SEO: what it is and how to rank higher in search
SEO is one of the six online marketing channels — the slowest one, but also the most lasting. This page covers what goes into it, how long it takes to show and when it is worth investing in.
What is SEO
SEO is the optimisation of a website for search engines — the set of changes that help Google understand your site better and show it higher for the queries your customers actually type. Unlike paid advertising, you don't pay for clicks; you pay for the work that builds the position.
The abbreviation stands for Search Engine Optimization. You will also see it called search optimisation, website optimisation or (incorrectly, but commonly) "SEO optimisation" — it all means the same thing. Its counterpart is PPC, that is, paid advertising in search.
One important difference from advertising: SEO results don't stop working the day you stop paying. A page you have built keeps bringing in visitors for months afterwards — which is why SEO suits companies that plan a year ahead rather than a week ahead.
What SEO is made of
SEO isn't one activity but four areas that have to pull together. A site with excellent content and slow loading won't rank higher — and neither will the other way round.
Technical SEO
Loading speed, mobile usability, page addresses, sitemap, indexing and structured data. This is the foundation — until Google can crawl the site properly, the content is beside the point.
Keywords and content
We find out what your customers really search for and how, and build pages and articles around it. Not keywords stuffed into text, but copy that answers the query better than the competition does.
Local SEO
Your Google business profile, consistent company details, reviews and pages aimed at a town or region. For queries like "something Žilina" this is what decides it, not the strength of the whole site.
Links and authority
Links from trusted websites are still one of the strongest signals. We don't buy them — they are earned through content, references, partnerships and simply being visible.
How long SEO takes and what it costs
Technical fixes can show within weeks, content and authority within months. On a new website, count on three to six months before positions start moving for the queries that matter; on an established site with solid foundations it tends to be faster.
We can't quote a price without looking at the website first — in one place a few technical fixes and three new pages are enough, in another the whole structure needs rebuilding. That's why we start with an audit: after it you know what needs doing, in what order, and how much of it is worth doing at all.
Frequently asked questions about SEO
What is the difference between SEO and PPC?
SEO builds a position in the unpaid results and keeps working after the work stops, but it takes months to get going. PPC is paid advertising — it runs from day one, but the day you switch off the budget, the traffic ends. Most companies need both: PPC for immediate demand, SEO for long-term visibility.
Can I do SEO myself?
Part of it, yes. Setting up Search Console, fixing page titles, writing honest copy and creating a Google business profile are within reach of a capable owner. The harder part is finding what is holding the site back technically and deciding the order of the steps — that's where it pays to have at least an analysis done.
Do you guarantee first place on Google?
No, and nobody serious will promise that — the ranking is Google's and it changes it continuously. What we can guarantee is the work and its evaluation: what we did, how positions and traffic moved, and what it brought in enquiries.
Is SEO worth it for a small five-page website?
It is, but differently than for a large site. For a small company, local SEO and a handful of solid pages on specific services are the most effective. You don't need a hundred articles — you need those five pages to answer exactly what people type.
SEO is one of six channels
SEO on its own brings visitors, but it doesn't guarantee they become customers — that's the job of the website, the content and measurement. How the individual channels fit together and in what order to build them is described on our online marketing page.
Find out what unoptimised marketing is costing you
We will take a no-obligation look at your website, campaigns and analytics. Within two working days you will know whether an audit makes sense for you and what it would actually bring.