The visit, and thus the success of a site, depends on its positioning in Google search. SEO optimization addresses this challenge.
Search Engine Optimization, as part of digital marketing, includes the complete process of working on the site. But also off-site, in order to better place it in organic search results. When we talk about the ranking of a site on the Internet, it is practically understood that we mean Google search, given its dominant position.
Although it is not the only search engine, there are Yahoo and Bing, among others, it is by far the most influential player on the market. It is enough to remind you that the term “google” means finding something on the Internet. In order site to rank well, it need to have good search engine optimization. So what is SEO and why it is important?
What is SEO analysis?
SEO analysis is the first step before working on optimization. In this step, we are going to to analyze the site from a technical, on-page and off-page aspect. This way, we get a true picture of what problems affect the current ranking of the site. As well as, what you need to do to achieve the best possible result and improve the analyzed site.
The analysis will vary depending on whether you are doing the analysis for a new or existing site. It will also depend on how much access you have to the different data that needs to be checked. For almost all areas of SEO analysis, there are tools that allow you to make the analysis complete and fast. With the tools, you can analyze the competition to almost the same extent as your WordPress site.
There are several types of SEO analysis (general, targeted, etc.) that aim to give the most accurate picture of the state of the site. Below are some of the elements to check:
Technical analysis – Checking the technical settings on the site. It looks at whether there is a robots.txt file on the site and if the pages have a canonical tag. Checking the loading time of the site and if the site and its pages are indexed. Also, if you are preventing the access to some pages…
On-page analysis – Overview of the structure of the content on the site itself. It is important to check that the page titles and meta description are unique. Whether the title and h1 contain keywords. Whether you have optimized UR…
Off-page analysis – Research of external links leading to the analyzed site. How many backlinks there are. How many domains those backlinks come from. Whether you have indexed domains. What is the authority of the domains that link to the site, etc.
One of the most important items of SEO optimization is ranking for the desired keywords. So that you can appear within the search topics within the topics that are relevant to you.
Keyword research
Keywords are words and phrases that we use when searching for something on the Internet. It can be one word, or it can be a long sentence. Of course, the longer and more specific our search, the more adequate the results will be. If, for example, you type in the word “SEO”, you will get tens of millions of results. But, if you type in “SEO optimization in New York”, you will get even better results.
If you are developing an SEO business and want to attract customers, it is important to have you in search results such as: “how to optimize the site”, “keywords for the site”, “Optimization of the site for Google”, “SEO services” and the like.
However, usually it is not clear which words you need to include in the optimization. It is not uncommon to come up with surprising results. There we may find that there is great interest in searches for, for example, the term “mobile site optimization”. In that case, you will do your best to take advantage of this interest and attract future customers.
You can make keyword research by various programs that provide detailed statistics on how much other people are searching for that word. This is one of the most important segments that SEO optimization deals with. Further work on optimizing the site and its content depends on the expertise during the search.
The human factor is also important for finding key words, i.e. successful application of experience and intuition of an SEO specialist. That is why optimization is a complex process, where the result depends on many elements. Which keywords are the most important is the beginning.
The most recognized keyword research tool is Google Keyword Planner. But there are other tools, some of which are Keyword Tool and Ubersuggest. There are also trial versions of some of the well-known software that can be a good source of keywords.
Even if you don’t want to pay for these tools in the long run, you can always pay for them in one month. This way you will get countless keywords that you can use for a longer period of time to write texts. A good example of such a program is the SEM RUSH Keyword Tool.
It is very important for every SEO expert to use the Google Search Console to monitor which keywords people came to the site. As well as for which keywords the site appeared in the search, but also to further optimize the content according to them.
Types of SEO site optimization
SEO optimization is shared in the way you approach achieving the desired results. As in any field of work, there is work according to the prescribed rules, but also tactics that try to circumvent the system.
