Search engine optimization (SEO) improves and increases the quantity and quality of organic traffic to a website by enhancing the site’s visibility in search engines. SEO aims to position your website as high as possible in search results for keywords and phrases that describe your products or services.
SEO is not a quick process, as search engines consider numerous factors when determining search rankings. Moreover, competition on organic search results is continuously increasing.
Three main factors influence a website’s search engine visibility: the site’s technical implementation, content, and external factors. This article examines each of these factors and provides recommendations for actions to enhance your site’s search visibility.
Contents:
1. Why is search engine optimization important?
2. How are SEO results measured?
3. Technical optimization of a website
5. External search engine optimization and domain authority
7. Summary – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Why is search engine optimization important?
Studies show that around 88% of people who hear about a new product or service first go to google.com and search for it. This is why SEO is crucial — it’s the most effective way to attract people to your website. Shopping behaviour has changed drastically over the last 20 years, and people want information about your product before contacting you, and they search for this information on Google.
Around 89% of Google users only scroll through the first page of search results. If your website doesn’t appear on Google’s first search results page, the likelihood that a potential customer will find the products or services your company offers decreases significantly.
When someone wants more information about your products or services and performs a Google search, make sure you can be found and that your website provides this information!
By optimizing your site for keywords relevant to your business, you drive quality and free-of-charge traffic to your site. Organic traffic doesn’t involve pay-per-click costs, so a well-optimized site draws visitors without cost.
2. How are SEO results measured?
In SEO, it’s essential to actively analyze and monitor website traffic. Google Analytics allows you to track where your traffic comes from, how much traffic your site receives, and how visitors interact on your site. Google Analytics is a vital tool for SEO, enabling you to stay informed about what’s happening on your site and whether you’re taking the right steps in terms of SEO.
In addition to visitor data, it’s important to measure factors like search visibility growth (how well your site ranks for keywords relevant to your business) and the quantity and quality of external links, for example, through Google Search Console.
The success of SEO is measured by the following metrics:
– Growth of organic traffic
– Development of organic visitor behaviour metrics (bounce rate, page views per session, average session duration)
– Number of conversions leading to contact (through organic traffic)
– E-commerce sales (through organic traffic)
– Site visibility for relevant search terms
– Improvement of site visibility on search results pages
– Organic conversion rate of the site
– Quantity and quality of external links
3. Technical optimization of a website
High-quality technical implementation of websites ensures that Google’s crawlers can find all the pages on a site and thus add them to Google’s database, or index. This process is called indexing. If a page is not in Google’s index, it cannot be found via a Google search.
For search visibility, important technical aspects for indexing include site structure and internal linking, the structure and functionality of URLs, correctly used meta tags, content uniqueness, an up-to-date sitemap, intact images, site speed, and mobile-friendliness.
User-friendliness of the site should also be considered as a part of SEO because Google interprets user behaviour on the site and may lower or raise pages in search results depending on whether users find the site engaging.
3.1 What is examined in technical SEO?
1) Crawlers’ access to the site
If Google’s bots cannot read your site’s content, pages will not enter Google’s index. And if your website is not in Google’s index, it won’t appear in Google search, and your site cannot receive organic traffic from Google! Crawlers’ access to the site can be blocked intentionally, such as when pages are under development and should not appear in search results. However, it’s essential to ensure that noindex tags are removed by the time pages are published!
2) Number of pages in Google’s index
The number of pages indexed by Google can be checked by performing a *site:<website address>* search on Google. If there is a noticeably higher or lower number of indexed pages than expected, the site likely has issues.
3) Broken links
A broken link is one that directs to a 404 page. A large number of broken links hinders user navigation on the site and signals to search engines that the site’s usability is poor, which negatively impacts search visibility.
4) XML sitemap
An XML sitemap is a file intended specifically for search engines, that contains URLs of all the pages you want to be added to Google’s index. A sitemap serves as an index for the site, helping search engines find all the URLs on the site. Ensure that your site has a functioning and up-to-date sitemap.
5) HTTPS protocol
Google has officially stated that it favours websites using the encrypted HTTPS protocol in search results. If visitors are required to log in, fill out forms with personal information, or make payments, HTTPS should always be used for enhanced security. An encrypted connection can also increase visitors’ sense of security and improve site conversion.
6) Site speed
Site speed, or how quickly the site loads, is a part of Google’s search algorithm. However, focusing on site speed is not only crucial for SEO, it’s a significant factor in site usability and thus impacts conversion. All pages should load in under two seconds.
