The battle for high positions in search results continues. Each company wants to be at the top of the search engine for specific phrases in order to reach the widest possible group of customers. Website positioning is a permanent improvement and optimization. However, nothing happens as if by magic, but is the result of carefully conducted activities that have been planned in advance. Check how to support this process and how to position the website correctly.
Striving to occupy the highest possible search results for specific phrases is a real chance to expand the interest in the offer among new users. It is enough to look at the statistics prepared by Paraphrase-Online.com Team – over 43% of Internet users click on the link in the first place, over 37% of recipients click on the link from the second position, and with each lower position the click-through rate decreases – only 3% of users are interested in the link in the last position.
How to position the website – setting keywords
The user arrives at the website based on individual keywords or entire phrases entered into the search field. Therefore, the choice of phrases is one of the main aspects of SEO. It is with their help that the Internet user determines his needs, counting on precise feedback from Google.
You – as the website owner – must understand the user’s expectations. This will allow you to choose the right keywords – those that can be used by your potential recipient. However, you should not focus only on the main and very general phrases – they are very popular, as a result of which it is difficult to “stand out”, and besides, they usually do not allow you to reach users who are actually interested in the offer. Effect? You may notice an increased number of visits to the website, but the conversion will be low. And yet you care about generating traffic that translates into high sales, right?
Keywords can be divided into several categories:
– brand phrases – related directly to the company or a specific product that the user is looking for, e.g. Rolex watches,
– local phrases – relating to the company, industry, locations, e.g. Miami dentist, dog hairdresser in Las Vegas,
– long tail phrases – not appreciated by everyone yet, but they have great opportunities; are especially recommended for the e-commerce industry, because they allow you to narrow the field of search, e.g. quilted autumn jacket without a hood,
– guide phrases – reflect the queries entered by the user; are recommended primarily in articles published on the blog, e.g. what cosmetic treatments for pregnant women, what book for a gift for a teenager.
Do you know the types of phrases and what’s next? How do you know which of them have high potential and which are completely let go? If you care about effective positioning, you cannot rely solely on your intuition. Public tools can help you choose the right keywords.
Google Keyword Planner
The Google Keyword Planner is one of the most popular phrase selection tools. Although it is ultimately used to plan Google Ads advertising campaigns, it also supports activities related to positioning. With this tool, you can search for phrases with potential, and analyze them, taking into account the frequency of searches or competitiveness.
Answer The Public
It is a tool that allows you to search not only for popular phrases, but also related queries entered into the search engine. Thanks to this, you can reach not only the main keywords, but also the long tail phrases and tip phrases.
You can also search for keywords using paid (more advanced) tools. The keyword database available in them allows you to find specific phrases with high potential. You get not only a list of words, but also information about the average number of monthly searches, trends, and seasonality. There are also phrases in the form of questions, dependent words, and even word groups. Thanks to such extensive functionality, you have a chance to create an appropriate set of keywords.
SEO audit – introduction to positioning
If you want to perform effective SEO, you need to know the health of your
website. Why? For a website to be
liked by Google robots, it should meet their expectations in terms of many
aspects. These include such issues
as:
– proper construction,
– speed of operation,
– user-friendliness,
– content,
– correct link profile.
An SEO audit is an introduction to positioning that will allow you to create a specific action plan that increases the likelihood of being in the top positions in search results.
There are several necessary elements that should form the basis of the audit. These include information on:
– website construction,
– site speed,
– indexing options by Google robots,
– the correctness of the website code,
– content analysis – also in terms of duplicates,
– competition analysis,
– keyword analysis,
– link profile.
A properly conducted website audit and the implementation of the changes recommended by it will help to increase:
– site visibility,
– movement within it,
– sales potential.
This means that you will get even more benefits from it than just positioning support. There is only one condition – it must be carried out reliably, preferably by industry experts. Specialists know what elements should be especially paid attention to in order to get as close to the operation of Google algorithms as possible.
Perform on-site activities
The results of the audit are an excellent and huge source of knowledge about the condition of the website and how to position the website. They are the starting point for further activities – first of all within the site itself. Here are some important aspects.
Correct internal navigation
The website must be friendly to both users and Google robots. An important role here is played by e.g. appropriate internal navigation – so that every visitor can easily reach the right place.
As part of the positioning activities, all activities aimed at improving internal navigation should therefore be carried out. This is what reflects the correct website architecture.
The most important element is the website menu with the most important main tabs. They should direct to individual subpages – categories, and they, in turn – to subcategories, etc.
If you want to check if the website architecture is correct, check it using the so-called 3-click rule. This means that a user wishing to reach the selected place should only make 3 mouse clicks. Of course, this rule will not apply to very complex websites or e-shops. However, it is worth thinking about building such an architecture that will require the least number of clicks from the Internet user.
