Search engine optimization (SEO) can feel overwhelming if you’re not immersed in it daily. This guide breaks down the terms, processes, and strategies we use at JELY Marketing so you understand exactly how SEO works, why it matters, and what success actually looks like — especially for businesses competing in a local or nationwide market.
Quick Reference Links
SEO Foundation & Basics
What is SEO and Why Does it Matter?
SEO is the process of improving your website’s visibility in organic (non-paid) search results. Strong SEO helps your business attract qualified traffic, build trust, and generate long-term demand without paying for every click.
Organic Search vs Paid Search
Organic search traffic is earned through SEO. Paid search traffic comes from ads like Google Ads. SEO compounds over time, while paid search delivers immediate visibility — both play different but complementary roles.
How Search Engines Crawl, Index, and Rank Pages
Search engines crawl your site, index your pages, and rank them based on relevance, quality, and authority. If a page can’t be crawled or indexed, it won’t rank — no matter how good the content is.
Short-Term Wins vs Long-Term SEO Growth
SEO can produce early improvements, but real results come from consistent optimization, content development, and authority building over months — not days.
Keyword Strategy & Research
Target Keywords vs Supporting Keywords
Target keywords are the primary phrases a page is built around. Supporting keywords reinforce topical relevance and help capture related searches.
Search Intent
Search intent explains why someone is searching. Successful SEO aligns content with the user’s intent — not just the keyword itself.
Navigational Keyword Intent
Navigational keywords are used when someone wants to reach a specific website, page, or location. The searcher already knows where they want to go and is using Google as a shortcut.
These keywords usually include brand names, login pages, or exact business details. While navigational searches typically have low buyer intent, they can still support conversions — especially for local businesses or branded searches that lead to in-person visits or future purchases.
Navigational keywords are often easier to rank for, since they’re usually tied to a specific brand or business name.
Informational Keyword Intent
Informational keywords are used when someone wants to learn, understand, or find an answer. These searches are focused on education rather than buying.
They often appear as questions (like “what is” or “how to”), but they can also be topic-based searches. Informational keywords generally have low immediate buyer intent, but they are critical for building trust, authority, and brand familiarity.
High-quality informational content helps position your business as a helpful resource so when users are eventually ready to buy, they’re more likely to return to a brand they already trust.
Commercial Keyword Intent
Commercial keywords are used when someone is researching options before making a purchase. The user is interested in buying, but wants to compare products, services, or brands first.
These searches often include comparisons, reviews, or “best” modifiers, and can be either branded or unbranded. Commercial keywords have higher buyer intent than informational searches and signal that a decision is approaching.
They are ideal for service pages, comparison content, case studies, and reviews that help users feel confident moving forward.
Transactional Keyword Intent
Transactional keywords are used when someone is ready to take action — such as making a purchase, booking a service, or redeeming an offer.
These searches often include words like “buy,” “near me,” “pricing,” or “promo code.” Transactional keywords have the highest buyer intent and are directly tied to revenue generation.
They’re best targeted with conversion-focused landing pages designed to make it easy for users to complete the action they’re searching for.
Keyword Clustering and Content Mapping
Rather than one keyword per page, we group related terms into clusters and map them to the right content to build authority efficiently.
Core Keywords vs Blog & Expansion Keywords
Core keywords target revenue-driving pages. Blog and expansion keywords support education, awareness, and long-tail growth.
Search Volume, Competition, and Relevancy
High volume doesn’t always mean high value. We prioritize keywords that balance demand, competitiveness, and business relevance.
Technical SEO Terms You’ll Hear Us Use
Technical SEO Audit
A technical audit evaluates site health, performance, crawlability, and structural issues that impact rankings.
Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS)
These metrics measure page speed, interactivity, and visual stability — all critical for user experience and rankings.
Site speed isn’t just about how fast a page loads — it’s about how quickly a user can actually use your website. Google measures this through a set of performance signals called Core Web Vitals, which directly impact both user experience and search visibility.
A slow site creates friction. Visitors abandon pages, conversions drop, and search engines interpret that behavior as a poor experience. A fast site builds trust, keeps users engaged, and supports higher rankings.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Measures how quickly the main content of a page loads. A slow LCP makes a site feel slow to users and hurts both experience and rankings.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
Measures how fast a page responds to user actions like clicks or form submissions. Poor INP means the site feels laggy, even if it loads quickly.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Measures how stable a page is while loading. Unexpected layout movement frustrates users, causes misclicks, and signals poor usability to Google.
