Optimising for the algorithms - SEO explained!
There are many questions which come to mind when any business owner (MSMEs or corporates) thinks of getting started with SEO for the first time. How can SEO help my business? What affects the SEO of my website or its ranking in search engines? How to perform search engine optimisation for my website?
In this blog, we have answered these and many more questions related to how algorithms of search engines work. If you are not familiar with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and would like to know the basic concepts first, please read our blog What is SEO?
Search engine algorithms are designed to show relevant results to the users (visitors) so that they keep coming back with their search queries on different topics. This is the reason that not all parameters used for website ranking are made public. The search engine companies do not want the websites to manipulate the results. However, based on experience and using data analysed over time, digital marketers are aware of the best practices which can help to rank higher in search engines.
When it comes to SEO, search engine algorithms typically look into 3 important parameters - the context of the query (entered by the user), the quality of the content on the website and the backlinks. Click To Tweet
Let us first understand how the context of the query is determined. The user enters the search terms or the search queries into the search engines using either text entry or voice commands. Based on the user’s query the search intent is determined. The search intent could be informational, entertainment or purchase-based. The user’s location, past behaviour and search queries are also taken into account while showing the results. The type and the language of the content can differ from user to user.
With time, search engines have evolved and can understand semantic queries or synonyms. For eg: If the user types in shared office space in Mumbai, s/he will be shown results related to coworking space in Mumbai since the search engines understand that coworking is a type of shared office space.
The following parameters are used by the search engines to determine the quality of the content:
● Loading speed
● Uniqueness of the content?
● Frequency of publication of fresh content?
● Experience of the previous users - whether the users spend more time on the website or do they leave almost immediately after visiting the website?
● Mobile-friendliness?
● Navigation of the website
For backlinks, the search engines look at what kind of websites are linking to this website and whether the incoming links are from trusted sources or from spammy sources.
Now that we have an understanding of the factors influencing the website ranking in search engines, let us look at how the on-page and off-page activities help to boost these parameters.
First of all, our Idecutors perform keyword research and competition analysis. This helps in understanding what type of queries are being searched for by users and how relevant they are to the business which we are trying to rank. The list of target keywords is prepared based on the understanding of the search intent, average monthly search volumes and the competition for those keywords.
Then, on-page activities like content rewriting to include the finalised keywords, sitemap update, defining the content flow, understanding the user journey etc. are carried out to ensure that the website experience of the user is optimal. Blogs, case studies or application notes are also a great way to showcase the expertise of the business to the target audience. Fresh content helps to keep the crawlers coming back. This is also the reason why we can do SEO for a multiple page website and not for a single page website.
Following this, off-page activities are conducted to provide high-quality backlinks to the website and increase its domain/page authority. We have covered the various types of off-page activities in our blog on link building for MSMEs
Search engines like Google also have manual quality raters who check and document the quality of the websites. They do look into the reviews of the business and the other linking websites. This process is used by Google to update its algorithms and not to directly grade a website.
As with any business, there are businesses that indulge in black hat SEO practices which results in a temporary spike in the performance of SEO but once search engines come to know, these businesses are penalised. The search engine optimisation techniques do seem “mysterious” but with a good agency that follows white-hat practices, the process is transparent.
Last but not the least, when it comes to SEO, always remember:
Power of momentum trumps everything - Steady wins the race