Correctness of URLs
As part of the activities related to positioning, it is worth checking and – if necessary – modifying the URLs. Changes must be made with Google in mind, so they should be easy to remember, clear to navigate, readable, containing keywords, as short as possible.
Creation of correct metadata
The right meta title and description structure will help generate more traffic on the website. Therefore, it is worth remembering not only to supplement these elements, but also to ensure their correctness – not only in the context of placing the appropriate keywords.
Title should be between 60-70 characters. Make sure it responds to the question you are asking, while attracting attention and encouraging you to click.
The description length changes from time to time, so it’s best to stick to around 160 characters. The description should confirm the accuracy of the meta title – it should be constructed in such a way that it includes a CTA.
Content optimization
The content posted on the website plays a huge role, so it should be properly optimized. The basis is to supplement the content with selected keywords – but with naturalness. The text must be saturated with phrases, but in such a way that it is still easy to read.
The next step is to remove duplicate content – all that already appear in search results on other websites. Duplicate content is one of the elements that can significantly lower the position of a site in search results.
Remember that the content is not only texts, but also graphics. And it should be optimized – described with the ALT and title attribute. Also pay attention to the size of the photos – if they are too large, they will slow down the page loading speed.
Improving page loading speed
Internet users do not like to wait, so they immediately abandon slow-loading pages. If you do not want such a fate to befall your site, take care of the optimal page loading speed. You will not only score in the eyes of users, but also Google. The time in which the website content is loaded not only affects the higher position in the search results, but also … higher conversion.
If the audit indicated the need to improve the page loading speed, this should be changed. For this purpose, you can, for example, reduce server consumption, optimize images, remove unnecessary elements on the page, update themes and plugins, reduce the number of redirects.
Expanding the website content
Adding more subpages filled with content is a chance to naturally weave keywords and carry out internal linking. So think about expanding your site with new subcategories, and start a blog (if you don’t have one).
Take care of off-site activities
If you want to strengthen the position of a website in search results, you cannot focus solely on activities within the website. You have to “go outside” – in order to improve your authority, strengthen your image on the web and… build a natural link profile of the website.
Unify corporate data
If your company details are published on different business card pages, check that they are correct. Keep it up-to-date to help build greater trust and improve credibility.
Completing online business cards
It is worth getting to know the users – it is enough to fill in the information in the online business cards. The necessity is, among others presence in Google My Business. A free profile helps you connect with customers in both search and Google Maps.
You should also make sure that existing customers leave feedback about your company. The more positive, the greater the trust. This will directly help in increasing the traffic to the website, and this in turn will aid positioning.
Publishing expert articles on industry portals
The image of an expert helps to rise to higher positions in search results, so it is worth ensuring the publication of articles on industry websites. However, these cannot be typical advertising texts, and articles with added value for the reader – it is about dispelling doubts, presenting new opportunities, etc.
Publishing sponsored articles
Sponsored articles are content published for a fee. This does not mean that they can constitute intrusive advertising and presentation of own services / products. If they are to attract the reader’s attention and encourage him to visit the website, they should provide a solution to a given problem, etc. How-to articles that present specific knowledge and clear tips useful to the user are great for this role.
Remember! The website for publication should be selected in terms of your target group. If you only operate locally, then focus on such portals.
Positioning – focus only on White Hat SEO
How to position your website without worrying about tomorrow? If you intend to improve the website’s position in the search results and you want to stay at the top of the search results for a long time, do not resort to unethical practices. Act in accordance with Google’s guidelines, because only this will bring the expected results. Build pages with people in mind, not just results.
Follow the White Hat SEO principles, which include aspects such as:
– adapting the website to the needs of recipients,
– improving user experience (so-called User Experience),
– constant expansion of content,
– obtaining external links in a natural or non-invasive way.
Remember! Currently, what matters to Google is the well-being of the user. Therefore, in all activities related to positioning, bear in mind your target group. Thanks to this, you will increase the chance of higher positions in search results and minimize the risk of applying filters to your website.
How to position the website – independently or with support?
Are you wondering how to position your website: on your own or with the agency’s support? There is no one-size-fits-all answer because it all depends on several factors. The most important thing is the current knowledge and experience – you need to know what actions to take in order to gain higher and higher positions in search results step by step.
A common mistake are attempts at self positioning by people who do not have much knowledge. Just “touching” the topic does not help much – because working out high positions in Google is not only about supplementing the content with keywords. The whole process is multi-stage and long-term – taking into account the changing Google algorithms.
Of course, a lot also depends on which agency you are going to cooperate with. In this case, you cannot be guided solely by the price. Consider, among others such issues as: knowledge, experience, the effects of campaigns implemented so far, opinions of other companies, and even provisions in contracts.
