SEO optimization is an important part of an internet marketing strategy. Let's say you have a website. But no one will see it if it is far from the first pages of the publication. If the pages do not display correctly on smartphones, you will lose some potential customers. Without high-quality content in the interests of the target audience, you will not be able to attract a loyal audience. The main goal of SEO optimization is to bring the site to the first positions in the search and constantly improve it to attract new customers.
How SEO optimization works
SEO optimization is a set of measures aimed at improving the site's position in the search results. Google and other search engines rank Internet resources according to certain algorithms. If the site does not meet them, it goes to the farthest delivery positions. The purpose of ranking is for users to find the information they need on the first links.
A search engine is a certain algorithm of the search system, which consists of:
- work to collect information from all Internet resources;
- indexer for ranking sites;
- graphical search engine - search bar and interface that the user sees.
To find the necessary information, the user enters a certain query - a keyword, a phrase - into the search bar. The search engine finds pages of sites that contain keywords, their synonyms and relevant information to answer the question. But this is not enough to bring the Internet resource to the top of the list.
What does the position of the site depend on
A high-quality site is user-friendly and contains content that meets the request. Neural networks form an output in a fraction of a second, taking into account a huge number of factors. Among them, three main groups are distinguished:
External factors – citations of your website by other web resources. The number and quality of links to the site placed on other sites affects the weight of the site. At the same time, each page has its own weight. Behavioral - the behavior of site visitors. If visitors come in and immediately leave, it has a bad effect on rankings and vice versa. If visitors do not leave immediately, stay on the page for a long time, move from it to other sections, the search engine believes that the content is interesting to the audience. Internal factors - everything that is inside the site (structure, content, etc.) and meta tags. The main internal factors that affect the position of the site\n\n: Semantic core, collected according to thematic queries. The presence on the site of thematic sections and pages relevant to thematic groups of "keys" from the semantic kernels. Speed of loading and adaptability of pages to any devices - smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops. Quality and originality of content - text, pictures, videos. Relevance of content on the request page. Optimization of meta tags (Title, Description). User protection - the site works via the https protocol. Your links from the search engine should be visited more often than competitors' links. One way to improve clickability is to highlight a snippet. How to do it:\n ✅ Use emojis in link titles.\n ✅ Use Google's Q/A feature. Then users will see the expanded answer to the question under your link and it will draw attention to it.\n ✅ Add an icon to your links - a small picture (favicon) that is displayed next to it.\n ✅ Add quick links to sections. In the Yandex edition, they will be displayed under the description.\n ✅ Add the company to the Yandex. Directory so that the rating, address, and phone number are displayed under the snippet. Also, when they search for your company by name, a company card will be placed along with the link - photo, rating, reviews, contacts.
The same site can occupy several lines in the top ranking for the same query (different pages).
Local SEO promotion
Local SEO is suitable for promoting businesses that are tied to a location. These can be cafes, restaurants, beauty salons, shops and companies that operate only in a certain area.\n\nTips for local SEO promotion:
- Use keywords in the name of streets, cities, districts, metro stations.
- Add your company to Yandex.Directory and Google My Business in search engine directories, fill out the profile in as much detail as possible. Motivate customers to rate, leave feedback, add work schedule, photos.
- List your business in local online directories.
- Order publications with links to your site in regional media.
- Combine offline and online, for example with event marketing. Become an organizer of local events on the topic of your business and announce them on the Internet.
- Optimize Title and Description for geo-queries.
Local SEO promotion can focus on a specific address, street, metro station. The search engine will take into account your location even in response to queries with the words "nearby", "nearby", "in this area". It is easier to advance to local requests, because there are fewer competitors in the issue.
Why is SEO optimization necessary?
SEO-optimized site:
- takes the leading places in issuing on the request of potential customers;
- displays equally well on mobile devices and PCs;
- constantly improved for the comfort of users;
- contains useful information for potential customers;
- provides complete information about the company;
- collects leads and contacts for targeting using capture forms;
- attracts subscribers to social networks and for email distribution.
