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Search Engine Optimization

  • Google's Ranking Factors

    • Backlinks - links from a page on a website to another.
      • If other prominent websites link to the page, the information is considered to be well trusted.
    • Search Intent - the reason behind a search query.
    • Content Depth - the quality of content or the extent to which the content solves the user's query.

  • CTR (Click-Through Rate)

    • The percentage of users who click on your search result after seeing it in the SERP.
    • A higher CTR can positively impact your rankings.

  • SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

    • The page displayed by search engines in response to a user's query.
    • Understanding SERP features can help you optimize for different result types.

  • Bounce Rate

    • The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page.
    • A high bounce rate may indicate that your content doesn't match user intent or provide a good user experience.

  • Dwell Time

    • The amount of time a user spends on your page before returning to the SERP.
    • Longer dwell times generally indicate more engaging content.

Optimizations

  • Basic rules for great SEO
    • Create high-quality and relevant content that incorporates target keywords naturally.
    • Render properly structured and formatted (semantic & bot-friendly) [[HTML]].
    • Ensure content loads fast.

On-Page SEO

  • Focuses on optimizing individual web pages for search intent:
    • Title tags - Include target keywords in page titles (50-60 characters long).
    • Meta descriptions - Write compelling summaries of page content.
    • Header tags - Use keywords in H1, H2, etc., to structure content with headings and subheadings.
    • Content optimization - Create high-quality, relevant content that naturally incorporates target keywords.
      • Optimize for readability as well.
        • Write in short sentences and paragraphs.
        • Use descriptive subheadings to make it easy skimming.
    • URL structure - Use short, descriptive, keyword-rich URLs.
    • Optimize images - Improve page speed by compressing images.
    • Internal linking - Connect related pages within a site.
    • Schema markup - Improve search engine understanding of a page's content and context.
  • The goal of pages should be to satisfy the searcher's intent and content needs to address their expectations.

Off-Page SEO

  • Builds a site's authority through external factors:
    • Link building - Acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites.
      • What makes a good backlink?
        • Relevance
        • Authoritativeness
        • Anchor text
        • rel attribute use
        • Link placement
    • Social signals - Engage on social media platforms to increase brand visibility.
    • Brand mentions - Encourage mentions of your brand across the web.
    • Guest posting - Contribute content to other relevant websites in your industry.

Technical SEO

  • Ensures a website is crawlable and indexable:
    • Site structure - Create a logical hierarchy for content.
    • XML sitemaps - Submit a sitemap to help search engines discover pages.
    • Page speed optimization - Improve loading times for better UX and SEO.
      • Utilize [[caching]] and compression to improve load times.
      • Follow general [[web performance]] best practices.
    • Mobile-friendliness - Ensure site is responsive and works well on all devices.
    • Schema markup - Implement structured data to enhance rich snippets in SERPs.
    • SSL certificate - Secure sites with HTTPS.
    • Canonical tags - Inform search engines what the preferred URL is for a page.
      • Helps solve duplicate content issues. e.g. http://* -> https://* (canonical)
    • noindex meta tag - Prevents pages from being indexed.
<!-- ⛔ Avoid using 'noindex' for pages to be indexed -->
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

Keyword Research

  • Identifying relevant terms and phrases the target audience uses to search for content related to a website.
  • How to choose keywords worth targeting?
    • Check if keywords have search demand.
    • Check the traffic potential of the topic.
      • More reliable than search volume.
    • Assess the business potential of keywords.
    • Match searcher's intent.
    • Assess ranking difficulty.
      • Main things to consider when it comes to assessing ranking difficulty of keywords:
        • Search intent
        • Metrics of top ranking pages / sites
        • Topical authority of top ranking sites

Common SEO Mistakes

  • Ignoring Mobile Optimization
    • A mobile-friendly design is essential for maintaining visibility in search results.
  • Neglecting Meta Tags
  • Low-Quality Content
    • Search engines favor high-quality, informative content that meets user needs.
    • Content that lacks depth or is poorly written can lead to high bounce rates and low engagement.
    • It's important to focus on creating valuable content rather than just optimizing for keywords.
  • Keyword Stuffing
    • Overloading content with keywords in an unnatural way can lead to penalties from search engines.
    • Instead, keywords should be used strategically and naturally within the content.
  • Poor Keyword Research
    • Targeting the wrong keywords or overly generic terms can limit visibility.
    • Focus on long-tail keywords that are specific to your audience and have less competition.
  • Not Using Analytics
    • Regular tracking and analyzing helps understand and refine SEO strategies and improve overall effectiveness.
  • Over-Reliance on Technical SEO
    • Balance the technical aspects as well as content quality and user experience for effective SEO.
  • Creating Content in Isolation
    • Producing content without considering competitors or audience needs can lead to irrelevant or ineffective material.
    • Engage with customer feedback and market research to create relevant content.
  • Not Optimizing for Page Speed
    • A slow-loading website can frustrate users and negatively impact rankings.
    • Don't ignore [[Web Performance|web perf]].
  • Failing to Update Content
    • Outdated content can harm your rankings.
    • Regularly refreshing and updating existing content ensures that it remains relevant and valuable to users.

Skill Gap

Further

Learn 🧠

Resources 🧩

Threads 🧵

[!quote]- Baretto (tiny.host) on SEO ⭐ Baretto (tiny.host) on SEO

Videos 🎥

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