Insights · Guide

SEO, search and ads, explained in plain English.

What happens between someone searching and becoming your customer? This guide explains the words behind search, ads and AI answers, with examples from Kenya and East Africa. Read it top to bottom, or jump to a term you have heard.

Reviewed 24 October 2026 · Caleb Kellah

How people find businesses online

Organic and paid results

Every search shows two kinds of result. Organic results are the ones the search engine picks because it judges them the most useful answer, and nobody pays for the spot. Paid results are ads, labelled Sponsored or Ad, that a business pays to show.

Why it matters: Organic visibility is slower to build and keeps working after the effort stops. Ads appear as soon as a campaign starts and disappear when it ends. Knowing which one you are working on decides whether you improve your website or run a campaign.

Text search

The classic way to search: typing words into Google, Bing or the search bar inside a website or app, such as ‘car hire Nairobi’ or ‘office furniture Kampala’.

Why it matters: The exact words people type are your keywords. They tell you what to call your services and what each page should answer.

Multimodal search

Searching with something other than typed words: a photo, your voice, a video, or a picture plus a question. Google Lens searches with your camera, Circle to Search on many Android phones searches anything on the screen, and voice search answers spoken questions.

Why it matters: Products that are easy to photograph, such as furniture, clothes, plants or spare parts, can now be found by picture. Clear photos with descriptive file names and image descriptions help them show up.

Using the search bar in TikTok, Instagram or YouTube the way you would use Google, often to find food, places, fashion, reviews and how-to videos. YouTube belongs to Google, so its videos also appear in Google results.

Why it matters: If your customers look for businesses by watching rather than reading, your captions, titles and spoken words need the same phrases they would type.

Going deeper in Signal: how discovery differs between TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Google. Get Signal

Reading a search results page

SERP (search engine results page)

SERP stands for search engine results page: everything you see after you search. Depending on the search it can hold ads, an AI summary, a map with local businesses, organic links, a ‘People also ask’ box, images and videos. The layout changes with the search, the device and your location.

Why it matters: ‘Being on page one’ can mean several different spots. For ‘plumber in Kilimani’ the map can matter more than the links underneath it.

Illustrative only: what appears, and in what order, changes with the search, the device and the location.

Keywords

A query is what one person typed. A keyword is the shared phrase that many people use for the same need. ‘Car hire Nairobi’ and ‘kukodisha gari Nairobi’ are two keywords for one need, in English and Swahili.

Why it matters: Pages written in your customers' own words are easier to find. The free keyword tool shows real Google numbers for Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Search intent

The goal behind a search. Someone may want to learn (‘what is SEO’), reach a particular site (‘Search Console login’), compare options (‘Google Ads or Facebook ads’) or act now (‘web designer near me’).

Why it matters: Match the page to the goal: a guide for people who want to learn, a service page with an obvious way to get in touch for people ready to act.

Search volume and long-tail keywords

Search volume is the average number of searches a keyword gets each month, as estimated by Google Ads Keyword Planner and rounded into bands. Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases with fewer searches. Branded searches include a company or product name.

Why it matters: A big number is not the same as buyers. A small, specific phrase like ‘guest house in Arusha with parking’ can bring fewer visitors and better enquiries.

Going deeper in Signal: why the busiest keyword can bring the wrong visitors, and how demand differs between Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. Get Signal

How search engines rank pages

SEO (search engine optimisation)

SEO means improving your website so search engines can find it, understand it and show it in organic results for the searches that matter to you. It usually has three parts: on-page (what the page says and how it is structured), technical (speed, mobile use, indexing, structured data) and off-page (links, mentions and reviews elsewhere).

Why it matters: It is the long-term way to be found without paying for every visit. My SEO and marketing research service starts with what your customers actually search for.

Crawling and indexing

Search engines send programs called crawlers (Google's is Googlebot) to read pages and follow links. What they find is stored in an index, a giant library of pages. A page that is not in the index cannot appear in results at all.

Why it matters: ‘Why can't I find my site on Google?’ usually starts here. A sitemap and Google Search Console help search engines find new pages and show which ones are indexed.

How Google ranking works

From the pages in its index, Google orders the results using many signals: how well a page matches the words and the intent, how helpful and trustworthy the content is, how well it works on a phone, and links from other sites. Location, language and device change what each person sees. Google says advertising with it does not affect organic ranking.

Why it matters: There is no single trick: the page that best serves the person searching tends to win. Google itself says nobody can guarantee a top ranking, so treat any such promise as a warning sign.

Backlinks

A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines read it as a sign that others find you useful. Relevance and quality matter far more than the number of links. Buying links, or swapping them in bulk, breaks Google's spam policies.

Why it matters: A mention from a local association, a supplier or a news site is worth more than many links from unrelated websites.

Titles, snippets and structured data

The headline and short description under it in search results usually come from your page title and meta description, although Google may rewrite them. Structured data is code that describes a page to search engines, for example as an event, a product, an article or a business with opening hours.

Why it matters: The snippet is your shop window in the results. A clear title that matches the search earns the click.

