WHAT’S SEO?

Search Engine Optimization, better known as SEO, is a strategy to improve the ranking of a website within a search engine, such as Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc. Under this strategy, the structure and metadata (such as content type descriptions) of a website are optimized, as well as the content and keywords, so that users can find the most relevant sites.

ANALOGY: SEO – CELL RECEPTORS IN THE HUMAN BODY

At first glance, it seems logical and simple to tag our content to make it easier for users to find. This idea of tagging is also present in biological processes, for example, in the receptors that our body’s cells use. These receptors can be found on the surface of a cell (or even inside it) and are activated when a specific molecule (called a “ligand”) binds to them.

Let’s imagine that each cell in our body is something like a house. On its doors (the surface of the cell membrane) it has locks to block or allow entry: these locks are the cell receptors. They are designed to be activated by certain “keys”, those keys being the ligands mentioned before. These ligands may be substances from the environment, such as neurotransmitters, hormones, or even fragments of viruses.

Each lock or cell receptor will only be activated by a key or ligand that fits perfectly. When that happens, the lock turns, activating and triggering the process associated with that receptor.

Therefore, an analogy can be made between these locks and the keywords (and other parameters) optimized in SEO strategies.

In the case of search engines, the website would be a cell, and the ligand would be the search query from the user. To understand how this works in everyday searches, let’s think of looking for an Italian restaurant for dinner. Our ligand might be something like “cheap Italian restaurant in Bilbao”. In that case, the search engine will try to show the most relevant results, and one of the most important criteria to decide whether a result is relevant will be whether the restaurant’s website includes keywords people actually search for, such as “homemade pizza,” “cheap Italian food,” “gluten-free,” or “near the subway,” among many others.

As we’ve seen, it’s vital for a business to prepare good “ligands” so that search engines consider them relevant. At first, this may seem useful only for business owners, but… couldn’t this be interesting for everyone? When looking for a job, for example, this can become very relevant.

ANALOGY: BUSINESS SEO – CV SEO

In both cases, the ultimate goal is to stand out from the competition: to capture the attention of readers, whether human or automated, by appearing in the top results, whether on Google or in an employee search.

For SEO, say for a restaurant, we would use keywords such as “cheap Italian restaurant in Bilbao” so the business appears at the top when someone searches for that. Descriptions, titles, menus, map location, and presence on relevant platforms will all be optimized to gain relevance.

Similarly, when writing a résumé, it’s crucial to use the keywords that the employer will be searching for, such as “project management,” “CAD design,” “customer service,” etc., depending on the job we’re applying for. This is even more important for automated systems or ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), which are increasingly used by companies. These automated systems filter received résumés based on keywords (among other factors).

Likewise, just as a website must be well-structured, fast, and clear for a search engine to rank it highly, a CV must be clean, concise, professionally designed, and well organized to make it easy to analyze and read, both by humans and by software.

As an illustrative example, if a job post requires experience in digital marketing, CRM, and social media, a résumé that only says “responsible for online communication” might go unnoticed, even if the applicant meets all the requirements. On the other hand, by making a minimal adjustment to match the requirements and writing something like “digital marketing specialist with experience in CRM and managing social media campaigns on Instagram and TikTok”, the chances of being noticed and valued increase exponentially.

In short: following the signaling philosophy of living cells, it’s important to understand what and how employers are searching. By making a few specific adjustments tailored to the vacancy we’re applying for, we make sure our CV content is relevant, clear, and easy to find. In that sense, writing a well-targeted résumé is like doing SEO for companies. That’s why, by using the right language and aligning your strengths and experience with what companies are seeking, your chances of success will increase significantly… you’ll see.