SEO or search engine optimization is not yet fully integrated into many companies. Often there is no strategy behind it, which means that companies only attract a few relevant visitors to their websites via search engines. So how do a good relationship with Google and other search engines work, and why is search engine optimization so important? We want to ask ourselves these and a few other questions in this text.
Successful search engine optimization strategies, first and foremost, require an understanding of the world of SEO. It is essential to deal with it intensively and to understand the terminology. You should know, understand, and know-how to structure search terms and all their associated synonyms. This is the only way to create the best result for the user. High-quality content, SEO’s technical components, and the best possible user experience are significant here.
Successful search engine optimization is a process but not a one-off project. You work with ongoing web analyzes because no website lands from zero to number one in the search. Keywords, website architecture and content are the cornerstones of this. Search engine optimization is often not urgent but always very important. In the best case, a time and financial budget are set for SEO, for example, for a year. The basis for regular work is an SEO strategy, which must be defined and developed once at the beginning.
In the following, we will deal with these topics:
- search engine (Google)
- Snippets
- Keywords (search terms)
- Linking (backlinks)
- URL
- content / content
- users and users
- organic traffic
- Visibility of the search result/ranking
Table of Contents
The Most Crucial Search Engine For Users
Why is the story of Google’s rise important? It’s the story of a small search engine that left its partner (Yahoo!) behind and conquered the world. It’s about the changing relationship between us advertisers and users of Google. Because before Google unleashed its algorithm on the planet, SEO was understood very differently. It was all about getting listed in online directories. At that time, there were different models of search engines, which worked more or less based on keywords. The more frequently a search term appeared on a previously indexed page, the higher this page was displayed in the search results.
With Google’s web crawler and the PageRank algorithm, obtaining information became more complex. Google introduced the so-called backlinks as the primary ranking factor. A backlink is a link that points to my site. Google had the brilliant idea of seeing these backlinks as recommendations from other sites so that each site could pass on its ranking by linking to another. Thus, pages with many (and sound) backlinks were displayed at the top of the search results. This small but significant innovation still impacts how we use the Internet and what content we consume. Backlinks are still an essential factor in search engine optimization.
Will Backlinks Still Be Relevant in 2022?
Opinions differ on this question. But there will probably not be an omission as a ranking factor for the time being. The regular building of high-quality backlinks still leads to a substantial increase in traffic over a more extended period. Focusing on topic relevance and link ratings, it can be said that backlinks from trusted and popular websites still increase a website’s authority. Additionally, these links continue to be a good source of brand image and help drive referral traffic.
Why Is Search Engine Optimization So Important?
The importance of search engine optimization as part of online marketing has increased significantly in recent years. Search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) ensure good rankings and higher visibility in the search engines. Search engines are in focus worldwide when it comes to obtaining information. This makes it easy to reach potential customers, regardless of whether they are already doing preliminary research or are already looking with a specific interest in buying. Optimization for search engines thus plays an essential role in customer acquisition and should be a necessary part of any online marketing mix.
The Goal of SEO Is Not Just Content And Keywords.
Utilizing SEO, we want to place the websites high up. Search engine optimization has the main goal:
Appear in suitable places in the most crucial search engines for relevant search terms with relevant pages.
The presentation of the so-called snippets (preview of a website’s content in the search results) should encourage the user to click on the displayed result. The objective here is to meet the expectations of the user. For this, the snippet’s content must match the search term, text, and website content. In addition, the content should be mobile-friendly, and usability must be guaranteed.
What Makes a Sound Snippet?
Several factors lead a user to click on a snippet. When improving and customizing your snippets, you should consider the following: The placement of your result (visible) and how good the title and description are essential. Furthermore, one should pay attention to good information architecture (awards, e.g. deep links). Getting your brand known is just as important.
Why is SEO Relevant To My Business and My Ranking?
Simply put, it’s relevant to “every” business. Nine out of ten users use Google as a search engine when researching relevant information. The first three results get the most clicks. Further developments are correspondingly less clicked or perceived. Therefore, the aim and strategy are to appear as high as possible in the search results. The higher the placement in the search results (SERPs), the higher the conversions. The position of your website can therefore determine how many visitors you can generate.
