How to climb to the top of search engines using SEO?
There are over a billion websites in the world, and yours can easily get lost among them. However, with SEO, you’ll have a guide on how to make a website more visible on Google.
How to make a website more visible on Google?
After publishing a website, you don’t have complete control over where and how it will appear in search engines. However, you can partially influence it.
There are two different approaches to gaining traffic:
- PPC (Pay-Per-Click) – paid
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – organic
The most common type of PPC is search engine advertising, such as Google Ads, but it also includes social media ads, like Facebook Ads.
SEO is the process of optimizing a website to improve its visibility in organic (non-paid) search results on search engines (most commonly Google in Slovakia).
The goal is to get your website as high as possible in search engine rankings using various techniques and strategies. With effective SEO, you can make your site more visible, easier to find for potential customers, and increase its traffic, which can lead to a greater interest in purchasing products or services.
While SEO provides long-term and free traffic, it requires time and effort to achieve results.
How does SEO work?
Through various techniques and strategies used to improve the visibility of websites in search engine results, you build SEO.
It includes techniques such as selecting and placing keywords correctly, creating high-quality content, optimizing meta tags and URLs, and building backlinks from other sites.
Technical aspects play a crucial role, such as loading speed, mobile optimization, and proper indexing.
Another significant element is localization, for example, using geographically specific keywords and optimizing your Google My Business profile.
Remember that SEO is a dynamic process that constantly evolves. Search engines like Google regularly update their algorithms. Therefore, stay informed about the latest trends and adapt your strategies to current needs.
How does a search engine work?
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We can divide the process of how a search engine works into several key steps:
- Crawling – the search engine uses automated programs (called crawlers or spiders) to continuously browse web pages and collect information about their content. Each website has a designated crawl budget. A good sign is when crawlers visit a site more frequently, as it indicates the search engine considers the page more relevant.
- Indexing – The search engine stores and organizes the information collected while crawling into a large database known as an index. This index contains the analyzed content of each page along with identified keywords and topics. Indexing allows the search engine to know that it has processed the page and included it in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), which can be verified using tools like Google Search Console.
- Ranking – The search engine determines the order in which pages appear in search results. It uses complex algorithms that consider hundreds of factors (such as keywords, metadata, and page structure) to assess the relevance and authority of websites for specific search queries.
- Recently, Google patented the so-called Information Gain Score, a metric that helps determine the value and benefit of new information for the user. In simplicity, it measures how much information a reader gains on a topic from a page and how in-depth the article goes, assigning a score accordingly.
- The goal is to ensure that the most relevant and valuable information is displayed, which helps to better answer questions or solve problems.
- Displaying results – The final phase in which the search engine presents the user with a list of the most relevant pages. Typically, paid results (PPC) are displayed above organic results.
- Search results are shown on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP), which may include organic results, paid ads (PPC), and other elements like maps, images, and videos.
- Each result displays snippets, including a title, URL, and a brief description (meta description), which help users decide which link to click. There are also featured snippets where the search engine highlights a particular article and selects a short excerpt from the text instead of using the meta description and title. Featured snippets often perform well, and creators aim to achieve them.
Search engines continuously update their algorithms and improve technologies to provide users with the best and most relevant results.
SEO factors
The role of SEO is to optimize all factors and elements as effectively as possible, based on which search engines evaluate pages and determine their ranking. Key elements include:
- on-page SEO
- off-page SEO
- technical SEO
On-page SEO
On-page SEO encompasses all techniques and tasks you perform directly on your own website. For example:
Keywords
Identify the words and phrases users search for related to the topic your page covers. Then, use them naturally and relevantly in your content, titles, meta descriptions, headings, and URLs.
Content quality
Create original and valuable content that answers the questions and meets the needs of your visitors. Understanding the user’s intent is crucial when they enter a query into the search engine and tailor your content to satisfy that intent. Also, consider the Information Gain Score metric to achieve the best possible evaluation.
Meta title
Meta title is the first thing that catches attention. Craft a short, concise, and keyword-rich title. Ideally, it should be within 60 characters.
Meta description
Meta description is located just below the title in search results. You need to compellingly summarize the page content to persuade potential clients to click on your page. Its length should not exceed 150 characters. Although not a significant SEO factor, it increases the CTR (Click-Through Rate).
URL
Use short, simple, and understandable URLs that include keywords.
Headings and subheadings (heading tags)
Format of headings can be in multiple levels from H1 to H6. Use H1 for the main page title and H2, H3, etc., for structuring the content. These help search engines and visitors navigate better, improving readability and overall SEO.
Multimedia
Images, videos, and GIFs make the web content visually appealing and more structured. Since search engines cannot read these directly, don’t forget to use alt texts, titles, and descriptions to explain what is in the images. Also, optimize image sizes to improve page loading speed.
Internal linking
Linking to relevant internal pages improves navigation and movement across the site. It also helps search engines better index your site; Google perceives these links as a sign that the page covers the topic from a broader perspective and thus provides suitable information.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO involves all activities outside of your own website. It most commonly relates to linkbuilding, which means acquiring backlinks from relevant websites to your own. However, not just any sites, but high-quality ones with similar topics to yours.
When other sites link to you, Google will then regard your content as authoritative and a trustworthy source of information and display it in top positions in search results.
You can also build backlinks through sharing content on social media. Activity and popularity of your site on platforms where content spreads virally, quickly, and widely can bring a lot of visitors and backlinks.
