The Complete SEO Guide for All Web Adventurers [TIPS]

Today, to learn about a company, brand, product, or service, people turn to the internet. The attraction that users may feel toward a brand represents its e-reputation or e-notoriety. This corresponds to the image that internet users form of a company through social media, search engines, blogs, and forums. It is also generated by reviews and comments left by visitors or readers on the website and social media. This digital identity can positively or negatively influence your prospects’ opinions. That is why you must anticipate any negative publicity and respond to all comments to maintain your brand image.

If you’ve landed on this article, it means SEO is a topic that interests you (right?). Whether it’s to grow your website online, gain visibility, or convert leads, to train yourself and become an expert in your own right... Or simply because you still confuse SEO and CEO (which proves you still have a long way to go...). There are never bad reasons to embark on the quest for SEO!

At OpenMedias, we're not afraid to take the bull by the horns. Here are all the basics you need to know if you want to get started!

What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?

SEO is not a trend or some quirky novelty emerging on the web. This acronym for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a combination of different techniques. They aim to move keywords associated with your website up to the top of search engine results for user queries. This can involve working on your website pages, images, and more.

 

It differs from Google Ads, which is paid search!

At OpenMedias, we aim for the Golden Triangle: getting you on the podium! And for those with grand ambitions, we help them aim for the invisible: position zero.

SEO: A Daunting Term That Hides 3 Inseparable Techniques

In SEO, it always comes down to 3 inseparable elements, also called the 3 pillars of SEO:

1. Onsite Optimization or Technical Work

Your website shouldn't just be the most beautiful. Above all, it must be the most understandable for search engines.

What are the different technical elements to work on for a website?

Your website must be built to be mobile-first, in line with the algorithm's expectations. It sounds a bit academic put that way, but the best way to be a good student is to follow the teacher's instructions!

This is where the role of an SEO expert comes in. They give you all the guidelines to clean up your website. Overly heavy images, 404 pages, and duplicates are cleaned up... And the list is not exhaustive! You also need to work on your site structure, your landing pages (the main pages of your menu), internal linking... You must serve an exceptional dish to Google, Bing, or Yahoo to rank first on user queries. That's how it works!

To achieve this, professionals use SEO software to create SEO audits. These specialized tools are ideal for analyzing, comparing, and suggesting improvements for your website, while keeping an eye on competitive developments. They are your best allies, but they can prove quite costly for your website. It is therefore preferable to use a service provider, so you don't have to manage this expense while still benefiting from their analyses and results.

2. Netlinking or Backlinks

This is one of the pillars of SEO, sometimes overlooked -- and that's a real shame!

Netlinking refers to links pointing to pages on your domain name. Backlinks refer to links pointing from your website to other domain names.

To delve deeper into what interests us, what is netlinking? Simply the creation of links on authoritative blogs or powerful media outlets. The goal? To give weight and credibility with search engines. This way, you push your queries to the top of search results. This work must be planned and refined each month for you to see results quickly.

Don't forget: internal links. They also need to be worked on with cohesion and logic to win over Google.

Don't forget: internal links. They also need to be worked on with cohesion and logic to win over Google.

At OpenMedias, we've made this our cornerstone. We have connections with powerful media outlets

Request a custom publication

3. Web Content Optimization

What would you be without content? Simply nonexistent.

To be present on the web, you must explain and engage with Google and the various search engines. It's up to you to go find it and spark its curiosity! How do you write SEO web content? You've got it: digital content takes work! On the web, you'll find:

• Website content optimization,
• White papers,
• Blogs,
• Tutorials and tips,
• Interviews,
• Research reports,
• Debates,
• Press reviews, etc.

Web content is far more technical than one might assume. Previously, the key was to be as catchy as possible. Nowadays, a real battle is waged among companies to succeed in being first. You must produce quality content for your target audience while creating SEO-quality text. Between markup, working on keyword weighting, internal linking... It's easy to get lost!

Don't hesitate to check out our article dedicated to the different SEO ranking criteria to optimize your search ranking

Which Search Engines Should You Focus On?

