To understand how SEO works, it is important to understand a bit about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ functioning of search engines.

In simplest terms, search engines employ computer algorithms called spiders (also known as bots or crawlers). These spiders go out and crawl the internet, gathering information on each website it encounters. The spiders bring this information back to the search engine, where it is compiled into an index. When you type a search query into the engine, the index is fed through another algorithm to decide which websites are most relevant to your search query, and present those to you as results.

This infographic illustrates the process by which search engines identify websites and compile them into an index. (Image Source)

Follow this checklist to improve your content and make your sites optimized for search engines.