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7) Mobile friendliness
Mobile friendliness is part of Google’s search algorithm and is set to become increasingly important in the future. The number of mobile users has already surpassed desktop users, making mobile optimization crucial for user experience. Google has also announced that it primarily uses the mobile versions of websites to determine organic rankings.
8) URL addresses
An effective URL contains the page’s main keyword, allowing users to deduce what kind of page they’re on. The rule of thumb for URLs is to keep them short and rich in keywords.
Often, pages are shared on social media with only the URL visible. Similarly, many websites use the URL as the anchor text for links.
A good URL enhances user-friendliness and search visibility.
Here’s an example of a readable, keyword-rich URL structure. It immediately indicates the page’s topic and includes a keyword intended for Google search visibility:
https://sdm.fi/en/mrace-model/
A poor URL structure example is:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093
The latter doesn’t convey anything about the site’s hierarchy or structure to search engines, nor does it provide users any information about the page’s content or topic.
9) Alt texts for images
Alt text, or “Alternative text,” is an alternative text attribute in the code, and it’s an important factor in image SEO. Alt text is the text that a browser displays to the user if an image is unavailable for any reason, or if the user is visually impaired. In the latter case, screen readers read the alt text to the user.
It’s also beneficial to include a keyword in the alt text to boost the visibility of your image and page in Google’s image search. The alternative text does not normally appear directly to site visitors.
A good alt text is natural and describes what the image shows. The keyword should be included in the alternative text.
10) Duplicate content and redirects
Google values unique content above all. If the same content appears behind multiple URLs, Google won’t know which URL to display in the search results. It’s essential that no individual page on the website can be accessed via multiple URLs — or if it can, to use meta tags to indicate to Google which page you want to appear in the search results. Duplicate content issues are resolved depending on the situation with either 301 redirects, noindex tags, or canonical tags.
11) Website structure
On larger websites, the site structure plays a critical role in search visibility. Without a flat and wide architecture, Google’s crawlers may not find all pages on the site, resulting in lower search engine rankings.
The fewer clicks needed to reach key pages starting from the homepage, the better. Important service and category pages should be accessible directly from the homepage with a single click.
Clicks represent distances on the web, and the closer a subpage is to the homepage, the more important it appears to Google.
12) Main menu
The site’s main menu is crucial for internal linking throughout the site. Key pages should be included in the main menu for two reasons: visitors can easily find them, and Google interprets these pages as important.
13) Internal linking
Internal links improve site navigation and ensure that visitors can quickly and easily find the most important pages. Internal linking establishes a hierarchy on your site and distributes “link juice” throughout the pages. Thus, internal linking has a direct impact on search visibility.
4. Website content
Why do people use search engines? Because they’re looking for information. If your site doesn’t provide quality information, Google has no reason to rank it highly in search results. Without content relevant to a user’s search query, your site won’t achieve high rankings for that query, meaning it won’t receive traffic from that keyword or phrase on search engines.
A good approach when writing content for your website is to consider: “If I myself had just performed a search on Google and clicked on my site from the results, would I be satisfied with the content, or would I return to the search results to visit another site?”
It’s essential for Google’s business to deliver relevant and valuable results to searchers. The day people can’t find what they’re looking for on Google, they’ll switch to another search engine. This is why Google prioritises only good, relevant search results.
4.1. Quality and search engine optimized content
SEO doesn’t work without search engine optimized content. SEO-optimized content means that it addresses the searches of the target audience as well as meets the search engine’s requirements. One of the main reasons for poor search visibility is insufficient content on the site.
Content creation is inseparable from SEO, and without it, it’s challenging to rank highly in search results. This is because Google’s goal is to deliver information to its users, and the type of information Google understands best is text. If there’s no text on a page, Google may not know what the page is about, and thus, it may not direct users to it.
Today’s search engines are advanced and expect good, relevant content. It’s no longer enough to simply write something and repeat a keyword a few times in the text. Search engines want the top search results to feature pages and sites that genuinely respond to the searcher’s query. Search engines invest substantial resources in improving their services and eliminating spam content.
Whenever a user searches, they are looking for something with a purpose, need, or intention in mind. If, as a content creator, you understand the customer and can identify what they’re seeking, and if you provide a relevant answer, you’re likely to rank well in organic search results.
The content should respond as accurately as possible to the searcher’s query while staying on topic. However, it’s important to remember that search engines are still machines, so you need to use the targeted keywords you want to rank for within the content.
The amount of content on a single page depends on the competitive landscape of the keyword. Google has indicated that it favours pages with plenty of relevant content that address all the searcher’s questions. Competitive keywords generally require a minimum of 500 words, but it’s wise to compare the content length of competitors holding top positions for the target keyword.
