SEO Basics for Organic Search: Beginner's Guide

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Explained

Introduction to SEO

• 4.9 billion active internet users globally.
• Half of internet users use Google Search.
• Over 3.5 billion Google searches are conducted daily, and 73% of users never look past the first page of results. Source Source
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is crucial for businesses to appear in search results.
• SEO encompasses strategies to help websites rank higher in Google search results.
• Misconception: SEO is paid for.
• Truth: SEO focuses on organic search results, which are free.

Organic vs. Paid Search Results

• SERP (Search Engine Results Page): The page displayed after a Google search.

• Paid Search Results:

• Appear at the very top of the SERP.

• Often labeled as "Sponsored."

• Businesses pay Google for these spots.

• Organic Search Results:

• Appear below paid results.

• Links that have earned their place through effective SEO, not direct payment.

• Websites are optimized to rank higher.

• Goal of SEO: To be the top organic search result.

• Only the first three search results truly matter.

• Number one result is 10 times more likely to receive a click than position 10.

• The top 3 organic search results get over 50% of all clicks on the SERP.

• The number one result in Google has 3.8 times more referring domains than results 2–10, highlighting the importance of backlinks. Source

• Benefits of better rankings:

• More traffic

• More sales

• More money

How Search Engines Work (Google's Process)

• Analogy: Internet as a vast hardware store, Google as the information stand.
• Google sorts through hundreds of billions of pages.
• Uses technology to process this vast amount of information.
• Google sorts through hundreds of billions of web pages in less than half a second. Source
• Three-step process:

1. Crawling:

• Googlebot (a web crawler) visits websites.
• It goes from page to page, reading content.

2. Indexing:

• Google stores information about pages in a huge database called the Google Index.

3. Ranking:

• If a page meets Google's criteria, it will be served as a search result for relevant queries.
• Google uses over 200 ranking factors to determine the best results. Source

Google's Ranking Criteria (Positive Factors)

• The exact algorithm is secret to prevent manipulation.
• Google has officially confirmed the importance of several factors:

1. Content Relevance:

• Does the page answer the searcher's query?
• Example: Searching for "buy garden furniture" should yield pages where you can purchase items, not blog posts about gardening tips.

2. Content Quality:

• Identified through various means, including human input and machine learning algorithms.
• Google now uses E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) as a framework to evaluate content quality. Sites with strong E-E-A-T have a 30% higher chance of ranking in the top 3 positions. Source
• YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) pages (health, finance, safety) are held to the highest standard.

3. Backlinks:

• Relevant links from other sites indicate trustworthiness and relevance.
• Each backlink is seen as a "vote of confidence."
• The #1 result in Google has 3.8× more referring domains than results 2–10. Source

4. Physical Proximity:

• For local search results, Google considers the distance of a business from the searcher's location.

5. Mobile Friendliness:

• Pages optimized for mobile devices may rank better in mobile search results.
• Google completed its transition to mobile‑first indexing in July 2024; the mobile version is now the primary version for indexing and ranking. Source

6. Page Performance:

• Measured by Core Web Vitals:
  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Good ≤ 2.5s. Global mobile pass rate ~68.3%. Source
  • INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Good ≤ 200ms. Replaced FID in March 2024. Sites with poor INP (>300ms) saw 31% more traffic drops in recent updates. Source
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Good ≤ 0.1. 80.9% of origins currently pass. Source
• Core Web Vitals are more than a tiebreaker but do not replace relevance.

7. HTTPS:

• Websites using a secured, encrypted connection (HTTPS) receive a slight advantage. This has been a ranking signal since 2014.

Negative Ranking Factors

• Presence of these can lead to worse rankings or penalties:

1. Intrusive Pop-ups:

• Especially those that prevent users from accessing content on mobile devices.

2. Keyword Stuffing:

• Using irrelevant keywords.
• Excessive usage of certain keywords.

3. Unnatural Links:

• Any attempt to manipulate Google's algorithm.
• Includes link buying, link exchanges, or low-quality links.

4. Scaled Content Abuse:

• Using AI or automation to mass‑produce low‑quality content. Source

5. Site Reputation Abuse:

• Hosting low‑quality third‑party content (e.g., payday loan articles) on a high‑authority site. Source

6. Expired Domain Abuse:

• Acquiring expired domains and repurposing them for low‑quality content. Source

• Note: These are examples; no one knows all ranking signals or their exact importance.

• Google algorithm updates: SEO professionals constantly monitor these as they can change the rules of the game.

