Is SEO still important in 2024?
In 2024, mastering Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is not just a skill, but a business necessity. Whether you’re an established marketing agency, running a hobby business, or starting a side-hustle, understanding and applying SEO remains crucial for online discovery.
Understanding SEO and how it works: don’t be afraid! 🥹
SEO, an acronym for Search Engine Optimisation, is the art of getting your website and web pages found in search engines when people search for your goods or services.
It sounds like a simple concept and, essentially, it is. However, there is extensive information available on SEO, with nuances that can be complex and overwhelming. One thing remains true, whether you're a Google Ads Agency or a sole trader learning about SEO for the first time, the playing field is level for everyone.
There are no marketing secret weapons, cheats to get first in Google, or get found quick schemes (avoid all those!!). Google’s mission is “to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” — this is what they are constantly working to achieve.
All users have equal access to understand and manage SEO. We all get access to the same information that clearly tells us How Search Works. Especially with organic SEO, it’s actually reasonably egalitarian. Don’t let marketing fear campaigns scare you or believe marketing hype that seems too good to be true.
SEO is an ongoing test and measure process that anyone can do.
Why is Squarespace good for SEO?
We use Squarespace for its Content Management System (CMS), which is intricately engineered to adhere to Google's Search Optimisation algorithm. For example, Google prefers secure websites (https:// or with the padlock icon). Squarespace includes an SSL certificate with your subscription (with hosted WordPress, you can pay an extra AU$100-$150 per annum). Additionally, Google favours responsive or dynamic (mobile-friendly) pages, a feature Squarespace has built-in.
The examples are just two significant aspects, but there are many, many, many more. Google doesn't publish their search algorithm, in fact, Google's Search algorithm a very closely guarded secret and it evolves constantly to keep up with spammers: it changes at least six times a day! What they do offer is a Basic checklist for appearing in Google Search results, and they indicate their do’s & don’ts, preferences and policies.
Online is Easy: our SEO Strategy
Our SEO strategy focuses mainly on quality content and the implementation of Google's tools and best practice suggestions. Essentially, our SEO strategy has three parts:
On-Page SEO: This involves creating quality content with strategic keywords, alt tags, titles, descriptions, filenames, optimum file sizes, and formats. It also includes internal links, blog categories and tags, structured content, and ensuring there are no broken links.
Off-Page SEO: This encompasses activities outside your website, such as link building, listing your site in directories, and setting up tools like Search Console, Google Business Profile Manager, Google Analytics, and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Social SEO: This refers to how active you are and how you are perceived on social media, as Google Search indexes social media sites too.
Most of our work will focus on off-page SEO and guiding you (our clients) in creating quality content for on-page and social SEO. If we built your website, we've already incorporated a lot of on-page SEO for you before your site went live.
The Art of Being Found
Let’s drill down to understand more about the art of getting found. Remember what our purpose is? We aim to appear as high as possible on the organic (free) Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
Quite simply, SERP refers to the page of information you see after hitting enter on the words you typed to find something through a search engine like Google.
The Google SERP contains a set of various types of visual elements, and each search result has its own set of possible child visual elements, e.g.- results could be text, image, video, map locations, they could be websites, articles, and resources relevant to the search query. The higher your website, pages, and blogs appear on the SERPs for relevant searches, the more likely people are to visit your website.
Note that you can opt for paid SERP to reach the top of the page (indicated by the word ‘Sponsored’ in bold above search results). However, organic results offer much more credibility.
A simple breakdown of your Search Results:
The screen capture animation below is the SERP for ‘accommodation trafalgar’. Here we break down three of the main visual elements of the search results page in Google:
Sponsored: these top results are paid for. They may not always be the most relevant to your search terms. Paying to be #1 doesn’t necessarily build your brand credibility - it does mean that your listing is first, but it doesn’t mean you’re offering the best result to the search query the user typed in (personally, I rarely click on sponsored content).
Location Based: this is where local search and location based search is displayed. The map location and the rich results on the left come from your Google Business Profile (GBP) - previously called Google My Business (GMB) - which allows business owners to reach perspective customers via Google Search and Google Maps.
Maintaining your GBP helps increase your visibility on Google, gain credibility with reviews, control your business information (operating hours, contact info, website & social media channels, etc), and personalise your profile with photos, offers, posts, and more.
