--- title: "What Is SEO and How Does It Work? A Plain-English Guide" description: "What is SEO and how does it work? How Google assesses pages, the building blocks that matter and the steps you can take yourself to rank higher on Google." url: https://www.hamed.de/en/what-is-seo/ language: en author: Hamed Farhadian published: 2019-04-07 updated: 2026-10-17 --- # What is SEO and how does it work? – No trick, no plugin – just good craft. SEO (search engine optimisation) is everything you do to make your website appear high up on Google for the searches your customers make – without paying for ads. It works by improving three things: the technical side, so Google can read your pages; your content, so it answers searchers’ questions better than anyone else; and outside trust, through links and mentions. If people can’t find you online, for many customers you simply don’t exist. Whether you run a business, work for yourself or are just starting up, you need reach – and search engine optimisation is one of the best ways to get it. In this article I explain what SEO is, how it works and what you can do yourself. I’ve also summarised the key points in a video (in German). [SEO tips from an expert: better Google rankings through smart SEO measures (video in German)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuwrjCMWjq0) ## What is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimisation. The aim is for your website to rank high in Google’s unpaid search results for the terms your customers search for. When someone types “accountant Hamburg” or “running shoes for wide feet” into Google, they get a list of results. At the top there are often ads, which companies pay for per click. Below them come the organic results, which Google ranks according to its own assessment. SEO makes sure your page appears as high as possible in those organic results. The advantage: organic visitors cost nothing per click, and a well-ranking page brings in visitors around the clock. If you work on SEO actively and consistently, your website gets better step by step – and so does the quality of your enquiries, because visitors were looking for exactly what you offer. ## How does a search engine work? Google works in three steps: crawling, indexing and ranking. Only once a page has gone through all three can it appear in search results. 1. **Crawling:** Google’s programs, known as crawlers or bots, follow links across the web and fetch pages. 2. **Indexing:** Google analyses the text, images and structure of each page and stores it in its index, a huge database. 3. **Ranking:** for every search, Google picks the pages from its index that best answer the question and puts them in order, using hundreds of signals. You can read Google’s own explanation in its guide [how Google Search works](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works). I cover which factors matter most for rankings in my article on [Google ranking factors](https://www.hamed.de/en/google-ranking-factors/). ## How does SEO work in practice? SEO has three areas that work together. ### Technical setup: so Google can read your site - **Load time:** fast pages are better for visitors and for Google. - **HTTPS:** an encrypted connection (SSL certificate) is standard today. - **Clean structure:** clear URLs, logical internal linking, no broken links. - **Mobile:** Google assesses your page as it appears on a smartphone. - **Indexability:** important pages must not be blocked by accident. How to improve load times is covered in my guide to [Google PageSpeed Insights](https://www.hamed.de/en/improve-google-pagespeed-insights/). ### Content: so your page is the best answer - **Know your keywords:** what does your audience type into Google? More in my article on [SEO keyword research](https://www.hamed.de/en/seo-keyword-research/). - **Understand needs:** what do your customers really want to know before they buy? - **Clear headings:** one H1 per page, with a logical structure below it. - **Descriptive, plain language:** users must find what they’re looking for immediately – that’s the only way to the top. - **Subpages and guides:** every service gets its own page, and you answer common questions in blog articles. - **Title and meta description:** they help decide whether someone clicks. See my [meta description examples](https://www.hamed.de/en/meta-description-examples/). ### Trust: so Google believes you - **Links from other websites:** every link from a relevant, respected site works like a recommendation. - **Digital PR:** trade articles, interviews, mentions on blogs and industry portals. - **Reviews and profiles:** especially important for local businesses. - **Show experience:** named authors, case studies, real client testimonials. ## How can you get started with SEO yourself? Start with an analysis: where do you stand, what are your competitors doing better, and what are your customers searching for? Derive your most important actions from that. 1. **Check your starting point:** in a free website check such as my [SEO Compass](https://kompass.seoeffekt.de/?quelle=hamed.de-en-what-is-seo-md&lang=en) you enter your address, answer a few short questions and within a few minutes you see where your biggest levers are. 2. **Analyse competitors:** who ranks for your key terms? What do those pages do better – more content, clearer structure, better examples? 