Often, simply having top-level product or service content aimed at keywords isn’t enough. A site should also feature blogs, articles, and other Act phase content targeting relevant keywords.
4.2. Keyword research
Keywords and search phrases are the words and phrases people type into Google when seeking information.
For a brick-and-mortar retailer, it’s not helpful to fill their store with people who aren’t genuinely interested in the products, since they won’t buy anything. The same applies to websites: it’s best to attract only those truly interested in your product. This requires keyword research to discover the search phrases and keywords people use to find products or services, which you offer. This way, your site attracts genuinely interested visitors who may end up making a purchase.
Primary Keywords: general, information-seeking keywords, like “analytics.”
Long-tail Keywords: search queries of 2–5 words, such as “analytics for social media marketing.”
When conducting keyword research, it’s essential to focus on three factors:
- Search volume
Keyword tools typically show the average monthly search volume. If a keyword has little to no searches, it won’t drive significant traffic to your site.
- Relevance to your business
Overly broad keywords may not yield the best results. For instance, if you have a shoe store, investing resources to rank for the keyword “shoe” may not be worth it. The term “shoe” doesn’t suggest any intent to buy, whereas “women’s shoes online” is much more relevant and likely to attract ready-to-purchase traffic.
- Keyword competition
Competition can be quickly assessed by search volumes. Keywords with thousands of monthly searches often have high competition. If your site is new and you’re competing against large sites for the same keywords, the competition may be too tough. Better results may be achieved by focusing on long-tail keywords with lower search volume, but less competition.
Once the keywords have been identified and analyzed, the next step is to create a content strategy. In your content strategy, assign specific keywords to each page. Typically, you’ll select one primary keyword to be used in the main heading, title tag, and URL. In addition to the primary keyword, choose a few related keywords you’d like to highlight alongside it, known as secondary keywords.
Example:
Page: Women’s Shoes Main Category Page – example-shoeshop.com/womens-shoes/
Primary keyword: women’s shoes (average 210 searches/month)
Secondary keywords: women’s shoes online (10 searches/month), cheap women’s shoes online (10 searches/month)
4.3. Using keywords in content
Once keywords are identified and a content strategy is created, it’s time to write search engine optimized content for the subpage. The primary keyword should be used in the following elements:
– Main heading (H1)
– The first and last paragraphs of the body, as well as naturally throughout the text, roughly 1-2% of all words
– Title tag (SEO title)
– URL
Secondary keywords should also be included in the text content and subheadings (H2-H4).
Additionally, link internally within the text 2–8 times to other pages on your site (service pages, subcategory pages, blog posts). At the end of the text, it’s always good to include a call-to-action (CTA) or internal link to another subpage. The visitor should be consistently directed towards the desired action or the next stage of our MRACE® model, whether it’s contacting you, browsing other products, or reading an article.
4.4. Title tags (SEO Titles)
The title tag is the most important individual element on the page for search visibility. It often appears as the headline on Google’s search results page. In the example image below, the keyword was “mrace model.” Well-crafted titles can also increase the click-through rate on Google’s search results page.
The title tag should ideally be no more than about 65 characters, including spaces. The primary target keyword should be as close to the beginning as possible. Each page should have a unique title tag, that includes the keyword you want the page to rank for in Google’s search results.
4.5. Meta descriptions (Meta descriptions, SEO descriptions)
The meta description is text that may appear below the title on Google’s search results page. While it doesn’t directly affect search ranking, it can increase the page’s click-through rate on Google’s search page. The meta description should be crafted to make the search result as appealing as possible, encouraging users to click.
If the meta description is compelling enough to drive more clicks than usual for its ranking position, Google may raise the page’s position in the search results.
You can check the length of the title tag and meta description using tools like the Google SERP Preview Tool.
4.6. Headings
The H1 heading is the most important heading on the page and is an ideal place for the main keyword. It’s essential that the title tag and H1 heading complement each other well.
The H2 heading isn’t as strong for search visibility as the H1 heading, but is still an excellent place for long-tail keywords. It’s also important to follow a logical structure, starting with an H1 heading, followed by H2, and including H3, H4, etc., if needed. Headings create order and structure on the website.
4.7. Structured data – stand out on the search results page
Structured data (schema markup) is semantic, internal site markup that helps search engines understand and index your content better. By adding structured data to your page’s HTML, Google can better comprehend your content, improve your ranking in search results, and enrich the user’s search experience.
When search engine bots crawl structured data on your site, it appears as rich snippets in search results. For example, if you search for our MRACE®-model on Google, some results may include text snippets, images or reviews. This is made possible by structured data added to your site’s code.
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5. External search engine optimization and domain authority
The goal of external optimization is to increase a site’s domain authority, or its trustworthiness in Google’s eyes.
