Does SEO use SQL?

In case you’re not familiar with the term, SQL is a structured query language. It’s a popular tool used in relational databases and is often referred to as the world’s most widely-used database language.

SQL has been around since the 1970s and is now an essential component of many web development projects. It’s a flexible and easy-to-learn programming language that helps you communicate with your database in multiple ways.

The most common use of SQL is to help manage and store relational data, such as user and product information in a database. Companies and organizations like Facebook, Spotify, and Revolut are using SQL to power their databases.

Why use SQL?

In SEO, you often have to wrangle and analyze a huge amount of data. SQL can help you easily retrieve essential data points and metrics from your database, saving you time and energy.

How to get started with SQL?

SQL is a simple, yet powerful, data analysis language that allows you to search, filter, and extract information from a variety of different database structures. It uses sets of keywords called statements, such as SELECT, FETCH, and PUT, to retrieve data from your database.

As an SEO, you’ll be able to automate a lot of the data analysis and reporting you currently do. Instead of learning all the nuances of tools like SEMRush or Screaming Frog (only to receive meaningless or misleading information), export your raw data, dump it into a database like BigQuery, and then write some SQL to answer specific questions you have.