Part of a link-building strategy also includes publishing press releases and articles in online media with links to your website.
Another crucial element of off-page SEO is reviews and ratings on platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, and Trustpilot.
Actively managing reviews and responding to feedback can enhance your online reputation.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO focuses on optimizing the technical aspects of a website, which involves various practices that enable search engines to effectively crawl, index, and display content. It includes:
- Page load speed – Optimizing page load speed enhances user experience and search engine ranking. Achieve this by minimizing file sizes, using compression, optimizing code, and utilizing fast hosting services
- Mobile optimization – Ensure that your site is fully responsive and displays well on mobile devices.
- Sitemap – Create and update an XML sitemap to help search engines find and index all pages on your site.
- Robots.txt – Configure the text file located in the root directory of your site to provide instructions to search engine robots (bots) on how to crawl and index pages. This helps regulate bot access by indicating which pages and files they can and cannot crawl.
- HTTPS and security -Secure your site with an SSL certificate to use HTTPS, which increases trustworthiness and security for users.
- Structured data – Use structured data (schema markup) to annotate information on your site, helping search engines better understand the content and display rich results (e.g., reviews, prices, events).
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How to do SEO?
Doing SEO is an ongoing process that requires regular maintenance and adjustments. It consists of several sequential steps.
It all starts with an SEO audit, which identifies weaknesses and areas for improvement.
Next, analyze which keywords are most relevant to your content and target audience.
Optimize existing content and create new content focusing on the use of identified keywords in headings, meta tags, and alt texts. Above all, focus on the quality of information to ensure that readers find everything they need. At the same time, check and fix any technical issues that might hinder search engines from effectively crawling and indexing your site.
Develop a strategy for acquiring high-quality backlinks (link building).
Regularly monitor and track SEO performance and create reports using metrics. Based on data analysis and results, continuously optimize and adjust your SEO strategy to achieve better outcomes.
SEO audit
An SEO audit is a comprehensive analysis of a website that evaluates how well the site is optimized for search engines.
Its purpose is to identify weaknesses, technical issues, and opportunities for improvement to increase the site’s visibility and performance in search engine results.
What needs to be done?
1. Technical SEO audit
- Check page load speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
- Verify if your site is optimized for mobile devices.
- Ensure correct configuration of the robots.txt and sitemap.xml files.
- Confirm that your site uses HTTPS.
2. On-page SEO audit
- Review and optimize meta tags (title, description).
– Check the use of headings (H1, H2, H3). - Ensure images have appropriate alt text.
- Verify that your content is high-quality and relevant, matching the targeted keywords.
3. Off-page SEO audit
- Analyze the backlink profile using tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or SemRush.
- Check the quality and relevance of the links pointing to your site.
Keyword analysis
Identify relevant keywords that your target audience is using. Also, check what terms your competitors are using.
Find longer, more specific keywords (long-tail keywords) that have lower competition but are used by your target audience.
Use brainstorming to come up with words and phrases that users might search for. Primarily, make use of tools like Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Semrush, and other similar search results displayed directly in the SERPs.
Get inspiration from your website, blog, product descriptions, and customer questions. Also, use research tools (Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, etc.) to assist you.
Keyword usage on the page and in the content
Once you have conducted keyword analysis, you need to implement these keywords into your content, including text, headings (H1, H2, H3), and alt text for images.
Be cautious of overusing keywords (keyword stuffing). Aim to distribute keywords evenly throughout the text and use synonyms and variations to maintain naturalness and relevance. We have moved from when optimization was primarily for search engines and readers as a secondary concern. Google has evolved to a stage where it can evaluate and understand many aspects, so the text must primarily be beneficial to the reader.
Continuously use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor keyword performance. Based on analysis and changes in search engines, regularly review and update your content.
What SEO tools to use?
SEO tools | What is it used for? |
|---|---|
Google Search Console | Monitoring performance, diagnosing issues, improving indexing, gathering feedback, optimizing content, and enhancing website visibility in search results |
Google Analytics | Monitoring and analyzing website traffic |
Google Keyword Planner | Identifying relevant keywords and their search volume |
Ahrefs | Detailed analysis of competitor keywords and backlinks |
SEMrush | Finding the keywords and phrases used by competitors |
Keyword tool.io | Identifying keywords based on automated suggestions from search engines such as Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, and others |
Marketing Minder | Monitoring and analyzing the performance of websites and marketing campaigns |
Collabim | Monitoring keyword positions, analyzing competition, tracking backlinks, and performing SEO audits, particularly in the Czech and Slovak markets |
Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Analysis and audit of websites. Crawling websites similarly to search engines, gathering important data about their structure and performance, and identifying issues that may affect SEO. |
Surfer SEO | Comprehensive analysis and recommendations based on data about competitors and current search trends |
Local SEO
Local SEO is a set of techniques and strategies designed to optimize the visibility of websites or businesses in local searches, such as by using local keywords.
It means that when a user searches for a specific service or product in their vicinity, optimized websites will appear higher in the search results.
The primary goal of local SEO is to increase online visibility for local customers, leading to increased traffic and potentially higher sales.
SEO services
Still unsure how to climb to the top of search engines? We at Krásnô are here to help. We create not only modern but also highly functional websites with a focus on SEO optimization for search engines. Don’t hesitate to contact us.
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