Google is the most widely used search engine in France! We're not the ones saying it, but Hubspot, the CRM that has established itself as a leader in its field and is increasingly overshadowing the American giant Salesforce. According to them, on the podium we find Google (91.84% market share in France), followed far behind by Bing (4.01%) and finally Yahoo (1.53%).

Google Updates You Need to Know!

With Google in the spotlight, you have no choice but to win it over. Thus, consultants and writers must know the algorithm's trends and updates inside and out. This way, they are better positioned to offer you SEO expertise and quality content.

After updates that forced websites to improve in quality (Penguin and Panda are the most well-known), new ones have arrived. To name a few significant ones:

• BERT, 2019.

In 2019, Google announced one of its biggest updates in 5 years: BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers). Among other things, the algorithm became smarter at understanding user queries. Google better understands the importance of connections made between words.

• SXO, 2021.

A new update and not the least: SXO! This acronym stands for Search eXperience Optimization, combining a better visual user experience (UX) with SEO. Among other things, your website must comply with these rules, but also look great on desktop, mobile, tablet, or phablet! To be first, you have no choice but to be modern.

Google is known for its appetite for digital modernity. Among other things, as a leader in France and worldwide, it sets the rules. To be first in SEO, you must diligently follow its advances and follow its recommendations to the letter.

SEO Mistakes to Avoid

Let's take a brief aside to address some common SEO mistakes.

Be careful though! In trying to do well, many companies embark on the quest for SEO without guidance or in-depth research. The result? The website isn't adapted. Worse, you risk Black Hat...

What is Black Hat?

Black Hat is one of the main reasons that pushed companies to change their online publishing habits! It's simply one of Google's most memorable updates.

It all started with the Google Penguin update on April 24, 2012. At that time, it took little (and low-quality work) to succeed in ranking on the web. It complemented the Panda update of February 24, 2011, which punished web content spam, meaning the abuse of netlinking and spamdexing (fraud on Google... no less!).

The term Black Hat encompasses the notion of techniques that ensure ranking on Google. These techniques are, of course, non-compliant with Google's recommendations. Top-ranked websites that cheated did not meet user queries. They were blacklisted, punished by Google... Making way for websites in line with Google's expectations.

Fighting the Wrong Battle

Many website creators want to be first -- which is perfectly normal. The main issue identified is that, due to lack of guidance and knowledge of SEO rules, the chosen strategy isn't the best one.

For example, a great many websites need a thorough cleanup. However, rather than cleaning house and focusing on the most important landing pages, they opt for writing blog article content. On the menu: a website weighed down by images, text with no flavor for Google, and a blog that ultimately doesn't attract the intended audience... If you're embarking on creating your website, request quality SEO expertise. You'll save time and your budget will be put to good use!

How Does an SEO Service Work?

An SEO service encompasses the complete study of your website and your digital competition. Dedicated teams are committed to implementing a strategy to acquire leads. The goal? That you no longer need these SEO services in the future, with a website that outperforms the competition and has a loyal client portfolio.

A Strategy That Sometimes Depends on Your Website

SEO strategy requires rigorous implementation. It can therefore take more time than you initially estimated because, know this: your website very often has more than one surprise in store! Your SEO strategy is most often established based on:

• The budget you allocate

Between netlinking, dedicated teams, SEO web content work, cleaning up your website... Everything very often depends on your SEO competition, the size of your website (a showcase site doesn't have the same stakes as an e-commerce site like Amazon), or the Onsite work. Indeed, a duplicated website, polluted by 404 pages or loading time slowdowns, must be corrected very quickly.

• The objectives you give your service provider.

Know this! SEO results cannot be predicted with exactitude. Requesting payment based on objectives achieved is unthinkable. Indeed, too many parameters come into play. You must not forget that an SEO expert is trying to tame search algorithms. With nearly 2 updates per day on Google, or more than 700 per year, staying current is a constant challenge!

However, it is possible to set objectives: selling a particular service or product, targeting queries to work on, etc.

Rigorous Support

Once your website has been studied, your SEO expert team provides you with an initial prognosis. In addition to outlining the work to be done on your website, you learn more about the (in)direct competition. You now know what to expect!

Your website is equipped with numerous plugins necessary for its search ranking and personalized tracking. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are two longtime friends you should meet without further delay.