White hat SEO
These are optimization strategies and methods that fully follow Google’s policies. In this case, your goal will be to optimize the site for searches, but so on focus on the relevance and quality of the content, as well as on organic ranking.
White hat activities include the proper use of keywords. Also link building, and above all quality content for visitors, without the use of tricks. This approach is the only right path if you want long-term success.
Black hat SEO
Black Hat SEO focuses on circumventing the rules and cheating the system in order for Google to get the wrong impression of the site. And it will rank it better than its actual value. When we talk about optimizing the content of the site itself using some of the Black hat SEO methods, it is primarily optimized for search engines that analyze the site. This way, there is an attempt to deceive the algorithm. The positions for which the site is ranked are higher, although they deviate from the true value of the site.
Prohibited tactics are most often:
Insert hidden text, which is invisible to users but not to searches;
Keyword Stuffing, i.e. exaggeration with key words in the text;
Link farming, where links are artificially made and a fake site reputation is created.
These methods are generally unethical, but more importantly, they do not give long-term results. Namely, Google severely punishes sites that try to rank well by cheating. The most severe punishment is expulsion from the search results, which is equivalent to a death sentence.
Gray hat SEO
Unlike clearly set rules, when we talk about allowed and forbidden methods, gray hat SEO represents activities on the border of (un) allowed. This means that there are techniques that may not be explicitly prohibited, but carry some risk. Therefore, these activities can be risky, so you should think carefully about whether to engage in such activities.
It often happens that the methods from the “gray zone” are recognized as prohibited activities. Which can lead to penalties for the site you are working on. However, gray hat is certainly a less problematic optimization than black hat technique.
What does site optimization mean?
Work on site optimization consists of three parts: technical SEO, On-page SEO and Off-page SEO. Technical SEO means that the site needs properly editions from a technical point of view. So that robots can easily find it and perform crawling and indexing without any problems.
When it comes to On-page, we are talking about work on the site itself. While Off-page refers to all activities that are done outside it. All three processes are extremely important for the success of the site.
For a real comparison, a good example is for some new restaurant. It looks perfect, the food is impeccable, the prices are competitive – but there are no guests. Why? Because no one knows about your restaurant, and many doubt whether the place is safe at all.
In other words, your reputation is bad and it doesn’t mean anything to you that you have perfectly decorated the restaurant itself. The same goes for sites. After optimizing the technical elements of the site, there is a balancing of On-page SEO and Off-page SEO activities. If you like this job, the SEO optimization course is a great starting position to start your career.
Technical SEO
In order for the site to be effective, you need technical SEO optimization. There are various areas for review and improvement in order for the site to function as well as possible. Within the technical part, the most important thing is to ensure that the site and its pages are indexed.
There are many tools that help identify problems for fixing. One of the main ones is the Google Search Console, which recognizes many things that need intervention. In order for the site to reach a satisfactory technical level, it is necessary to pay attention to several elements:
Crawler (Bot, Spider) – A computer program that searches sites. Search engines use these bots to go through the site and index it for search. The better organized the site (linked pages, XML map…), the easier the crawler will have.
Robots.txt – A file that instructs robots what to index on a site. It must be under this name.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) – Represents encryption between the server and the Internet browser. Sites with this encryption have a URL that starts with https: //. Google prefers sites with SSL, which is a strong recommendation for everyone.
Mobile optimization – It is crucial that the site is responsive. This means that it should be fast and viewed on small screens of mobile devices.
Site load speed – Very important search item. This means that the photos should be as small as possible. But also that all other elements of the site should have quick loading time. This requires good hosting for the site.
Canonical tag – It is used to redirect duplicate pages which are variants of the main page URL.
Also, it is important to correct pages with duplicate content, because they confuse both users and search engines.
On-page SEO
This is a category that deals with activities that we perform on visible parts of pages. As well as in HTML code, to harmonize pages with SEO standards. There are some methods and rules that you need to follow so you can say that you done great job with optimizing the site.