In a global sense, SEO optimization is important so that the Internet is filled with quality content and fulfills its function - free access to any information at any time. For business owners, a website is a source of sales, and online promotion is necessary to expand the audience of customers.
SEO promotion and sales
Warm leads come to the site from distribution, because the person himself has shown interest. Requests with the words "order" and "buy" include hot leads that are ready to buy. At the same time, the cost of a lead from search is cheaper than from contextual advertising.
How to make the site sell
1. Create a blog section and post useful content for your subscribers that is related to your product or industry.\n2. If you decide to blog in social networks or on a special platform (Yandex.Zen, LiveJournal), in social networks, natively integrate advertising of your services or products into the publications.\n3. Post contact forms. The site is only part of the sales boom. For example, step by step it looks like this:
- the user leaves the data in the form and consents to the mailing
- receives letters by email with expert advice, reminders about discounts
- becomes a buyer
- enters the loyalty program
- leaves feedback and recommends you to others.
4. Configure the channel traffic scheme. Every page should have clickable social media icons and calls to subscribe. Post announcements and links to website pages on your social media accounts. On business cards, flyers, posters that you distribute offline, publish QR codes with a hidden link to the site.\n5. Constantly work on the usability of the site and simplify the user's path to purchase. Lead forms should consist of no more than 2-3 points. Place a chat for online consultation, feedback functions.SEO promotion is a relatively inexpensive way to get customers online. It works for the long term. The only downside is that you won't be able to see a tangible result earlier than a year. Therefore, contextual advertising in Google Ads is set up in parallel. SEO promotion works for the long term, and contextual advertising brings leads immediately.
How to tell if SEO is working
Analyze site statistics - the number of transitions, sources, user behavior, from which devices visits were made, the number of rejections (exits immediately after the transition). Statistics are shown by Yandex Metrics and Google Analytics counters that are installed on the site.\nAnalyze organic traffic - if SEO promotion works, attendance will increase.\nMonitor the movement of the site's positions in the output - increases, decreases, as well as how long the Internet resource occupies the top places. If the semantic core is assembled correctly, most of the transitions will be "keys". High-quality content, clear structure and functions of the site lead to a decrease in the number of rejections. Users spend more time on pages.
The main result of SEO promotion is an increase in conversions. Track the number of calls using call tracking, registrations, orders in relation to the total number of visits to the site.
Preparation of the site for search promotion
First of all, you need to analyze your site and draw conclusions to what extent it meets the requirements of search engines today, and record behavioral indicators:
- the average time that users spend on the site;
- how many pages the user views per visit;
- how many people leave the site immediately without studying the content;
- number of repeat visits;
- clickability of the snippet.
The next stage is the analysis of the current sales surge. Based on the results of the audit, a list of necessary changes is drawn up. After that, they analyze the sites of the company's competitors on the first pages of the issue. It is necessary to pay attention to the structure, semantics, content marketing, positioning. After the analytical work, the semantic core is collected and the structure of the site is developed - sections, subsections.
Stages of internal and external optimization
The internal optimization of the site consists of the technical part and work with content.
Technical optimization:
- elimination of duplicate pages, broken links, problems with site functionality, loading speed;
- adaptability of the Internet resource to mobile and desktop devices;
- sitemap.xml settings - information for search engines, which pages should be indexed;
- robots.txt settings - information for the neural network, which pages should not be crawled.
If the site is transferred to another domain or the page address is changed, redirection of the main mirror is configured.
Then they start working with the content:
- make a content plan for the blog;
- create technical tasks for copywriters on texts for product cards, sections and meta tags;
- add links - hyperlinks to internal pages of the site, ready-made texts.
External optimization consists in cooperation with other Internet sites. A list of sites is selected for posting thematic articles with a link to the site. It is also necessary to prepare expert articles for the mass media, placement with bloggers in social networks.
