Search engine optimisation has been a big topic for years. Everybody wants to appear in the unpaid top positions of search results on Google & Co. in order to ultimately reach potential new customers without investing a cent.
In my job as an online marketing consultant I see every day how much false knowledge on this topic is spread and how often wrong actions are taken because of it. Therefore here are the 10 most important things you should know about the topic of search engine optimisation:
Search engine optimisation is not a one-off matter
Google generates search results using a dynamic algorithm that aims to provide users with the best possible search result for their query. The algorithm itself, but also the data basis for the evaluation is constantly changing. A direct consequence of this is that the rankings in the search results also vary continuously.
In order to generate sustainable success in search engine optimisation, it is therefore necessary to constantly monitor the rankings, implement optimisation measures and readjust them again and again.
A good ranking depends on many factors
How exactly the rankings are generated by search engines like Google is a secret. However, observations have been made over the years in search engine optimisation, which show which factors have an influence on the ranking.
Over the years, a large number of parameters have been defined. Basically they can be divided into three categories:
- Technical factors (e.g. website loading time, code structure, mobile optimisation)
- Content factors (e.g. keywords in headlines, reader friendliness)
- External factors (e.g. links, search queries, etc.)
Buying links and stuffing the site with keywords is a disaster
As in any other industry, there are black sheep in search engine optimisation. You should be wary of them, as they can lead to you being completely excluded from the search results.
You should never, for example, accept offers such as “1000 external SEO links for 100 €”. Also, cramging your site with important keywords will sooner or later lead to ruin. It reduces the readability of the page and makes the page look “unnatural” even for the intelligent algorithms of a search engine.
A subpage should always only be optimised for one main keyword
To increase the likelihood that your website will appear in a specific search query, you should create a page on your website that focuses only on this one topic. In this way you show the search engine that this single page deals with exactly this one topic and therefore has a high relevance for the searching person. This increases the probability of a good ranking.
Search engine optimisation is primarily about the user
Search engines such as Google aim to provide users with results that are as relevant as possible to their search query. How relevant a result is depends, as mentioned, on many factors. If the search engine notices that the user is back in the search engine 3 seconds after clicking on a result and searches again, this is an indication that the result delivered may not have been relevant after all. It is therefore important to put the user first in all search engine optimisations. User experience, reader-friendliness and concrete benefits are only some of the criteria that must be considered here.
Advertising slang and search engine optimisation are not compatible
Creative agencies often use beautiful wordplays. Unfortunately, these creative formulations are not searched for. In many cases the abstract advertising language rather leads to the fact that the search engine cannot classify the real subject of the website and therefore does not consider it in the relevant search queries. For this reason, it is important that the advertising language does not take over on the site.
Not every keyword will bring you turnover
As a rule, only limited time and financial resources are available for search engine optimisation. Therefore, you should focus on the turnover-relevant and goal-relevant keywords right from the start. Try to achieve an optimal ranking here instead of focusing on keywords that have a low probability of generating revenue. Which keywords these are can be analysed in advance with search engine advertising.
The more competitive a keyword, the more expensive and lengthy the optimisation
In search engine optimisation there is competition just like in normal business life. The more turnover-relevant the keywords are and the higher the density of competitors, the more complex and therefore cost- and time-intensive the optimisation will be.
SEO should already be taken into account when designing and developing a new website
A good search engine ranking depends on many different factors, as described at the beginning. If you are developing a new website for your company, you should consider the topic of search engine optimisation already in the conception phase. In this way you avoid costly changes that have to be made later on to page technology, structure and content.