SEO Requirements For URL, Content, Keywords
In particular, the requirements for digital marketing and SEO are subject to constant change. What is recommended by all experts today may already be outdated tomorrow. Therefore, in this volatile environment, it is of immense importance to monitor the trends. In the beginning, was the Word! This sentence from the Bible has a gigantic meaning and is also the origin of content marketing. The question here is not “right or wrong”. Instead, it is about understanding how important “words” can be and influence the formation of opinions. People use the written Word for orientation, and it offers them security and direction. This also applies to search engines.
What Should You Pay Attention To With Keywords (Search Terms) And Their Research?
Which keywords are there anyway? Many companies only use a few key terms. But the user searches in the form of thousands of different terms. One speaks here of short and long-tail keywords . Each keyword and its possible combinations have its search volume. So there are numerous keywords. How to research the keywords? They are examined and evaluated centrally with the help of various SEO tools with the appropriate database. This results in the next steps for search engine optimization.
Keyword Research
What are the next steps? The analysis starts once the search terms and search volume have been researched. Which terms are the most important for a company? The company’s current positioning, including its products and which phrases have the best chances for top rankings, is considered here. When optimizing, the content must appear natural. The reading flow must not be interrupted due to too many keywords being lined up. What is meant by this is keyword stuffing, which means that the keyword is accommodated in most sentences, or it occurs several times in every heading/title. Find an appropriate balance of your keywords in text.
Also Read: Small Business Digital Marketing: How to Create a Strategy That Gets Results
Where Is The Right Place For My Keywords?
To answer this question, we need to look at website architecture. Search terms need to be clustered, so we need to sort and rank them. The search terms (keywords) are crowded and assigned according to topics. It gets complicated with existing websites regarding which keywords should rank for which pages. The problem of keyword cannibalism in such cases is the following: Important keywords rank for several pages simultaneously. However, the assignment by the search engine can only be made clear if it can be assigned which page should rank preferentially for the keyword. It may be helpful to merge individual pages here.
What Essential Links Are There?
Links are also an important ranking factor. There are two different types of search engine optimization that need to be distinguished:
External backlinks (Off-Page), i.e. links from other websites. While backlinks were one of the main tasks of every SEO specialist in the past, they will play an ever-smaller role in the future. The main reason for this development is the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) by Google. Google positioned itself in this field years ago with the “Google Brain” research project and the AI specialist “DeepMind” takeover. For those responsible for SEO, this means that the rule of backlinks is coming to an end and that content quality, together with the search intentions in individual cases (user intent), is becoming increasingly important.
Internal links (On-Page) record how deep the individual subpages are in the website architecture and how they link. Internal linking is an on-page job for every SEO because you have to work on its content—clearly an elementary factor for successful SEO.
The URL structure
The URL is usually formed from the selected title of the website. If the keyword was used in the title, it is usually also used in the URL. You need a short and appealing URL. This then offers the user a good orientation, and for SEO, it provides the chance of good rankings.
What must be considered when creating a URL?
The shorter a URL is, the stronger the words used are rated. In addition, you memorize them much better. To ensure a good URL structure, you should avoid using unnecessary words and hyphens when stringing together words. Special characters or umlauts should be avoided in the URL.
How Do I Create Good Content For Search Engines And Users?
Don’t make the mistake of only writing for the search engine! Remember that there is a human who prefers to read good content behind every click. Both concerns must be combined to succeed with search engine optimization and the content itself. Nowadays, artificial intelligence allows Google to measure content quality using so-called “co-occurrences”, an advanced form of keyword density. It is no longer about the quantity of the keywords but also about the semantic distance between two words, i.e. how close the relationship of these words is. Google has managed to identify synonyms and ambiguous definitions correctly and correctly interpret previously unknown search queries.
So what does this mean for SEO? A return to traditional content production. Each keyword has a group of related keywords, leading to a ranking for a specific topic. This goes far beyond the apparent relationship. If we take “leather” as an example, it is decisive for the different rankings whether “jacket”, “size”, or “color” occurs in the text. The more relevant the related words are and the more complete the description within the text, the higher the quality of the content. In doing so, it is essential to note the number of these related words and their verbosity.
Find important content for the user.