Going deeper in Signal: how to see your site the way a search engine does. Get Signal

Being found nearby

Local SEO

Local SEO is about showing up when people search with a place in mind: ‘salon in Westlands’, ‘garage near me’, ‘clinic Kisumu’. These results mostly appear on a map at the top of the page, and the order depends on how relevant your business is, how close it is and how well known it is.

Why it matters: For a salon, garage, clinic, shop or hotel, the map can bring more calls and visits than the website itself.

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)

A free listing that shows your business on Google Maps and Search, with your name, location or service area, opening hours, phone number, photos and reviews. It is meant for businesses that meet customers in person, at a shop or office or by visiting them. Businesses that only sell online do not qualify.

Why it matters: Correct opening hours, a pin at the right landmark and a working phone number turn someone looking at the map into a call or a visit.

Reviews

Star ratings and comments customers leave on Google, Facebook and other platforms. They affect where you appear in local results and whether people trust you. Asking real customers for a review is fine; buying, faking or swapping reviews breaks platform rules and can get a listing suspended.

Why it matters: Replying to reviews, good and bad, shows future customers that someone is paying attention.

Going deeper in Signal: why a nearby competitor shows above you on the map. Get Signal

AI answers

AI Overviews and AI search answers

On some searches Google now shows an AI-written summary above the results, called an AI Overview, with links to the pages it drew on. Assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity also search the web and answer in their own words. Often the person gets an answer without clicking any link, which is called a zero-click search.

Why it matters: Being one of the cited sources keeps your name in front of people even when they do not click. The clear, useful pages that rank well are the ones these tools tend to quote.

AEO and GEO (answer engine optimisation and generative engine optimisation)

Answer engine optimisation and generative engine optimisation are newer labels for making content easy for AI answers to find, understand and quote. Google says its AI features need no special optimisation beyond the same good SEO practice that helps normal results.

Why it matters: Nobody controls what these systems quote, so be careful with anyone who promises AI citations.

Going deeper in Signal: what an AI citation tells you, and what it cannot. Get Signal

Paid ads

Online ads

Online ads are paid placements on search engines, social apps, video platforms and other websites. Search ads reach people who are already looking for something. Social and display ads appear while people are doing something else, so they have to catch attention first. Each placement is usually decided in an automatic auction between advertisers.

Why it matters: Start from where your customers are and what they are doing: searching for a solution, or scrolling past until something catches their eye.

Google Ads

Google's advertising platform. Its best-known ads are text ads above and below search results, labelled Sponsored. The same account also runs ads on YouTube, Maps, Google Shopping and partner websites. Which ad shows is decided by an auction that weighs each advertiser's bid and how relevant and useful the ad is.

Why it matters: It is strongest for reaching people already searching for what you offer, such as ‘office furniture Kampala’.

Meta ads

Ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, set up in Meta Ads Manager. Instead of search words, they are aimed by location, age, interests and behaviour. Boosting a post is the simple version; Ads Manager gives full control. Click-to-WhatsApp ads open a chat with your business.

Why it matters: Good for showing a visual product, an event or an offer to people who were not searching for it yet.

X ads

Promoted posts and accounts on X, formerly Twitter. They can be aimed at people by the topics and keywords they post about, the accounts they follow, their interests and their location.

Why it matters: Suits news, launches, events and conversations where your audience is already active on X.

TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube ads

TikTok ads appear as videos in the For You feed. LinkedIn ads can be aimed by job title, industry and company size, which suits selling to other businesses. YouTube ads run through Google Ads.

Why it matters: Pick the platform where your buyers already spend their time, rather than the one that is talked about most.

PPC and CPC (pay per click and cost per click)

PPC, pay per click, is an ad model where the advertiser pays only when someone clicks. CPC, cost per click, is what each of those clicks costs. Some ads are charged per thousand views instead, known as CPM.

Why it matters: Clicks are not customers. Judge a campaign by the enquiries and sales it brings, not by the clicks alone.

Targeting and remarketing

Targeting is choosing who sees an ad: by place, language, interests or what they searched. Remarketing shows ads to people who already visited your website or engaged with your page. It relies on cookies or tracking pixels.

Why it matters: Tracking visitors needs a clear privacy notice and consent where the law requires it, including under Kenya's Data Protection Act.

Going deeper in Signal: when Google Ads fits better than Meta ads, and the other way round. Get Signal

Turning visits into enquiries

Landing pages and calls to action

A landing page is the page someone arrives on after clicking an ad or a search result. It should match what they clicked and make the next step obvious: call, chat on WhatsApp, book or buy. That button or link is the call to action.

Why it matters: A slow page, or one that does not match the ad, wastes the click before the visitor reads a word.

Mobile-friendly websites

Pages that load quickly and are easy to read and tap on a phone, including on mobile data. Google mainly uses the mobile version of a site when it indexes and ranks it.

Why it matters: Your customers are likely to meet you on a phone first. Tap-to-call and WhatsApp buttons should be easy to reach with a thumb. See website design and development.

