SEO, or search engine optimization, is crucial to prove to search engines that your page is the right one. You might wonder: why focus on SEO when there are many other marketing avenues? Well, there are three main reasons marketers are drawn to SEO, making it the best traffic channel. First, unlike paid ads, search traffic is free. Secondly, organic traffic is typically steady once you're at the top of the rankings, while other channels like social media and email marketing often result in traffic spikes that fade away. Thirdly, you have the opportunity to reach a broad audience otherwise inaccessible.
All industries are embracing this trend: everyone wants their business to be discovered, and search engine optimization is the perfect way to do so. But how does Google work? There are two parts to this process. The first is crawling and indexing, allowing Google to discover web pages and create its search index. Google employs crawlers, also known as spiders, to gather publicly available information from across the web, creating a vast database. These data are then used to update Google's search index, which is what users see when they perform a search on Google.
The second part consists of Google's ranking algorithm. Google employs hundreds of ranking signals to determine the order in which search results are displayed. While we don't know precisely how the algorithm works, there are some key factors to consider.
First, backlinks are important. The more backlinks a page receives from authoritative sources, the more Google considers that content reliable. Second, there's search intent. Google aims to provide the most relevant results for each query, so understanding user search intent is crucial. Third, there's content depth. Google favors content that provides detailed and comprehensive answers to users' questions.
SEO is essential to ensure your website is found and prominently positioned in search results. By following SEO best practices and creating high-quality content, you can increase your website's visibility and attract a wider audience.
Keywords in the context of search engine optimization (SEO) are simply the words and phrases people type into search engines to find what they're looking for. The main goal of SEO is to rank your pages for the keywords your target audience or customers are searching for. If you're not ranking for the keywords actually being searched, your SEO efforts are somewhat futile.
But how do you actually choose the keywords worth targeting? Here's a checklist to help you select keywords effectively:
- Check if your keyword has search demand: search demand represents the monthly search volume for a keyword, measurable through a keyword metric called "search volume". You can find the search volume for a keyword using a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, Moz Keyword Explorer, Ubersuggest, or HFC Keywords Explorer. There are many keyword research tools available for search engine optimization (SEO), each with its own features and functionalities.
- Check the traffic potential: traffic potential represents the total search traffic you could receive by ranking at the top of Google for your keyword. Measure how many potential visitors could reach your website if your content appeared as the first result when users search for that specific keyword. Traffic potential depends on various factors, including keyword search volume, your site's position in search results, and the click-through rate the first result receives. Choosing keywords based solely on metrics isn't advisable, which is why it's essential to consider the following points.Choosing keywords based solely on metrics isn't advisable, which is why it's essential to consider the following points.
- Evaluate the commercial potential of the keyword or topic: commercial potential represents the value that a keyword holds for your business, depending on the industry and your business model. Choosing a relevant keyword enables converting visitors into customers.
- Check if you can meet the search intent: search intent represents the reason behind the search query, and the way we determine this is by looking at the pages with the highest ranking for the keyword we want to rank for.
To select the appropriate keywords, ultimately, it's essential to analyze and understand the search intent of the users we want to attract to our page. Search intent represents the purpose behind a search query. The goal is to demonstrate to search engines that your page will fulfill their objective of providing the most relevant results for a particular search. Identifying search intent is usually straightforward: all you have to do is search for the keyword you want to rank for. A simple three-step method you can use is called the "three Cs of search intent".
- Content Type: identify the type of content you want to disseminate. The most popular content types include Blog Posts, Videos, and Commercial Product Pages.
- Content Format: choose a format that aligns with the type of content you want to convey. Some common blog formats include how-to guides, step-by-step tutorials, lists, and opinion editorials.
- Content Angle: it represents your hook for why someone should click and visit your page. It's the "hook" that grabs users' attention and convinces them to click and visit the page.
To optimize the website, identify relevant keywords by analyzing the target audience and competitors, use keyword research tools, consider SEO expert consultation, and strategically integrate identified keywords into the content. Don't forget to constantly monitor performance and make adjustments to improve the SEO strategy.