How does SEO work?
People use
search engines when they have a question and want to find an answer on the
internet. Search engine algorithms are computer programs that search for hints
in order to provide searchers with the exact results they want. Algorithms are
used by search engines to identify web sites and determine which ones to rank
for a particular keyword. Crawling, which is the discovery stage, indexing,
which is the filing stage, and ranking, which is the retrieval stage, are the
three stages of how search engines function.
Step 1:
Crawling
Crawling is
the first step. Web crawlers are sent out by search engines to locate new pages
and gather data about them. These web crawlers are also known as'spiders' or
'robots.' Their goal is to find new web pages and to review the content of
pages they've already visited to see whether it's changed or updated.
Search
engines scan web pages by following previously found links. When a search
engine scans your homepage, it will hunt for another link to follow and may
follow the link to your new blog post if you have a blog post connected from
your homepage.
Step 2:
Indexing
Indexing is
the next stage. When a search engine determines whether or not to use the
material it has crawled, it is called indexing. A search engine will add a
crawling web page to its index if it is judged worthy. This index is utilized
in the last step of ranking. When a web page or piece of material is indexed,
it is filed and saved in a database from which it may be accessed at a later
time. The index contains the majority of web sites that have unique and
important material. If a web page meets the following criteria, it may be
excluded from the index:
·
Its
content is considered duplicate
·
Its
content is considered low value or spammy
·
It
couldn’t be crawled
·
The
page or domain lacked inbound links
Step 3:
Ranking
The third and
most critical phase, ranking, is the most significant. After the crawling and
indexing stages are completed, ranking can begin. Your site can be ranked once
it has been crawled and indexed by a search engine.
Search
engines utilize over 200 ranking signals to categorize and rank material, all
of which fall under the three pillars of SEO: technical optimization, on-page
optimization, and off-page optimization. The following are some examples of
signals used by search engines to rank web pages:
·
Keyword
presence in title tag –
Whether the keyword or a synonym was mentioned on the page and within the title
tag
·
Loading
speed of web page –
Whether the web page loads quickly and is mobile-friendly
·
Website
reputation –
Whether the web page and website is considered reputable for the topic being
searched for
Ordering
and ranking results
Google’s main
search algorithm is called Google Hummingbird, and it is responsible for
deciding how to order and rank search engine results.
Google also
has a machine-learning search engine sub-algorithm called RankBrain:
·
If
RankBrain sees a word or phrase it isn’t familiar with, it uses artificial
intelligence to understand it better by connecting it to similar search
queries.
·
It
allows Google to understand these queries by converting keywords into known
topics and concepts, meaning it can provide better search engine results – even
when queries are unusual.
·
Rather
than attempting to be the best keyword optimized result, RankBrain rewards
websites that provide user satisfaction and return the result that the user
expects
Getting
the most out of RankBrain
A good SEO
strategy is to optimize your website to improve user experience and
satisfaction, and try to get the most out of the RankBrain ranking factor.
The three
most effective ways to do this are:
1. Optimize for medium-tail keywords (key
terms consisting of two to three words).
2. Optimize page titles and descriptions
for clicks so that when someone searches, your listing is more likely to be
clicked. The click-through rate is the percentage of people who see you on
Google and then go ahead and click through to your website.
3. Optimize content to increase dwell
time (the length of time people stay on the page) and reduce bounce rate (the
percentage of visitors who leave after only viewing one page).
Remember,
Google’s top three ranking factors are:
·
Links
·
Content
·
RankBrain
Setting
SEO objectives
Setting SEO
objectives is a vital part of any SEO strategy. It is important to set SEO
objectives – and to align them with your overall business objectives – because:
·
They
encourage buy-in from key stakeholders.
·
They
help you to formulate your SEO strategy.
·
They
ensure goals are met.
What
should you measure?
While it can
feel like a laborious task to set objectives, measuring them can really help
you make progress with your SEO in the long term. So what types of things
should you measure?
Consider
measuring:
·
Keywords
·
Traffic
·
Market
share
·
Brand
awareness
·
Lead
generation
·
Reputation
·
E-commerce
Examples
of SEO objectives
Here are
three examples of SEO objectives that can be used as a guide to setting
relevant objectives for your own business or website:
·
"Move
50% of our top 20 keywords onto the first page of Google within nine
months." This objective focuses on keyword ranking.
·
"Improve
our year-on-year organic traffic by 20% in quarter three and 25% in quarter
four." This objective focuses on increasing organic website traffic.
·
"Grow
our SEO market share from 3% to 5% in the next financial year." This
objective focuses on growing market share.
Setting
goals for various sorts of businesses
If you run a
transactional firm with an e-commerce component, you'll want to focus your
goals on monitoring sales and lead conversions. If you're running a
non-ecommerce business site, though, you should concentrate on lead creation.
If you run an
informative business, you're more likely to create goals centered on brand
awareness or website traffic.
Finally, keep
in mind that SEO is never complete, even if you have fully implemented your SEO
plan. When it comes to SEO, you may need to switch strategies in the middle of
the game, play a lengthy game, and wait for the final outcomes. However, with a
good SEO foundation in place – and a little patience – the advantages of your
SEO strategy should start to show, leading to a better client experience and
more conversions for your company.

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