactics.

It is known that Google has more than 200 ranking factors. But this may be the tip of the iceberg. SEO tools such as Surfer SEO can analyse your content based on 500 ranking factors. 

Backlinko states the first result on the Google search page has an average of 27.1% CTR (Click-through-rate), while the third result has 15.8% CTR. It drastically reduces when you move to another page. 

The direct impact is that more visitors will likely convert as their search query aligns with your offer.

Over the last two decades, digital businesses have worked on various strategies to strengthen their SEO process bringing marketing, sales, social media, and content writing/production teams to achieve their goals of online reach and increase in revenue. But one thing is for certain, SEO strategies keep changing from time to time. The reason is search engines like Google have improved user experiences with the most relevant results. There are thousands of Google’s own algorithm updates each year, which also require revisions in SEO strategies to ensure rankings do not drop.

But all in all, any business would be following a common SEO process. 

• Research - There are two types of research involved here, and they are the beginning of the SEO process. One is keyword research and the other is competition analysis. Keyword research is a time taking process consisting of analysing high and low search volume keywords to be planned for content creation. Second is competition research, which is assessing how the top ranking keywords are used by competitors. 
• Planning/Goal-Setting - This is the second step after extracting keywords and learning what the competition is currently doing to increase their online visibility. Looking at their keyword coverage, you can plan your own content schedule and so on. But it is important to check your own website traffic and domain authority first. Businesses generally look into complete SEO audits on their own using tools, including SEMrush, Google Analytics 4, or Ahrefs to get an idea how they are currently ranking against their competitors and what their website lacks. Based on all, a plan is detailed.  
• Content Development - The third step of the SEO process is creating content based on the keywords researched and put into the SEO plan. There are different content teams to handle various content - from blogs to socials. All the types of SEO - on-site optimisation, linkbuilding, and technical audits are also incorporated in this phase. 
• Monitoring - Next is to see if the content that was planned and implemented works or not. Again here, SEO tools are used to compare data of previous days, weeks, or months to the recent ones.

• Low Investment Budget – To start SEO marketing activities, organisations do not need a huge budget. They can start with a team of knowledgeable people who have a good understanding of websites and search engines.
• High ROI – SEO provides the highest ROI as compared to traditional and other forms of paid marketing activities. Most of the people who come to a site by clicking on a search engine result are highly likely to get converted as they are actually looking for the products available on it.
• Builds Credibility – Websites which are shown on the first page not only gets higher traffic, they are also considered to have more credibility than those which appear on later pages.
• Results are Long-Lasting – Unlike other marketing efforts, the effects of SEO is usually permanent. But, you will need to maintain the activities in order to keep up the top position.

When you think of SEO in digital marketing, you have to consider the industry or size of organisation where the SEO process (as mentioned above) is implemented.  The strategies are different and are more niche-based. 

1. Ecommerce SEO - Improving and updating product pages, streamlining navigation, etc.  
2. Local SEO - Improving visibility for local searches and staying on top of every other local listing result on Google.
3. International SEO - Here creating content in different languages and optimising the pages - on-page, off-page, and technical individually.
4. GEO or Generative Search Optimisation - This is for optimising pages that boost visibility on AI driven search results.  

Technical SEO Skills

• Website architecture and crawlability: Ensure search engines can easily navigate and index your site.
• Page speed optimization: Faster sites mean happier users and better rankings.
• Mobile-first indexing & responsiveness: Your site must perform flawlessly on mobile devices.
• Schema markup and structured data: Help search engines understand your content's context.
• Website security (HTTPS, etc.): Secure sites build trust and improve rankings

On-Page Optimisation Skills

• Keyword research and analysis (long-tail, semantic): Target the right search terms to attract your audience.
• Content optimization (title tags, meta descriptions, headings): Craft compelling content that ranks and converts.
• User experience (UX) and user intent optimization: Satisfy user needs for better engagement.
• Internal linking strategies: Guide users and search engines through your site.

Off-Page Optimisation Skills

• Link building and outreach strategies (high quality links): Earn authoritative backlinks to boost your site's credibility.
• Understanding domain authority and page authority: Know your site's strength and how to improve it.
• Social media's impact on SEO: Leverage social signals to amplify your content.
• Brand mentions and digital PR: Build your brand's online reputation.

Analytical and Data Skills for SEO

• Using SEO tools (Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs): Master the tools to gain actionable insights.
• Analyzing data and identifying trends: Spot patterns to refine your SEO strategy.
• Reporting on SEO performance and KPIs: Track progress and communicate results effectively.
• A/B testing and experimentation: Test and iterate to optimize for best results.

Soft Skills for SEO

• Communication and Collaboration: Clearly convey SEO strategies and work effectively with teams.
• Project Management: Organize and execute SEO campaigns efficiently.
• Problem Solving: Tackle SEO challenges with creative solutions.
• Adaptability: Stay current with SEO trends and algorithm updates.

Here are some steps to take when planning to start a career in SEO. 

1. Ask yourself: "Does the challenge of understanding user intent and optimising for search engines excite me?"
2. Research diverse SEO roles (technical, content, local. Pinpoint the specific skills needed for each and the career trajectory available.
3. Understand the qualifications employers look for. Check out job sites like Naukri.com and salaries for different SEO roles on AmbitionBox. 
4. Then move on to master core SEO skills. Focus only on hands-on learning. You can do this by building a personal website or WordPress blog and experiment with different SEO techniques. You can work on prioritising skills like keyword research, on-page optimisation, and content strategy. Monitor that using SEO tools like Google Search Console that comes for free.