Find the suitable content form! This consists of three levels and is the basis for the content design (structure and structure of a page):
- genre (text, image, video, audio)
- Style (entertainment, information, knowledge, values)
- Content format (tutorial, checklists, interviews, etc.).
Then you deal with your content planning. So you know exactly when and what is published. This is evident from the researched keywords. Of course, there is always room for new ideas or topics that need to be implemented at short notice.
What Must Be Considered With Conversions To Convert Users Into Customers?
Google has managed to find “co-occurrences” with its AI and individual search intentions. According to the previous status quo, a distinction was made between transactional, navigational, and informational choices.
Transactional intentions include, above all, search queries that contain a concrete purchase intention but also search questions that do not initially have a purchase intention. An excellent example is the search query “buy women’s jeans” compared to “women’s jeans fashion 2019”.
Navigational intents refer to searches that include a website or product name, such as “Suits DVD Amazon.” So this is about navigating to a page.
The final intent that Google defines is informational purpose. In this case, the user searches specifically for information, for example, “Since when are women allowed to vote?”
Conversions
The intentions of users today go far beyond these classic intentions. Google’s AI has learned that users who search for “Chancellor” usually want to know their age, and users who ask for “weather” are interested in the weather in their area. Visual ideas are displayed if users search for inspiration for their household, but if they only search for “inspiration”, films, quotes, and pictures are included. Even when searching for any product, the Google algorithm has learned that there is usually a transactional intent behind it. If you search for the word “car tires”, nine out of ten results come from online shops that offer car tires.
To answer the question, “How do we turn conversions into customers?” To answer this, we need to look at three areas:
- The conversion rate is crucial. Technology and content are building blocks that can influence them. However, one should not be satisfied with just optimizing one area. Optimization is often only done on a technical level, but you should also test the content properly.
- The content performance looks at the user after and during their interaction. The following are evaluated: click rates, bounce rates, length of stay, etc.
- Lead qualification is the ultimate goal, but as I said, it only works in conjunction with the other components.
What Are Organic Search Results?
The search engine’s SERP or search results page (e.g. Google) is divided into organic search results and paid ads. One also speaks of paid or unpaid traffic. The clicks on organic search results are completely free. A page’s placement in the organic search results for a specific keyword is achieved and influenced by constant and regular SEO work. Paid search engine advertising is created with the help of Google Ads. The click price for a keyword combination determines the display of the ad. Paid ads are tagged with the word “ad” and appear above and below organic search results.
What Do I Have To Do To Make My Website Appear In The Search Results with the Search Terms?
Since there is only a limited number of Google ads per search query and the chances for a keyword to rank are decreasing, performance marketing as a support for SEO activities is reaching its limits. It is becoming more and more expensive to stand up to the competition for the top ad spots, and backlinks are far less critical to achieving the coveted spots in the rankings. As a result, it no longer depends on how much money you pay but on how holistic, i.e. holistic, the content strategy is.
And that is good news! On the one hand, you no longer have to focus on the competition, the winners of which are primarily big brands. Added to this is the interaction between the type of organic optimization and the influence on all other channels. While the previous focus on keyword research and Google Ads meant that you had to structure track by channel, the modern type of holistic content strategy has a positive cross-channel effect on sales.
Getting your website included in Google’s search results is free and easy. Google is a fully automated search engine that uses web crawlers that continuously scan the world wide web to find new websites and then add them to the index. You can also set up your website manually. Google’s Search Console provides helpful tools (tools) to submit content to Google and check your status in Google Search. In addition, the Google Search Console offers to send notifications about critical problems when they are detected.
The subject of SEO is not easy, and it is pervasive. External certification bodies certify SEO implementations to clarify who is doing their work and who would like to master the techniques. An experienced SEO is constantly educating himself and must continually adapt to current changes and continuously work on adapting the websites and meeting the criteria of the search engines with all their ranking factors. Otherwise, good placement in the search engines is not given.
Being an SEO manager now also means editorially coordinating the planning and implementation of page content. In addition to classic technical tasks such as optimizing page speed, structuring the page (meta tags, rich snippets, URL structure, etc.) and adapting mobile content, the SEO manager must also plan which content, when and how to be placed on the page.
