SEO is Search Engine Optimization, the body of practices that make a site rank well in classic search engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo). It splits into technical SEO (site speed, structured data, crawlability), on-page SEO (content quality, intent match, internal linking), and off-page SEO (backlinks, brand mentions).
Why it matters
Most B2B buying journeys still start at a search engine. Even AI tools draw heavily from Google’s index. SEO is the foundation; AEO and GEO are the extensions.
Common mistakes
- Treating SEO as content marketing. Content alone doesn’t rank without technical SEO and authority. All three matter.
- Chasing keywords instead of intent. Modern search ranks by what the user actually wants, not just by keyword density.
- Skipping the SEO baseline at launch. Sitemap, robots.txt, schema, and metadata should ship with the MVP, not be added later.