Indexability and Crawlability
Indexability determines whether pages can appear in search. Crawlability determines whether search engines can access them.
XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt
Sitemaps guide search engines to important pages. Most sites may view their sitemap by going to yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml.
Robots.txt controls which areas of your site can be crawled and can most commonly be found at yourdomain.com/robots.txt.
Canonical Tags
Canonicals tell search engines which version of a page is the primary one to index. This helps to prevent duplicate content, especially in the eCommerce space.
SSL Certificates
SSL encrypts data and signals trust. HTTPS is a baseline SEO requirement. When your site’s domain has http instead of https the search engines are less likely to rank you.
404 Errors, Redirects (301 / 302), and Response Codes
Errors and redirects affect user experience and crawl efficiency. Clean response codes help preserve rankings.
Error Code Breakdown:
200 (OK)
Indicates the page loaded successfully and is accessible to users and search engines. This is the ideal status code for live, indexable pages.
301 (Permanent Redirect)
Signals that a page has permanently moved to a new URL. 301 redirects pass most SEO value to the new page and are used when URLs change, pages are consolidated, or content is relocated.
404 (Not Found)
Means the requested page no longer exists or the URL is incorrect. Too many 404 errors can create a poor user experience and waste crawl budget if not properly managed.
500 (Server Error)
Indicates a server-side issue preventing the page from loading. 500 errors can block search engines from accessing your site and should be fixed quickly to avoid ranking and traffic loss.
Structured Data & Schema Markup
Schema helps search engines understand your content and can enhance visibility with rich results.
For example, when you add organizational schema, your organic result may see these additional callouts called sitelinks (highlighted in red below). Depending on the schema markup you add, your link could see other expansions such as price point or star-ratings.
LLM.txt and AI Search Optimization
Search is evolving beyond traditional “10 blue links” or “page one ranking.” Large language models (LLMs) now play a growing role in how users discover information through AI-powered search experiences, summaries, and conversational results.
As this shift happens, search engines and AI systems rely more heavily on clear content structure, strong topical signals, and trustworthy sources — not just keywords alone.
That’s where LLM.txt and AI search optimization come into play.
LLM.txt is an emerging, voluntary file concept designed to help AI systems better understand:
- What your site is about
- Which content is authoritative
- How information is structured across your website
Similar to robots.txt or sitemap files, LLM.txt is meant to guide AI models, not control rankings directly. It provides additional context that supports accurate interpretation and citation of your content in AI-generated responses.
Traditional SEO focuses on ranking individual pages for specific queries.
AI-driven search focuses on understanding topics, relationships, and intent across your entire site.
AI systems prioritize:
- Clear explanations over keyword density
- Well-organized content with logical hierarchy
- Authoritative, consistent information across pages
Content that directly answers real user questions
If content is vague, fragmented, or poorly structured, AI systems are less likely to surface it in generated answers.
On-Page SEO Optimization
Metadata (Title Tags & Meta Descriptions)
Title tags and meta descriptions are both forms of metadata, meaning they help search engines and users understand what a page is about before someone clicks. While they appear together in search results, they serve very different purposes.
Title Tags: The Ranking Signal
The title tag is the main clickable headline that appears in search results and in the browser tab. It tells search engines what the page is about and plays a direct role in rankings.
Title tags are one of the strongest on-page SEO signals. They help search engines determine relevance for specific search queries and influence where a page can rank.
What we focus on when optimizing title tags:
- Including the primary keyword naturally
- Keeping titles concise and readable (typically 40–55 characters)
- Front-loading important terms when appropriate
- Making titles clear, accurate, and compelling while not being spammy
A strong title tag balances search intent, keyword relevance, and click appeal.
Meta Descriptions: The Click-Through Driver
The meta description is the short summary that appears below the title in search results. It does not directly affect rankings, but it strongly influences whether someone clicks.
Meta descriptions act like ad copy for organic search. They set expectations, reinforce relevance, and encourage users to choose your result over competitors.
What we focus on when optimizing meta descriptions:
- Clearly explaining what the page offers
- Matching the user’s search intent
- Including keywords naturally to reinforce relevance
- Using persuasive language without exaggeration
- Staying within optimal length (typically 135–160 characters)
Even though Google may rewrite meta descriptions at times, well-written descriptions increase the likelihood of higher click-through rates.