3. **Collect customer needs:** which questions does your sales team hear again and again? Each one is a potential keyword. 4. **Pull keywords from Search Console:** the free Google Search Console shows which terms you already appear for. Terms in positions 5 to 20 are often the quickest wins. 5. **Tidy up the technical side:** load time, HTTPS, broken links, mobile display. 6. **Improve content:** rework headings, copy and titles/descriptions of your most important pages. 7. **Keep going:** SEO isn’t a one-off project. The sites that keep improving are the ones that win. If you use WordPress, my [WordPress SEO guide](https://www.hamed.de/en/wordpress-seo-guide/) will help you with the first steps. **SEO Compass: check for free where your website stands on Google and in AI search:** https://kompass.seoeffekt.de/?quelle=hamed.de-en-what-is-seo-md&lang=en ## Are there SEO tricks? No – and that’s good news. SEO isn’t a trick or a plugin; it’s diligent work. Trying to game Google, for example with bought links or hidden keywords, risks penalties. What works are strategies: the right keywords, the best answers, a clean technical setup and patience. Google sets out what is and isn’t allowed in its [Search Essentials](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials) (formerly the Webmaster Guidelines). Anyone serious about SEO should know these rules. ## Why should SEO be a leadership issue? For small and mid-sized companies, visibility on Google helps decide how many new customers and how much revenue they win. That’s why SEO belongs on the management agenda. Every CEO or business owner should be able to answer three questions: 1. **Which keywords really matter to us?** Not those with the highest search volume, but those with buying intent. 2. **What’s our technical set-up like?** Is the website fast, secure and readable for Google? 3. **Where do links to our site come from?** Who recommends us online – and who else could? More on this in my article on [SEO for CEOs and managing directors](https://www.hamed.de/en/seo-for-managing-directors/). ## Can you outsource SEO completely? An offer along the lines of “We’ll do your SEO, you don’t have to do a thing” sounds tempting, but it rarely works. Good results come from constant dialogue between provider and business: you know your customers, your offer and your industry; the SEO expert knows the technical side and the methods. Have SEO copy written for you if you’re short of time – but review it, add your knowledge and keep an eye on the results. How to spot a trustworthy provider is covered in [the truth about SEO agencies](https://www.hamed.de/en/the-truth-about-seo-agencies/). ## Is there SEO for YouTube, Amazon and AI search too? Yes. The principle is the same everywhere: a platform wants to show its users the best result. - **YouTube SEO:** title, description, chapters – and above all how long viewers keep watching. - **Amazon SEO:** product title, bullet points, images, reviews and sales. - **GEO:** optimising for AI search such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews. What counts here are clear answers, consistent company information and mentions on other sites. I explain the difference in [GEO vs. SEO](https://www.hamed.de/en/geo-vs-seo/). ## Why is SEO a craft that pays off? SEO means making your website better for people and search engines: technically clean, genuinely helpful, recommended by others. It takes time, but it’s worth it – my own German page has been on page 1 of Google for “SEO-Experte Hamburg” since 2013, often in first place. You can read how I work with companies as an [SEO consultant in Hamburg](https://www.hamed.de/en/seo-consultant-hamburg/). You’ll find more guides on the [blog](https://www.hamed.de/en/blog/). [See my SEO solutions](https://www.hamed.de/en/seo-solutions/) ## Questions about SEO ### How long does SEO take to work? First improvements often show within a few weeks – for example when technical errors are fixed or pages that already rank near the top are improved. For highly competitive keywords it usually takes months. How fast it goes depends on your starting point, your competition and your keywords. ### Can I do SEO myself? Yes, you can learn and do a lot yourself: find keywords, improve copy, write titles and descriptions. It gets harder when it comes to priorities and technical issues. Coaching helps you tackle the biggest levers first. ### Is there a plugin that will optimise my website for SEO? No. Plugins like Rank Math or Yoast SEO help you manage titles, descriptions and technical settings. But whether your page ranks depends on content, technical setup and trust – no plugin can handle that on its own. ### What’s the difference between SEO and Google Ads? With Google Ads you pay for every click on your ad, and the visitors stop the moment you stop paying. SEO earns you positions in the unpaid results. It takes longer, but it brings lasting traffic with no cost per click. ### Has AI search made SEO obsolete? No. AI search tools such as ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews rely on search indexes themselves. If Google can find you easily, AI systems find you more easily too. On top of that comes GEO – optimising specifically for AI answers. ## Contact - Contact form: https://www.hamed.de/en/what-is-seo/#kontakt - Email: hamed@hamed.de - Phone: +49 40 3556 7813