Below we will explain some of the most important elements that you need to optimize through on-page optimization.
Page title – This is one of the most important on-page elements. Pages and posts on the site have their own names, which should be unique and, of course, contain a keyword. If your site deals with SEO services, it is important that you have a page that will contain the keyword “site optimization”. So, you will have pages that will be called, for example, “10 reasons why you should optimize your site”, “SEO optimization for beginners”, “Search engine optimization: The most effective methods”, etc.
This way, your site will show up in searches every time someone searches for “site optimization” in Google search. Of course, this is not enough, but it is very good to start with.
URL structure – It is always recommended that the URL of the site or post page be in line with the general theme – that it contains a keyword. Also, it is important to use short URL. An example of a good URL would be www.our-site.com/seo-optimization-site.
From this example you can see that we used the keywords in the URL in the right way.
Headings and subheadings (h1, h2, h3…) – Google puts a lot of emphasis on the clarity of the text. So it is important to “break” the text into wholes with the help of subheadings. That is why you need to use tags, marked with h1, h2, h3.
The recommendation is to have only one h1 and that it should contain KW as close as possible to the beginning. Besides, intermediate titles are important, which we denote by h2. Depending on the amount of text, it is recommended to have from one to four intermediate titles. It is recommended that one h2, depending on the number of headings, contains a keyword. While it is good to add some related words in additional subheadings.
Subtitles are important to Google, because in this way it recognizes important content, which then helps to better rank the page. That is why it is important that you write them in the right way, using the right words.
Content optimization – It is very important that the content of the site is high quality. But well presented. This means paying attention to text length, quality and uniqueness. Also, you need to present it in the right way, which means that it should be as easy to read as possible. It is desirable to have shorter paragraphs and subheadings to make the content clearer and easier to read.
When it comes to content optimization, we want to define keyword density too. Keyword density is the ratio of keywords in the text to the total number of words per page. In the past, this parameter was very important. Today the recommended percentage of keyword repetition in the text is used more as a measure not to optimize the text too much. The most important thing is that you are using keywords in a natural way in the content. You should adapt them to readers so that they can find the answer to their query when they came to your site.
Excessive use of keywords is bad. Not only for the content but also for the entire site. You do not want too many repetitions of the same keyword, the so-called. Keyword stuffing is defined as malicious behavior in order to circumvent the system. Google is very rigorous when it comes to these things. So, such incorrect behavior can lead to the site being excluded from Google searches.
Also, one of the recommendations is to include the main keyword in the first 100 words of the text. It is because that way we help Google to interpret what it is about on a certain page.
Internal linking – Unlike external linking, where you link your site to someone else’s, internal linking is linking the site’s pages. This way of linking content is useful not only for SEO but also for internet users. Anchor text is also important when linking, i.e. words that link to another page of our site. With anchor text, you should take care that it is not always the same if there are many internal links to a page.
In this process, click depth is also important, which indicates the number of clicks required to reach a particular page from the homepage while using the shortest path. Of course, the shorter the path, the better. Internal linking makes it easier for visitors to find relevant content, but also helps Google navigate the site and find all the pages on it.
Image optimization – When we insert a photo on a page, we need to optimize its size so that it loads as quickly as possible. But also so that you marked it in the right way. This means that we should call it appropriately (in accordance with the content of the photo and the page), but also write the title and alt text.
Optimization for mobile devices – Since a large number of users search the Internet from their phones, it is important for you to optimize the site so it is mobile-friendly. This means that it should be easy to use, easy to use and fast to load. Google has introduced the mobile first index. That means how it behaves on mobile devices is more important for ranking the site than on the desktop.