Working in SEO is therefore a long-haul battle, which deserves surrounding yourself with specialists in the field!

10 SEO Best Practices to Know

Here are some good tips if you want to finish first on the web -- or at least manage to improve your positioning in search results (SERP).

1. Always listen to Google.

This may seem tedious or frustrating for your website. But you must be in line with its expectations if you want to develop your visibility on the web. You must respect and listen to Google's requirements in order to rank first on the web in your industry.

2. Be mobile friendly

One of the rules in this digital battle is to please Google: but don't forget the user! Today, internet users make their purchases, give their opinions on companies, and check the news... via their smartphones.

Without mercy, you must impress them at first glance if you don't want to increase your bounce rate alarmingly!

Mobile friendly simply means a website adapted for smartphone reading. You need to work on your design to be readable on iPhone, Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus... Quite a program!

3. Offer quality and optimized content

To be first for a query, you must be generous with content. Be bold and offer top-tier content. You must offer unique content -- absolutely no copy/paste, or you'll be banished to the depths of Google. For quality content, it is recommended to use the services of an SEO web writer or a content strategist. The latter fills the role of a writer by offering content adapted to Google, but also by proposing a real semantic SEO strategy.

4. Combine design and customer journey

Only the bold are sure to succeed! It's up to you to show what you're capable of by creating a top-tier user experience through your customer journey. If you manage a marketplace or an e-commerce site, you must create a journey that is intuitive, logical, and makes people want to follow through. Keep it simple while providing all the necessary information to reassure the buyer. This is the best way to convert your leads.

5. Familiar with the semantic cocoon?

We were talking about content strategy: let's talk about internal linking. It's recommended to work on it in silos and logically. You must create a semantic field around your website so that it shows up in search results. The semantic cocoon translates this intent through its internal linking.

6. Don't forget to work on your Title tag and your Meta description tag

Before reading your page, users will type their search query into Google. This is how they will discover different results through page titles (titles), associated with descriptions (Meta description). It's up to you to have your writer make them both catchy and optimized for search ranking!

7. Target existing queries

Believe it or not: you must target what exists to hope to be first! However, you must stay true to your core business and accurately target the queries that interest you. Thus, it's preferable to do an initial search on your own. Drawing this first digital portrait of your digital environment and your competitors raises the initial stakes of your SEO strategy.

Don't forget that you're not inventing keyword research -- they're already present online. If you invent the keywords to target, you won't break through on the web!

8. Offer a logical site structure and navigation

Whether you're creating an e-commerce site, a marketplace, a web app, a blog, an intranet, etc., you must always be up to date with Google AND user requirements. You must therefore create a site structure (the dropdown menu if you prefer) that meets the expectations of both parties. It's up to you to ensure that, once on your site, neither Google nor the user wants to leave. To do this, don't forget to work on the quality of your content!

9. Choose what should be read through indexing

Know that you have a certain degree of control over your website. Among other things, you also have the ability to tell Google what you want it to read or not. Thus, it is possible to index certain pages of your website so that Google doesn't waste its time reading them for nothing. This can be useful for focusing on the most important pages of your website.

In the same vein, we can also address the question of DoFollow and NoFollow links. Among other things, you tell search engines which links you want them to follow, as well as those to ignore. This way, you shape its journey on your website, making it structured and directed rather than scattered as it pleases.

10. Use free tools to help you!

It is entirely possible to start SEO on your own -- although less effective than if you used the services of a trusted provider. Google provides you with software to boost your website: Google Analytics and Google Search Console. The first one reports your exact website traffic and gives you important data about your customers (journey taken, bounce rate, pages read or not, etc.). Search Console precisely indicates your acquired semantic field.

Bonus: SEO KPIs to know.

To boost your SEO, you have no choice but to work on it. But you also need to be able to track your progress. Thus, you need to equip yourself with KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators. These study and report your performance, your latest updates... You can currently find KPIs for:

• Tracking your organic traffic
• Tracking your keywords and long-tail growth
• Studying the bounce rate
• Studying exit pages
• Targeting duplicate or missing content
• Knowing incoming links and backlinks
• Analyzing your conversion rate
• Knowing session duration per visitor, etc.

Stop wondering how to optimize your website in 2021: just do it!