Statistics don’t lie. Yes, there’s a lot of them and they come from many different sources, but they all point to the same message:93% of consumers search Google Maps to find a business.
91% of people read Google My Business reviews prior to contacting a local business.
60% of interactions on Google My Business are a website click.
45% of businesses receive appointment requests through Google My Business.
91% of a local businesses weekday calls can be attributed to their Google Business Profile page.
Negative Google reviews impact 45% of local consumers contacting a business.
51% of Google My Business profiles remain unclaimed.
“Near Me” Google Maps searches have increased 900% in the past 24 months.
If you're not using Google Maps for marketing, you're missing out on potential customers and risking your visibility in search engine results (SERP).
Sources: Intergrowth, Ervin Kalemi, AiiMS, StatCounter.
Organic Search: this is the gold we are looking for. Organic SEO is a free listing in Google Search. To be #1 here means your content is the most relevant to someone's search terms. This gives your brand/you credibility as an authority on the topic being searched.
In this example you can see that large corporates (e.g.- Booking.com & LastMinute.com) have spent the money and time ensuring they have the top spots for hotly contested search terms and keywords for their industry sector.
EEAT: quality content creation = effective SEO.
As a small business, the the fundamental part of your SEO strategy involves creating effective content for your website and social media. To be effective you need to apply Google's EEAT principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) and conduct keyword research to incorporate relevant keywords into your content (titles/headings, subheadings, bullet point lists, alt text, slugs/URLs, filenames, and hashtags). — read: “How to get images right for your website.”
E-E-A-T is a framework that Google uses to assess the quality of online content. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
E-E-A-T Principles for Content Creation:
Experience: Share real-life stories and experiences related to your topic.
Expertise: Demonstrate your deep understanding, whether through qualifications or extensive research.
Authoritativeness: Build a reputation as a reliable source and highlight your achievements or credentials.
Trustworthiness: Ensure your content is accurate, well-researched, and regularly updated.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of discovering the relevant words and phrases your target audience uses when searching online for your information, products, or services.
By understanding their needs and interests, you can tailor your website's content to align with these searches. This enhances the likelihood of your website appearing in search engine results (SERPs) and attracts more visitors. There are a multitude of paid platforms that assist with keyword research but here are seven free keyword options anyone can do:
7 Simple and Free Keyword Research Tips:
Google Autocomplete: Use Google’s search suggestions for keyword ideas.
People Also Ask: Explore questions in Google’s “People Also Ask” section for topic inspiration.
Related Searches: Look at the bottom of Google search results for additional ideas.
Social Media Trends: Keep an eye on trending topics and hashtags in your industry.
Online Forums: Join forums related to your field to see what’s being discussed.
Customer Feedback: Listen to the language your customers use for direct keyword insights.
Google Analytics & Search Console: use Google’s free tools that collect data from your websites and apps to create reports that provide insights into your business, including the keywords and phrases people used to find you.
How much content should be on a web page?
SEO content length is a topic of much debate. What's the optimal word count for your website's pages? It's a balance between quality and quantity, underpinned by your aim to articulate your unique selling proposition in a manner that aligns with the search terms your audience uses, while ensuring the text remains engaging to read. A reminder of EEAT and that you're writing for humans, not search engines.
The consensus varies, but it leans towards a minimum of 300 words, heading up to 1,200, more if the content stays relevant, engaging and distinctive. If you write lots of text, consider adding an index to the top of your blog so people can navigate around it easily (something I probably should do here on mine!)
Although in this blog we are focusing on organic content for SEO, if you look at the expert response to a food blogger’s question in the community forum, among other hot tips, he directly references Google AdSense’s guidelines on content length for blogs, it offers a clear recommendation for the length of a blog post, “original content posts of about 800+ words each in proper sentences and paragraphs”.
The takeaway is that search engines favour content that provides comprehensive coverage of a topic, which often correlates with longer, well-structured articles.
Getting a feel for web copy length:
The word count for this section, including the headline, is 472 words and 2,760 characters. This is about the right length for a section of web page content.
The entire count of this blog post is 2,202 words and 14,155 characters, which may be considered lengthy by some.