Google originated from Larry Page’s and Sergey Brin’s idea to classify websites similarly to how scientific articles are ranked. In academia, research is more valuable when referenced by other articles. Online, these references are links; the more links a site has from other sites, the more Google considers it trustworthy. When Google views a site as trustworthy, it has a better chance of ranking highly in organic search results.
However, it’s not just about the number of links. A link from a strong domain is more valuable, than one from a weaker site. Links from trusted sites within the same niche are far more valuable than, for example, links from spammy directories. Resources should not be spent on acquiring low-quality links, as they can even have a negative impact on the authority and rankings of your site. Instead, focus on earning strong links, which genuinely deliver results.
High rankings in search engines require strong external links, from sites within the same niche.
5.1. Location of external links and their anchor text
The location of a link on a page also affects its value in Google’s view. For instance, a sitewide link in the footer (appearing on every page) isn’t as valuable to Google as a single link within the main content of a page. Links should appear naturally acquired.
Anchor text also plays a crucial role in external linking. The anchor text is the clickable text of a link. It tells Google what the linked page is about, so the anchor text can include the keyword you want to rank for in Google’s search results.
Be cautious, though. If you gain many links from easy sources, such as from blog comments, and repeatedly use exact-match keywords as anchor text, Google will quickly recognise an attempt to manipulate search results and may lower your rankings.
A natural link profile includes links from various sources, both from high-quality, trusted sites and less relevant sources, such as link directories.
Google can analyze the links pointing to a site and detect if they seem unnatural. It’s best to seek links that also offer added value to the linking party. In practice, this means the linked page should contain quality content that may also interest the linker’s audience.
Remember, people like to share content that reflects well on them. Consider the target audience when creating content — what type of material would they want to share?
5.2. Measuring domain authority
You can measure domain authority using various online tools. It’s important to remember, however, that the score given by these tools doesn’t come directly from Google, but is based on the tool’s own assessment of domain strength. These tools cannot detect all external links from every website globally, so the authority scores provided are only indicative. Therefore, the score from these tools should not be used as an absolute measure.
These tools estimate domain strength based on the number of linking sites and links, as well as the reliability of the linking sites.
5.3. Tips for improving your link profile
Some possible ways to improve your link profile include:
– Writing a blog or other relevant content to earn links.
– Collaborating with other industry sites for blog partnerships.
– Asking new partners or resellers to link to your site.
6. SEO tools
Web Analytics
Technical audit
Site speed
Keyword research
Link profile
7. Summary – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The goal of SEO is to increase your website’s organic traffic. Effective SEO requires technically sound pages, high-quality content rich in keywords, and strong external links.
SEO is by no means a quick process; it’s an ongoing effort. Improving keyword rankings for single keywords can take several months, and new target keywords may continue to emerge for years. Ranking is entirely dependent on search engines and the domain itself, making it impossible to predict how quickly rankings will improve for any given site. For a completely new domain, it can take over six months for Google to even begin indexing new content, while a strong domain can sometimes achieve top rankings almost instantly.
Investing in SEO is highly worthwhile because organic traffic is free-of-charge, making SEO the most cost-effective way to drive traffic to your site. Additionally, most SEO efforts also positively impact site usability and also improve the conversion rates of traffic from other channels.
How long does it take to see results from SEO efforts?
SEO results are not immediate. The time required to see results can vary greatly based on several factors, including the level of competition in your industry, the current state of your website, the quality of your SEO strategy, and the consistency of your efforts. Generally, results can take from a few months, up to a year. This is because search engines need time to index your site’s changes, and your rankings improve gradually as your site’s authority and relevance grow.
How do search engine algorithms determine website rankings?
Search engine algorithms are complex and continuously evolving. They use thousands of factors to determine website rankings, including (but not limited to) content relevance and quality, user engagement metrics (such as time spent on site, bounce rate, and click-through rate), site speed, mobile-friendliness, the quantity and quality of external links, and website security (HTTPS). These algorithms aim to provide users with the most relevant and high-quality results, so optimizing these aspects of your site can improve your rankings.
Can SEO guarantee that my website will be the top result for certain keywords?
No, SEO cannot guarantee that your website will be the top result for specific keywords. Search engine algorithms are complex, and rankings fluctuate due to various factors beyond anyone’s control, sometimes even changing several times an hour. Competitor actions, algorithm updates, and changes in user behaviour can all impact your site’s ranking. A reliable SEO strategy focuses on improving various aspects of your site over time to increase its visibility and authority, but it cannot promise a specific ranking.
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Julkaistu 01.11.2024
Päivitetty 15.11.2024