Meta descriptions – We use the description of the page primarily to attract the people to click on the text. This is a text that describes the link that came up as a result of your search. The meta description for our sports example would be: “Domestic football brings everything you ask for from one sport – quality, uncertainty, fair play. Find out all about our league and clubs in one place! ”
Off-page SEO
In order for all that work effort to be noticed on the site, you need to work on activities that will draw attention to you. Off-page SEO mostly deals with links and techniques for their creation. In a broader sense, this includes everything we do outside the site that affects its ranking. And search algorithms and ranking factors are constantly changing. So, what is constant is the reputation of the page, i.e. its authority and relevance.
It is important for you to know that off-page SEO has a great impact on the ranking of the site. So it is logical why the people are paying too much attention to these activities. You should pay the greatest attention to getting as many quality backlinks to your site. There are other activities that can contribute to brand development.
Link building – In order for the content of the site to be visible to potential visitors, it is necessary to create links that lead to you. There are several types of links depending on the way they are created. The most ideal are natural links, made by content creators on the net without your knowledge. Simply put, someone liked what you put on the site and mentioned and linked it on their site.
Hand-crafted links require planned activities. We mean contacting companies, institutions, and users themselves to get them to share your link with their audience.
There are two types of backlinks – dofollow and nofollow. If we mark a link with nofollow, we let Google know that it does not pass on the value of the domain and that the links on that page should not be tracked. We have different types of backlinks where contextual links are very good. But they directly depend on the quality of the site.
Social Networks – The first place where everyone starts promoting a site is networks like Facebook or Instagram. By posting on social networks, you get extra traffic.
Google will appreciate it if you are mentioning your brand on social media. On the other hand, forums have lost their importance due to the possibility of abuse and creating a false reputation. For example, open an account on Reddit and praise yourself.
Creating trust in the brand – Google will have more trust in your site if users also have positive comments. That is why it is important to have as many good ratings as possible within the Google review. The Facebook review of your page is also important.
To get positive reviews, you need to encourage your users to leave positive comments and ratings. So that everyone will know that your site is exactly what many are looking for. In this way, you gain the user trust, which can result in better page rankings.
Working with influencers – Turning to influential people, who have their loyal audience. That’s a great way to draw attention to your brand, site or product. On the Internet, influencers are extremely important for this type of promotion because, if you hit the target group, you can gain a lot.
For example, an interview with a certain influencer can be a great opportunity to get a backlink. Of course, it is very important to choose an influencer from the field in which you work. Because if you promote video games, you need someone from that industry, and not a famous actor or chef.
Creating multimedia content – Video content, infographics and photos are great methods to draw the attention of Internet users to your site. By promoting the site with interesting content that is not directly related to the site, you practically go directly to the user.
An added bonus is if you create content that goes viral. The best places for this type of promotion are, of course, social networks, including YouTube (although it is a streaming service). Uploading videos on this service requires special attention given the dominant position. Optimization for YouTube involves tagging the video, as well as all other items, to rank better in searches.
The cost of SEO optimization
The largest number of site visits comes as a result of a search for a term. When the results appear, we have already learned that they are the most relevant at the top of the first page. Most users stay on the first page of the results. For that reason, it is very important for each site to be among the first in the framework of important searches.
Given the complexity of the work and the amount of work that varies from case to case, there is no single price for site optimization. That is why a good SEO specialist forms the price only after a thorough analysis of the site, market and competition research, keyword popularity, etc.
SEO terms you need to know
Bounce rate – The number of visitors, expressed as a percentage, who visited the site and left it after looking at only one page.
Image alt tag – An alternative name for a photo, useful for photo searches.
Anchor text – A clickable piece of text that leads to the other side.
CTR (Click Through Rate) – Data, expressed as a percentage, which explains how many times a link has been clicked.
Orphan page – Pages on the site that are not linked to other sections of the site.
Site authority – Represents the level of trust of a site. Terms such as Domain Authority for domain authority and Page Authority for individual party authority are used. One should always strive to create backlinks on sites of high authority. The Authority score can have value from 0 to 100, with a higher number representing a better rating. This is a metric of the company “Moz”, which Google does not take into account, but it helps to gain an orientation insight into the quality of the site.