Think of metadata as a two-part message:
- The title tag tells search engines what the page is about
- The meta description tells users why they should click
When both are aligned, search engines understand the page clearly, and users feel confident selecting it.
Metadata is often one of the highest-impact, lowest-effort SEO optimizations when done correctly.
Header Structure (H1s, H2s, H3s)
Headers create the structural framework of a page. A clear hierarchy helps search engines understand the main topic and supporting subtopics, while also making content easier for users to scan and digest. Proper header structure improves topical relevance, readability, and overall user experience.
Image Optimization and Alt Tags
Image optimization ensures visuals load quickly without sacrificing quality, which improves page speed and performance.
Alt tags provide descriptive text for images, supporting accessibility for screen readers and helping search engines understand image context. Together, they enhance usability, SEO, and visual search visibility.
Content Optimization for Readability and Intent
Optimized content is easy to read, clearly organized, and directly aligned with what the user is searching for. This means concise paragraphs, logical flow, and information that answers the search intent without unnecessary fluff. When content meets intent, engagement and conversions improve.
Featured Snippet Eligibility
Featured snippets highlight content directly at the top of search results. Pages with clear structure, concise answers, and well-formatted sections are more likely to be selected. Earning a featured snippet increases visibility, credibility, and click-through potential.
Content Strategy & Information Architecture
Content Audits
Content audits review existing pages to identify what’s outdated, underperforming, duplicated, or no longer aligned with business goals. This helps determine what should be improved, consolidated, redirected, or removed to strengthen overall site performance.
Content Gap Analysis
Content gap analysis identifies topics and keywords your competitors rank for that your site does not. Filling these gaps helps expand topical authority and capture additional search demand without competing against your own pages.
Information Architecture (IA) Content Matrix
Information architecture defines how pages are organized, connected, and prioritized across your site. Strong IA helps search engines understand page relationships while guiding users logically through content, improving both rankings and usability.
Page-to-Keyword Mapping
Page-to-keyword mapping ensures each important keyword is assigned to a single, clear page. This prevents keyword cannibalization, strengthens relevance signals, and makes SEO efforts more focused and measurable.
Blog Strategy vs Core “Money Pages”
Blogs are designed to educate, attract, and nurture users at earlier stages of the funnel. Core “money pages” target high-intent keywords and are built to convert traffic into leads or customers.
How to Read Your Surfer SEO Content Score
Surfer’s Content Score is a guideline, not a grade. It’s designed to help you understand how well your content aligns with what’s already ranking in Google — not to force your content into a rigid formula.
The Content Score is a value from 0 to 100 that estimates how relevant and competitive your content is compared to top-ranking pages for a specific keyword.
It looks at things like:
- Use of important, contextually relevant terms
- Where those terms appear (headings, paragraphs, metadata)
- Content structure and coverage
- Alignment with search intent
Surfer places less emphasis on word count and keyword repetition and more emphasis on natural language and topical relevance, which better reflects how Google evaluates content today.
Surfer breaks Content Score ranges down like this:
- Below 33 → Content is under-optimized and likely missing important context or depth
- 33–66 → Content is solid and fairly well optimized
- 66+ → Content is competitive and ready to publish
Anything above 66 is considered strong. A score in this range means your content is aligned with what’s already performing well in search results.
Chasing a perfect Content Score can hurt performance. Over-optimizing content to hit every suggested term often reduces clarity and readability. Custom Surfer settings can also limit the maximum possible score, making 100 unrealistic. What matters more is outperforming competitors — a score 10–20 points higher than theirs is usually enough. Ultimately, Google prioritizes search intent, natural language, and helpful answers, not perfect scores.
Authority Building & Off-Site SEO
Backlinks and Why They Matter
Backlinks act as credibility signals from other websites. High-quality, relevant backlinks increase trust, authority, and ranking potential in search engines.
Toxic Backlinks and Disavow Files
Toxic backlinks come from spammy or irrelevant sources and can negatively impact performance. Disavow files are used to signal to search engines which links should be ignored.
Link Outreach Campaigns
Link outreach involves proactively earning backlinks through partnerships, content promotion, and relationship building. The focus is on relevance and authority, not volume.
Press Releases and Syndication
Press releases and syndication can increase brand visibility and awareness when used strategically. They are not shortcuts to rankings, but they can support authority and discovery.
Directory Listings and Citations
Accurate directory listings reinforce trust and consistency, especially for local SEO. They help validate business information across the web.