To keep track of your word count, you can use the word count tool under the 'Tools' menu in Google Docs. Alternatively, I find this free web tool, wordcounter.net, quite handy for a quick count, particularly when dealing with limitations such as online forms or when reviewing sections of content.
Therefore, I recommend maintaining at least 300 words in your body content. Ensure that your headings are pertinent and clear. Embrace your unique brand of creativity. Express your passion, your distinctive edge, and integrate the terms and queries your prospective clients might use to find you online (but write using natural language otherwise you could be keyword stuffing).
As well as explaining what we do as a part of our SEO services in this blog, if I’m working with you to build a website and you are writing your own copy, it’s highly likely that I will direct you here too.
“Expert Tip: Adding an index to longer articles boosts both user experience and SEO. It guides readers directly to the information they seek, improving engagement and dwell time — both key metrics for better search engine rankings.”
Final Thoughts on SEO Strategy
From the graph below, it’s a no brainer to understand that a fundamental part of a successful business’s online success is an SEO Strategy that primarily includes getting authentically found as high as possible in Google’s organic and location based search engine results pages (SERPs).
Online is Easy’s SEO Strategy involves setting up the technology framework and guiding you in quality content creation, guided by the EEAT principles and relevant keyword research methods. This approach aims to create compelling content for your target audience, increasing your organic SERP ranking over time and attracting relevant potential customers to your website.
SEO is not a quick fix solution (unless opting for paid SEO rankings, which we don’t typically do) and can take weeks or months for you to see results.
Search Engine Market Share Worldwide
Conclusion: Embrace the Ongoing Journey of organic SEO
SEO is a continual, test and measure process that leverages a quality Content Management System (CRM), like Squarespace, to comply with the software engineering stipulations of search engines, authentic human centric content to genuinely meet the needs of the person doing the search (EEAT and keywords), and updates in Google’s free search tools (GBP Manager) to ensure accurate location and business information is displayed about your business.
It's not a quick fix but a strategic and evolving discipline. Regularly reviewing insights and updating your SEO strategy is crucial to keep pace with the ever-changing trends, technologies, and user interests. This commitment ensures that your SEO efforts remain effective and relevant without costing you tonnes of money.
Online is Easy offer SEO Packages. Our minimum service is for three months, with a preference for six month engagements or longer. We focus on Australian sole traders, small businesses and not-for-profits (NFPs), and we don't typically work with sponsored SERPs, paid SEO ranking or Google Ads.
Valuable SEO Resources and Tools
Squarespace SEO Checklist: A comprehensive guide for optimising your website. (https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002090267-SEO-checklist)
Google SEO Guide: Official starter guide from Google.
(https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide)SEO Explained for Beginners: Video tutorial for beginners.
(https://youtu.be/xnyJQb37RRw)Google Search Central: YouTube channel for SEO updates and knowledge.
(https://www.youtube.com/@GoogleSearchCentral)Hiring SEO Specialist Tips: Advice on hiring an SEO expert.
(https://youtu.be/NWsyr-D06Ck)Online is Easy SEO Services: Professional SEO services tailored to your needs.
(https://www.onlineiseasy.com.au/seo)Google AdSense content: if you plan to monetise your website with AdSense, be prepared in advance.
(https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/10015918)
Need help? Schedule a free 15 min Discovery Call →
Additional Content!! for those who are interested in digging deep into the history and workings of Search, watch the 1 hour Google home movie…
Trillions of Questions, No Easy Answers: A (home) movie about how Google Search works.
17 Oct 2020 #SearchOn
Like any typical home movie, this one started in a dusty basement with boxes of old footage. Some conversations in 2019, a field trip to a data center, and an unexpected stop at a hardware store later, it came together into a story–our story. Like all home movies, there’s a good chance that the only people who will swoon over it are the people who are in it. But, if you’ve ever wondered how Search works, or are curious to see what goes on behind the scenes, there may be something here for you too.
Anthony Mayer is the founder and director of Online is Easy, established in 2014.
He's a digital strategy consultant, a business coach, a web developer/designer, an entrepreneur and an educator.
Anthony is enthusiastic about his business and his community as an energetic extrovert. With a fascination for anything technical, Anthony brings existing and emerging technologies together with best practice, budget capacity and human capability.
He mixes it all up with a dash of leadership, entrepreneurship, good humour and lots and lots of hands-on business experience.
