What is SEO and how does it work?

What is SEO and how does it work?

SEO improves a site's visibility in Google search. Search engines crawl pages, index them, then rank them using signals such as relevance, links, site speed, internal linking, and content quality. Good search engine optimisation also improves titles and snippets so more people click when your page appears. It is usually slower than paid search because Google needs time to recrawl, test, and re-rank changes.

In Australia, that typically means matching local intent on google.com.au, using clear service and location pages, and making sure Google can understand the site's structure. In 2026, AI Overviews and tighter spam filters still reward the same fundamentals: original information, accurate titles, and pages that answer the query directly.

Next step: read our plain-English guide to what is SEO for the full picture.