SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, literally translated from English. In other words, seo is website optimization to improve ranking in search engines.
There may be many search engines, but the most popular are Google and Yandex, and there is also Bing, a search engine developed by Microsoft.
Yandex is designed primarily for a Russian audience, Google and Bing – for the entire world, but Google is still ahead.
Google is quite popular in the CIS countries, so optimization is often carried out taking into account the requirements for this search engine (SE). Yandex also has its own requirements. They are also followed. However, it is important to understand that the choice of website promotion in a particular SE depends on the analytical data received. For example, Yandex.Metrica showed that there are more transitions for a certain key request from the Yandex system than from Google. We do the same with Google Analytics and compare the data. If analytics shows that there are very few transitions from Google to the site, then you can take Yandex as a guide. The above example is individual. You should not focus on it. You need to focus on data analytics. Based on analytics, you can begin to develop a promotion strategy.
Website promotion strategy
Why does a website need a strategy if there is data analytics? Fair question.
The website promotion strategy covers a range of works related to contextual and targeted advertising, social network management, local SEO, link purchasing, technical and usability audits, collection and expansion of the semantic core and other nuances required for website development.
To promote a website in search engines, you need to study information about the business, target audience, user behavior on the website, and interaction with the website.
It is also necessary to collect information about competitors. Competitor analysis allows you to identify the main players in the online market, collect information about their site. Such analysis will allow you to implement something new if your competitor has it, but it is not on your site, improve the site, add topics, possibly expand the range (mainly for online stores), take a course on attracting a new audience.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization can be started even before the site appears. At the initial stage, data on the new project is developed and collected. This approach helps to avoid mistakes. Planning is an integral part of the SEO strategy at any stage of promotion. However, for the initial stage, even before the site appears, strategic development of SEO optimization will help to identify user requests, work out or refine the structure of the site, pages before the project launch. This stage can save a little budget. And yet, in the future, work on the web resource should continue. They may not be global, but will contribute to the development of the site.
What is included in the initial optimization? Almost the same as for the promotion of the created site.
At the first stage, the type of project is determined: a news site, online stores, services, forums, blog, and so on.
Once the project is defined, the SEO specialist starts analyzing competitors and the niche itself – the second stage. At this stage, based on the competitor analysis, you can develop a website layout according to the chosen topic. Niche analysis will help estimate the further scope of work.
Then, at the third stage, a semantic core is collected, with the help of which the further structure of pages, title, description, headings are formed, and interlinking is thought out.
Website optimization is divided into 2 parts
- Internal optimization;
- External optimization.
Internal optimization
Internal optimization is aimed at identifying problems within the site. Works related to internal optimization include:
- Improving the resource structure, related to CHPU (human-like URLs), robots.txt, sitemap;
- Technical audit. Technical errors always exist and timely detection and correction will help the website rank better. This includes problems with broken links, 404 response codes, duplicate pages, code weight, etc.);
- Working with images – work with alt-pictures. Correct description of the picture in alt helps the search engine robot to better understand the image. The description should clearly and concisely describe what is depicted in the picture. Spamming with keywords is prohibited, because the resource can be found by the description of the picture. A large number of keywords, discrepancy between the description of the picture will be regarded as overspam and low-quality content, which will have a negative effect on optimization as a whole;
- Semantics. The semantic core is collected based on key phrase requests that users enter in the search bar to find the necessary information or resource. Semantics allows you to expand the search audience and promote a web resource;
- Usability. Usability, in short, is improving the user experience of a website. This includes the layout of blocks, the color of buttons, the font size, the ease of reading text, and much more;
- Internal linking. Interlinking within a website is created so that the user follows the selected links within the website. Thus, the client remains on one resource, receiving maximum information without leaving it. At the same time, internal interlinking allows search engine robots to index the existing pages. Wikipedia can be cited as a striking example.
External optimization
External optimization is a bit more complicated, since this is where work begins on finding high-quality links from other resources.
In simple terms, this type of work is called linkbuilding or backlink.
Work is carried out with external resources suitable for promoting an existing resource on a topic.
To build up a quality link mass, you need to find a good “donor”. A donor in link building is a site-platform that places or is ready to place a link on its resource, referring to a specific other resource. Ideally, you need to select a donor with a good reputation and trust. You can place links for a fee, as well as by barter. Both are not cheap, but they bring results.
Link building, if you believe the search engine guidelines, does not work the same everywhere. For example, for Google PS, receiving links to your resource signals the quality of the site, while Yandex, on the contrary, treats links negatively and the site may fall under filters.
Posting links on other resources should not contradict Google's established posting rules. For example, a user shares your content with others - an indicator of interest. This means that the article is interesting to the user.
This also includes registration in directories, communication on forums with a link to the resource being promoted.
Positive backlink signals help your site rank.
And to understand how good you need to be, you should take your competitors as a benchmark. Competitive analysis will help you understand where to go.
Before starting work on external promotion, you need to work first with internal optimization. Fixed errors and a correctly functioning site, especially pages intended for placement on other resources, also have a positive effect on the promotion of the website.
Types of optimization
SEO optimization is divided into the following types:
White - promotion is based on the use of accessible and honest promotion methods
Gray – using both black and white methods of promotion. The resource may be blocked, since this type of SEO promotion is not officially approved
Black – the use of prohibited schemes that lead to rapid growth of the site. The effect of such promotion leads to disastrous results, for example, pessimization of the site, i.e. lowering the resource in search results or applying filters. As an example, we can cite the cheating of behavioral factors (there are still disputes about the success of using this technique)
For the sake of purity of the experiment, you can use different promotion techniques at your own risk. Today, white hat methods are popular due to constant improvements in search engine algorithms.
What is ranking?
Site ranking is the sorting of resources in search engines, showing the most suitable resources for the user's request.
Ranking is also divided into several types and classifications:
- Technical type. This includes everything related to the functioning of the site;
- Content – high-quality texts, pictures;
- Behavioral – user interaction with the site (time spent on the site, actions performed, etc.);
- Commercial – user trust and conversion;
- Link mass is the number of links, both internal and external, that link to a resource.
The classification includes external and internal factors. We talked about them above.
Why do you need SEO optimization?
Correct SEO optimization allows the site to rank better, bring organic traffic, increase the average check. SEO is a long game. The effect appears in 3-6, or even 12 months, depending on the business goals, complexity of promotion, subject matter, market, competitors.
To get into the top 10, you need to constantly improve the site, fix identified problems, fill it with content, and promptly respond to solutions to problems that arise. The resource generates income. With the right approach, it can recoup all expenses. However, optimization alone without additional expenses will not be able to bring a quick effect in a certain niche. This is important to consider for further distribution of the budget for promotion
Conclusion
Based on all of the above, the conclusion is as follows: working on a website is a labor-intensive process. There are no guarantees, since success depends on many factors, especially on a third party (search engines). And even if work on the site stops, the effect will work for some time. SEO is a long-term perspective, despite the slow start. The better the site is made, the more people will visit it, the higher it will move in the search engine. Getting into the top 10 is already half the success, getting leads. Getting into the top 1 is a difficult task, but feasible. Top 1 is a highly competitive promotion zone, so you need to make every effort to achieve the goal.
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