Local SEO Terminology
Google Business Profile Optimization
Optimizing your Google Business Profile (Google My Business, or GMB) improves visibility in local searches and map results. This includes accurate information, categories, photos, and ongoing activity.
NAP Consistency (Name, Address, Phone)
Consistent business information across all platforms strengthens local trust signals and reduces confusion for both users and search engines.
Map Pack Visibility
The map pack displays top local businesses for location-based searches. Appearing here drives high-intent traffic from users ready to visit or contact a business.
Local Citations (Moz, SEMrush, Directories)
Local citations are mentions of your business across directories and platforms. They help confirm legitimacy and support local rankings.
Apple Business Connect and Bing Places
These platforms extend local visibility beyond Google, supporting discovery across Apple Maps, Siri, and Bing search results.
Tracking, Reporting & Performance Metrics
Google Analytics (GA4)
GA4 tracks how users interact with your site, including traffic sources, engagement, and conversions, helping measure real performance.
Google Search Console
Search Console provides insight into how your site appears in search, including indexing status, queries, clicks, and technical issues. This is connected directly to your site and is more accurate than third-party tools such as SEMrush or AHREFs.
Bing Webmaster Tools
This tool supports optimization for Bing and provides additional data on indexing, performance, and technical health.
Call Tracking and Attribution
Call tracking connects phone leads back to SEO efforts, allowing accurate measurement of conversions beyond form fills.
We typically recommend call tracking, especially if you are running multiple campaigns. Using a platform like CallRail allows you to see exactly which channel is driving your highest quality calls.
Real-Time SEO Dashboards
Dashboards centralize key metrics into one view, providing transparency and faster decision-making. Our team will create an SEO dashboard that is connected directly to your GA4 and Google Search Console, allowing for an easier viewing.
Impressions, Clicks, CTR, and Average Position
These metrics measure visibility and engagement, showing how often pages appear, how often they’re clicked, and how they rank.
Impressions measure how often your page appears in search results, even if no one clicks it. This metric shows visibility including how frequently Google is showing your content for relevant searches. Rising impressions usually indicate improving keyword coverage or rankings.
Clicks represent the number of times users actually click your listing in search results. Clicks reflect interest and relevance. They increase when your page title, description, and position align well with what users are searching for.
CTR is the percentage of impressions that result in a click. It helps measure how compelling your search listing is. A low CTR can indicate issues with metadata, intent mismatch, or competition from richer search features.
Average position shows the typical ranking of your page across all queries it appears for. It’s an indicator of ranking strength, but it should be viewed alongside impressions and clicks. Position alone doesn’t tell the full performance story.
When Search Console reports that you’re ranking in position one, it’s not a guess or projection. It means that at some point, your page was actually shown to a user in that position. But Google customizes search results based on location, device (mobile vs desktop), search behavior, and even past queries. That means you might not always be able to reproduce the same ranking when you search manually.
These number one rankings may also appear in a special placement like an image result, local pack, or knowledge panel.
John Mueller from Google explains further in an SEO roundtable: Rankings reported in Search Console reflect real impressions shown to users, but they might only have happened a handful of times, in specific contexts. Search Console focuses on the average ranking for your selected time period.
Ranking Reports and Baseline Benchmarks
Ranking reports track keyword movement over time. Benchmarks establish a starting point, but rankings alone don’t define success.
SEO Timelines & Expectations
The First 30 Days of an SEO Campaign
This phase focuses on audits, research, technical fixes, and strategy alignment — laying the foundation for long-term growth.
The 90-Day SEO Baseline
By 90 days, trends in rankings, traffic, and engagement begin to emerge, creating a reliable performance baseline.
Ongoing Monthly SEO Work
SEO is continuous and includes optimization, content development, technical improvements, and authority building.
What SEO “Wins” Look Like Over Time
Real SEO wins are sustainable increases in qualified traffic, leads, and visibility — not short-term spikes.
Common SEO Questions We Get
Why Do Rankings Fluctuate?
Rankings change due to algorithm updates, competition, content changes, and shifts in search behavior.
Why Does SEO Take Time?
SEO requires building trust and authority, which happens gradually through consistent effort and optimization.
How SEO and Conversion Optimization Work Together
Driving traffic is only half the equation — converting that traffic is what turns SEO into revenue.
What Success Actually Looks Like in SEO
Success is measured by consistent growth in relevant traffic, conversions, and business impact — not just keyword positions.
Ready to take your SEO to the next level? Contact us today!