Categories of SEO Optimization

• On-page SEO: Optimizations made directly on your website.
• Off-page SEO: Activities done outside your website to improve ranking (e.g., backlinks).
• Technical SEO: Ensuring your website's technical aspects are optimized for search engines (e.g., site speed, crawlability, Core Web Vitals, mobile‑first indexing). For instance, a well‑optimized XML sitemap and correct use of noindex and robots.txt ensure crawlers can find and index your important pages.
• Resources: Free beginner SEO courses are often linked in descriptions for those interested in learning more.

The One Truth About SEO

• SEO is a long-term game.

• Results usually don't appear immediately.

• Exceptions exist (e.g., fixing a serious website issue).

• Think in months, not days.

• Beware of promises for overnight success; it's rarely true.

• Commitment and playing the long game can build a strong competitive advantage ("moat") for your business.

What new local SEO strategies can boost your business?

New Insights from 'FREE Local SEO Course (PT3) - How to Rank A Local Business website'

Local SEO Specifics

• Google Maps Ranking Factors: New customer reviews significantly improve Google Maps rankings and expand the ranking radius. Responding to reviews quickly also positively impacts rankings.
• Brand Activation Strategy: Implement a 'Brand Activation / Foundational Branding Strategy' to help Google understand brand identity, social media presence, and review platforms. This leads to faster rankings for brand keywords and builds trust for non-exact match brands.

Advanced SEO Techniques

• Schema Markup for Local Businesses: Utilize LLMs (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) to generate detailed local business schema markup. This includes specific fields like Wikipedia references, Wikidata for location, price range, sameAs business profiles, ABN (Australian Business Number), founding date, currencies, number of employees, certificates, aggregate rating (from Google Maps), and has maps listing. Validate generated schema using validator.schema.org.
• Social Media Indexing: For platforms like LinkedIn, increase followers to expedite indexing by Google before integrating them into schema markup.

Tools & Resources

• Hosting Recommendations: Consider hosting platforms like Cloudways for WordPress, noting features such as Enterprise Cloudflare integration, malware protection, and Rackspace email. Recommended configurations include a hybrid stack, Digital Ocean provider, and 1-2GB RAM for WordPress.

Organic Search Statistics (Reinforcement)

• The top 3 organic search results capture over 50% of all clicks on the SERP, with the number one result being 10 times more likely to receive a click than position 10.

The New Frontier: AI Overviews and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

• AI Overviews (formerly known as SGE) now appear on up to 24.6% of search queries, causing a 61% drop in organic click‑through rate for affected queries. Source
• In Google’s AI Mode, 93% of searches result in zero clicks, as answers are provided directly on the SERP. Source
• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the discipline of optimizing content to be cited by AI models like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.
• Key GEO tactics:
  • Write “atomic answers” (40–60 word self‑contained responses) — 44.2% of AI citations come from the first third of an article. Source
  • Use FAQ and HowTo schema markup to increase the probability of being cited by AI.
  • 97% of sources cited in AI Overviews come from pages already ranking in the top 20 organic results, reinforcing the importance of traditional off‑page SEO. Source
• Technical health is critical — AI crawlers are less forgiving than traditional bots. Slow, JavaScript‑heavy sites may not be fully indexed by AI systems. Source

Recent Algorithm Updates (2025–2026)

• Google’s update cadence has increased. The March 2026 Core Update (two‑week rollout) was followed by a Spam Update targeting scaled content, site reputation, and expired domain abuse. Source
• The December 2025 Core Update heavily impacted health (67%) and finance (52%) sectors, reaffirming Google’s focus on YMYL trustworthiness. Source
• Sites demonstrating strong E‑E‑A‑T have a 30% higher chance of ranking in the top 3 positions. Source
• 60% of all searches now end without a click (Bain & Company), shifting the primary KPI from raw traffic to visibility (rankings, AI citations, brand mentions). Source

What's new (2026-06-12)

• Added daily search volume and first‑page user behavior statistics (3.5B searches/day, 73% never past page one). Source Source
• Added that Google uses over 200 ranking factors. Source
• Added E‑E‑A‑T and YMYL as ranking criteria, with the 30% top‑3 ranking advantage for strong E‑E‑A‑T. Source
• Updated Core Web Vitals section: introduced INP (replaced FID in March 2024) with threshold data (≤200ms), and mobile‑first indexing completed July 2024. Source Source
• Added new negative ranking factors: scaled content abuse, site reputation abuse, expired domain abuse. Source
• Added the #1 result’s 3.8× more referring domains stat. Source
• Added new section on AI Overviews and GEO, including statistics (24.6% query appearance, 61% CTR drop, 93% zero‑click in AI Mode, 97% AI citations from top‑20 pages). Source
• Added section on recent algorithm updates (March 2026 Core Update, December 2025 Core Update, spam updates) and the new KPI of visibility. Source