WhatsApp Business

A free app for small businesses with a business profile, a catalogue, quick replies, labels and greeting messages, plus the WhatsApp Business Platform for larger teams and automation. Click-to-chat links and ads start a conversation in one tap. WhatsApp's rules require a customer's permission before you send them promotional messages.

Why it matters: For many businesses the journey is search, then chat, then M-Pesa. An AI assistant can answer the common questions so the team handles the rest.

Search or scrollGoogle, Maps, TikTok or an ad
Website or profileThe page or listing they land on
WhatsApp chatQuestions answered, details agreed
M-Pesa paymentThe enquiry becomes a sale

A common customer journey. Each step can lose people, so each one is worth measuring.

Going deeper in Signal: following one customer from a search to a WhatsApp enquiry to an M-Pesa payment. Get Signal

Knowing what worked

Google Search Console

A free Google tool that shows how your site appears in Google Search: the searches it appears for, how often it was shown (impressions), how often people clicked, its average position, which pages are indexed and any problems Google found. You prove you own the site, then submit a sitemap.

Why it matters: It is the only place to see Google's own numbers for your site. My results page shows live Search Console data from the client websites my content pipelines publish to.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics shows what visitors do once they arrive: which pages they read, where they came from, what they clicked and whether they got in touch. Search Console covers what happens before the click; Analytics covers what happens after it.

Why it matters: Used together, they show which searches bring people who actually become enquiries. Analytics needs a cookie consent notice where the law requires one.

Conversions and attribution

A conversion is an action you care about: a form sent, a WhatsApp chat started, a call, a sale. Attribution is deciding which channel gets the credit when someone saw an ad, later searched for you, then sent a message.

Why it matters: Impressions, clicks, chats and completed sales are different things. A tap on a WhatsApp button is not yet a paid order.

Going deeper in Signal: Search Console and Analytics side by side, and why the last click rarely tells the whole story. Get Signal

Other search engines and their webmaster tools

Google is not the only search engine, and each major one has a free tool for site owners. Which ones matter depends on where your customers are. When I set up a safari marketplace I built, which serves travellers in several languages, I registered it with Bing Webmaster Tools, Yandex Webmaster and Naver Search Advisor, and left out Baidu because registering needs a mainland China phone number.

Bing Webmaster Tools

Microsoft's version of Search Console, for Bing. Bing's results also feed other Microsoft services, including Copilot. You can import your sites from Google Search Console, and it supports IndexNow, a way to tell Bing and other search engines the moment a page is added or changed.

Why it matters: It is free and quick to set up, and covers a second search engine that some of your customers use.

Yandex Webmaster

Yandex is the main search engine in Russia and is also used in some neighbouring countries. Yandex Webmaster is its tool for site owners, and it accepts IndexNow too.

Why it matters: Worth setting up only if you serve Russian-speaking customers or travellers.

Baidu Webmaster Tools

Baidu is the leading search engine in mainland China. Its webmaster platform is in Chinese and needs a mainland China mobile number to register.

Why it matters: Only relevant if you are deliberately trying to reach customers in mainland China.

Naver Search Advisor

Naver is South Korea's leading search portal, and Search Advisor is its tool for site owners.

Why it matters: Relevant if you serve Korean customers or visitors.

Going deeper in Signal: which search engines are worth your time for the markets you serve. Get Signal

Which channel fits my business?

A rough starting point. These often work best in combination.

If you want to	Start with
Reach people who are already looking for what you offer	SEO, local SEO and Google search ads
Show a product that sells on looks	Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Meta ads
Answer questions and take enquiries	A clear website, WhatsApp Business and an AI assistant
Bring customers back	Email or WhatsApp updates people have agreed to, and remarketing

Common questions

What is the difference between SEO and Google Ads?

SEO earns unpaid places in the organic results by making your site the most useful answer. Google Ads pays for a labelled place at the top or bottom of the page. SEO builds slowly and lasts; ads start and stop with the campaign.

Does paying for Google Ads improve my ranking?

No. Google says advertising with it does not change how your site ranks in the organic results. The two are run separately.

Why can't I find my own business on Google?

A new site may not be indexed yet, the page may not use the words people search, or there may be no Google Business Profile. Search Console shows whether Google has indexed your pages.

Do I need a website if I sell on Instagram and WhatsApp?

Social profiles help people who already follow you. A website gets you found by people searching on Google, gives you pages you control, and can still send every enquiry to WhatsApp.

Should my website be in English, Swahili or both?

Use the language your customers search in. Check both with the free keyword tool: some needs are searched mostly in English, others in Swahili or both.

How long does SEO take?

It depends on the competition, the state of the site and how much useful content it has. Be wary of anyone who promises a fixed timeline or a guaranteed position.

Can AI answers mention my business?

Yes, when your pages clearly answer the question being asked. Nobody can guarantee it, and a mention does not always bring a visit, so keep measuring enquiries.

Free tool · no sign-upWhat is Kenya searching for? See real Google search numbers for any keyword in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda: monthly searches, trends and ad bids. Try the free tool