Search Engine Optimization (E3 - July 3, 2024) PDF

Chapter 2: Search Engine Optimization (Pg. 18) 1. Organic vs paid search (Pg.18 & 19) Organic search refers to the process of obtaining natural or unpaid traffic from search engine results pages (SERPs). Paid search, also known as search engine marketing (SEM) or pay-per-cli...

Chapter 2: Search Engine Optimization (Pg. 18) 1. Organic vs paid search (Pg.18 & 19) Organic search refers to the process of obtaining natural or unpaid traffic from search engine results pages (SERPs). Paid search, also known as search engine marketing (SEM) or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, refers to the practice of paying search engines to display ads prominently on search engine results pages (SERPs). These ads typically appear at the top or bottom of the SERPs and are marked as advertisements. Examples of organic search: blog post ranking, product reviews, local business listing Examples of paid search: google Ads Campaigns, Display Ads on Search Networks, Sponsored content on search engines. 2. What is SEO? (Pg. 19) SEO is the practice of making a website attractive to a search engine by presenting its code and content in such a way that the search engine will assume that it will address a specific inquiry from a (human) searcher. What is really being optimized? The search engine or the website? Satisfying a human search. Google is a market leader in search engines. People trying to buy a product, or a service start at a search engine – so if you wanted to sell anything you had to have a high ranking on the SERP. Other methods are available, yet search engines still beat them all. Assume a scenario when we need to buy a product or a service and provoke interactivity with students. Users can arrive on a website by one of four means: a. Search – the user clicks on an organic link on a search engine results page. b. Direct – the user types the web page’s URL directly into their browser or from a bookmark. c. Referral – the user clicks on a link on another website (including adverts). d. Social – the user clicks on a link on a social media platform. More than 50% of website traffic is generated from organic search, paid search generates 15%, social marketing platforms and website traffic isn’t a big success. The search combination (including social and display ads) delivers significantly more traffic to websites than other channels, including social and display advertising.  A key question is: Is the product or service one that people will seek or discover via a search engine? What if scenario? a simple change in a search engine’s algorithm or increased SEO activity from a competitor could see a prized top organic listing disappear overnight – reducing new customers to zero. Naturally, paid advertising might take up some of the slack, but it is doubtful that referral numbers will be maintained. 3. How search engines work (Pg. 22 & 23) The process starts with the search engine using spiders (or bots) that travel around the web gathering up data on websites that is then stored in vast indexes. The search engine uses the data to assess each website’s suitability in matching the search criteria (the algorithm). Then it is presented as the results of its assessment (the SERP). The key – and secret – of the results is the algorithm used to calculate the rankings. Google is said to have around 200 factors in its algorithm, examples: a) Content Quality and Relevance: Google prioritizes content that is high-quality, relevant, and provides valuable information to users. This includes the use of relevant keywords, comprehensive coverage of the topic, and the overall usefulness of the content. b) Mobile-Friendliness: With the increasing number of users accessing the internet via mobile devices, Google has placed a significant emphasis on mobile friendliness. Websites that are optimized for mobile devices and provide a good user experience on smartphones and tablets are likely to rank higher in the search results. Each factor of which is awarded points depending on how well they match the searcher’s query. The highest the total point the better the ranking in SERPs. Factors don’t have equal weights, and the change often. Any attempt to try and fool the search engine with inappropriate actions results in points being deducted. For some factors of the algorithms, there is a certain level of agreement between the industry experts, and these can be divided into. a) on-site placement of keywords b) off-site issues that can improve a site’s SE popularity – these are addressed later in this chapter User intent and the change of informational engine to knowledge engine. Zero-click: where people click after searching on google, are searches on Google that result in users being presented with the information they’re looking for without clicking off the SERP. According to research this act accounts for around 50% of all searches. 10% goes for organic and paid searches. Thus 60% of searches are dominated by google and the rest of the search engines fight over the residual 40%. 4. Keyword (Including The long tail) (Pg.24 & 25) Definition: Characters typed into the search box by the searcher. For the sake of simplicity, will be referred to as keywords. It is common for the keywords to be called a term or query. Keywords identification: a. In-house b. Sought from customers c. With technological aid Generic products or services have bigger competition. Long tail: one way of addressing the issue is to optimize for phrases searchers might use that are more specific to what is being sought Intent interpretation and AI and intent phrases Types of searches: a. Information (know) b. Navigational (go) c. Transactional (do) 5. Localization (Pg. 26) Searchers with results that are locally relevant – proximity Term ending “near me” Impacts keywords selection Addresses is an example, cities, roads … Information engine to a knowledge engine with the aim of understanding each user’s intent for searching 6. Personalized searches (Pg.27) Key aspect of organic search Depends on the search history This knowledge aspect is emphasized in results of searches for well-indexed subjects, such as movies or countries, which feature a knowledge panel to the right of the main results. 7. On-site optimization (Pg.27 & 28) Placing the keywords and phrases within the web page. This can be in two elements of the website: a. That which is visible to the human visitor – its content 1. Body text and content development 2. Meeting the needs of the searcher 3. Examples of placement: header and proceeding content 4. Might be the most important b. Which is part of the source code of the page and so is visible only to the search engines. 1. Favors the placement of keywords in a web page’s source code for it helps the search engine spider to identify the page’s subject. 2. Might be of little purpose 3. Some metatags appear in the SERPs. 4. CTR (click through rates) increases as ranking increases Examples: Keywords related to the offered P or S, content quality, internal linking, mobile optimization, XML sitemaps, site speed … 8. Off-site optimization (Pg.29) Although other elements exist – such as the age of a website – the key aspect to the SE’s algorithm is the links that go into it from other sites. Also known as “in-bound links”. A site with lots of links going into it must carry some legitimacy with those sites that include the links and so the site’s search engine validity rises. The quality of the sites linking into the meant site to be SEO “Authority sites” Age of websites, time and validity. Examples: backlink building, social media engagement, influencer outreach,  9. Third-party SERP ranking (Pg.30) This concept considers how the brand, product or organization might appear high in the SERP listings, but not on its own website; that is, on a website owned and/or published by a third party. There are three main ways in which this can be achieved, a listing in a. A directory ex: yellow pages, local chamber of commerce; they organically suit many elements of search engine’s algorithms thus features high in SERPs. It includes a link to the website hence giving the advantage of in- bound links. b. On a third-party website: websites that, as a business model, seek to promote other businesses. Example: The retailer – most likely a small or niche business – that stands next-to-no chance of getting products onto a SERP could sell them via eBay or Amazon. c. On a social media platform. While social media doesn’t directly impact search engine rankings, it plays a crucial role in several ways: 1. Increased visibility and traffic 2. Brand awareness 3. Indirect influence on algorithms through backlinks. In summary, social media and SEO work together synergistically. While SEO provides the backbone (structure and foundation), social media serves as the dynamic face (attracting attention and fostering engagement)2. So, maintaining an active social media presence is indeed beneficial for your overall online visibility and business success.