What Is SEO And Why You MUST Pay Attention In 2026!

This article was last updated on 26th March 2026. It has been updated 19 times since it was originally published on 1st March 2016 by Matthew Woodward

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO for short) is the process of getting websites to show up in search engines like Google and AI search tools such as Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Google’s AI Overviews.

The main goal of SEO is to increase visibility, drive qualified traffic and help the right audience find your products and services online.

This involves technical SEO, on page SEO, off page SEO and generative engine optimisation (GEO) techniques to improve how search engines and LLMs understand your site.

The job of an SEO is to increase the visibility of a website in organic search results and AI-powered search engines to increase traffic to the target website.

Why?

Because there are over 16.4 billion search queries per day on Google search and AI Overviews reach over 2 billion users per month!

And those search queries are made up of people from all around the world looking to-

These searches will be performed with relevant keywords that relate to the topic of their search.

For example, someone interested in dog grooming may look for:

The search engine they’ve chosen – in most cases Google- will then search its database.

And then return the most relevant pages for that keyword (I’ll explain how search engines work later)–

This is important to businesses and website owners.

Why?

Because if they’re offering a solution to the problem that is been searched for…

They have the chance to be seen by thousands of people who are interested in that topic.

For example:

If you owned a hardware store and your website was #1 for “Buy Power Tools” in the organic search results –

You would make a small fortune from power tool sales.

Why Do You Need Search Engine Optimisation?

SEO increases organic traffic to your site and improves search rankings.

This means it’s important to get the web pages that you care about to show up for the right keywords/terms within search engines.

This can expose your website to tens, hundreds or even thousands of new people (or customers) every day.

SEO is an incredible opportunity to grow a business/website and its revenue.

Take a look at this traffic report from my blog in June 2017.

Thanks to search engines I was able to attract 41,470 people to the site:

That’s almost 50% of my entire site traffic, and my biggest single source of it.

My site isn’t one of the biggest in the niche by a long shot.

But through targeted SEO strategies, I’m able to capture a lot of these searchers to come and visit me, not my competitors.

With a little search engine optimisation knowledge and know-how, you can really begin to see great results like this in even the most competitive of niches.

Here’s another example from my SEO Agency–

In just 7 months we were able to-

That resulted in a huge increase in revenue for the site.

Just by showing up for those more “relevant” search terms in search engines.

Honestly:

If you’re not using SEO as part of your strategy to grow your business or website…

You’re missing out on thousands of people (and potentially dollars) every single month!

Is Search Engine Optimisation Dead?

One of the main question we get asked in the industry is: Is SEO dead?

As with all digital marketing practices, once it becomes harder to get results, someone will eventually say that it is dead.

This creates a panic and a lot of doubt. So, let me ease those two ailments for you.

As long as people need search engines and web pages need visitors…

Search engine optimisation will be an effective practice.

But there are a few things worth understanding to help qualify that statement.

Firstly, SEO is becoming more and more competitive.

It’s easy to create a website and take a business or idea online. That means there are more and more people trying to rank web pages for the same keywords-

It also means there are more people using SEO practices to help them get there.

Secondly, the landscape of SEO is always changing.

Search engines like Google, are constantly changing their algorithms to make them more effective and to provide better services.

SEO has also evolved to include generative engine optimisation (GEO) for LLMs and AI search tools like Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews.

GEO specifically focuses on getting web pages cited and recommended in AI answers.

And that’s not all…

New types of searches like “voice search” has changed how we optimise content.

There are now over 1 billion voice searches every month, and 50% of mobile users perform at least one voice search every day.

Crazy, right?

These three factors point to a thriving SEO industry that is more important than ever before.

Want to start SEO this year? Check out my 45+ steps SEO checklist to build a solid SEO foundation that both humans and Google love.

How Much Does Search Engine Optimisation Cost?

SEO doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. (Check out my SEO pricing guide to see how much does SEO cost).

Most basic technical SEO techniques can be done without spending a penny by using free SEO tools for keyword research, link building and site optimisation.

However, it is advisable to invest in SEO tools to help you perform better research, measure progress and steal what’s working for your competitors.

If you choose to take the DIY approach, you can use SEO tools like:

…to accelerate results.

Not sure which tool to choose? Consult my Ahrefs vs Semrush blog post.

Otherwise, you could hire an agency to do the hard work for you.

My agency pricing starts from $2,500 per month depending on the clients business goals.

How Long Does It Take To See Search Engine Optimisation Results?

You will typically start seeing results from search engine optimisation within the first 4 weeks but there isn’t really a right or wrong answer to this question.

However, at the very least you should expect to see positive movement in search rankings and search visibility within the first few weeks.

If you don’t – something might be wrong.

There are lots of factors that going into deciding how quick you will see results from search engine optimisation such as-

1. The target keyword you’re trying to rank
2. The competitiveness of the niche
3. The age of your site
4. What your competition is doing (if anything)
5. The search engine you’re trying to rank
6. The area and location you’re trying to rank

This means that the level of difficulty can fluctuate and the amount of time it might take.

But if your desired result is to rank on the first page for competitive keywords…

That could take a lot longer.

Ahrefs found that for most target keywords your site needs to be at least one year old-

However your results can (and almost certainly will) vary, due to all of the factors above.

So don’t let this information put you off because once you get the ball rolling…

It very quickly snowballs!

Wrapping Up

So now you know exactly what is SEO, why you need SEO and what it can do for you.

Let’s quickly recap everything you’ve just been through:

Right now you’re probably wondering… How do search engines work exactly?

And how can you take advantage of them to increase traffic?

Well, you have three options:

Please feel free to ask any questions you have about search engine optimisation in the comments below…