What is SEO? Understand the basics of optimization and positioning

# 1 SEO in the world
2 What does SEO consist of?
3 Off-page SEO and On-page SEO
- 3.1 Selected off-page SEO tactics - infographic
4 Disputes around optimization and positioning
5 Quantitative and qualitative factors in SEO activities
6 SEO Tools
7 SEO in strategic terms
8 SEO audit - what is it?
9 SEO services
10 SEO news
11 Further reading on optimization and positioning
- 11.1 Selected articles about on-page SEO:
- 11.2 Articles about off-page:
- 11.3 Articles about content, cooperation with agencies and SEO strategy:

SEO - what is it? This is a concept that takes turns in the context of reports of the death of this field of internet marketing and reports of its extraordinary profitability and increasing budgets for this traffic acquisition channel. What's the truth?

If you are here because you are looking for website optimization and SEO service, go here:

Positioning of websites

My name is Szymon Słowik and I have been dealing with SEO professionally for 8 years (longer as a hobby). I prepared this post for people starting their adventure with search engine marketing. This article will help you understand the basics of website optimization and positioning. It was written in such a way as to present the key issues (and in the context of more detailed issues, refer to more specialized articles), define the most important issues - SEO foundations. It has also been updated to also present the trends and key phenomena affecting optimization and positioning in 2019 (originally text published on 21 Dec 2017.

If, apart from knowledge, you are also looking for professional support in optimization and positioning of your website ... Write to me.

SEO - definition and translation

SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) literally means optimization for the search engine. It is a process aimed at improving visibility in organic search results (organic - i.e. not paid ones, as in the case of Google advertising in the form of AdWords sponsored links). Many people equate SEO with the website optimization process, but SEO is more than that. It is both improving the technical aspects of the website, expanding its content, and acquiring positioning links from other domains on the web (and this is a much wider topic than SEO catalogs, which are already obsolete). What does Wikipedia say about this?

Wikipedia definition of SEO (I am giving it only as an example, because in the mentioned wiki article there are also many phrases with which it is difficult to agree - I marked the example in red below):

seo definition wikipedia

source: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optymalizacja_dla_wyszukiwarek_internetowych

SEO in the world

In the world, SEO is understood as all the processes related to building visibility and acquiring traffic from organic search results (SERP, or Search Engine Result Page ). SEO is about influencing all the factors that improve the ranking and visibility, not just page construction optimization. This raises a lot of confusion.

In Poland, it has been accepted that SEO is only the optimization of the website in terms of search engines, or strictly Google search engines. On the other hand, building search engine trust in the website by acquiring positioning links is often simply called website positioning.

A similar situation applies to the terms SEO and SEM, which are treated separately as activities in free results (SEO) and advertising in paid results (SEM), or more broadly, advertising on the Internet (Google Ads are much more than sponsored links in the search engine). Meanwhile, SEM (Search Engine Marking - marketing in search engines) is the whole of marketing activities, which consists of organic traffic and advertising (often referred to in English-language sources as paid search or PPC SEM; from PPC, i.e. pay par click - click fee, which is the primary billing model in Google AdWords).

What does SEO consist of?

In practice, as I have already mentioned, optimization may be:

text content (e.g. when changing the length of articles, their titles, adding keywords, etc.),
site structure (when changing the navigation elements, information architecture)
technical and visual layer, as well as usability (website speed, responsiveness, proper selection of subheadings, moderate use of advertisements, etc.),
link profile (that is, all links leading to the page from other pages on the Internet).

So limiting SEO to the code optimization process itself (sometimes including metadata and titles) is simply a factual error. Sometimes it is even said - website optimization for SEO - which clearly indicates that optimization is only a part of a larger whole. Link building, i.e. the process of acquiring positioning links, is an inherent element of SEO . It is worth remembering, however, that to define the totality of these phenomena, the Polish nomenclature uses the broad term optimization and positioning .

In practice, there are many positioning factors. There are talks of over 200, although no one ever wrote them down. It would be difficult to do this because the operation of the Google algorithm is secret. When conducting SEO activities, we rely on Google's guidelines, our own experience, tests and correlation analyzes.

One form of factor presentation that SEO optimization covers is this "elements" table. Although I would like to point out right away that it is not perfect (for the reasons I mentioned in the previous paragraph):

seo what is this

source: https://searchengineland.com/seotable

Off-page SEO and On-page SEO

As shown in the above statement, SEO factors can tentatively be divided into those associated with the same side (on-page, or on the side ) and the outside (off-page, literally off the page ). The various factors also interact with each other and their various combinations should be taken into account . Moreover, the factors may have different weight and importance depending on the niche (specific keyword).

Main groups of on-page SEO factors:

content - content (mainly text content, but not only; often SEO texts specifically created for this)
architecture (i.e. the arrangement of content on the website, links between resources)
HTML (i.e. website building, not only in HTML, of course)

The main groups of off-page SEO factors:

links pointing to the site
social signals *
trust in the domain * (e.g. related to the server, domain age, social media signals)

* more debatable issues.

On the off-page SEO (which is what in practice is often understood by the term SEO ) mainly consist of various types of tactics focused on acquiring links:

Selected off-page SEO tactics - infographic

linking tactics

Do you want to use the infographic? Copy this code and put it on your website, blog etc .:

<a href=kietahttps://www.szymonslowik.pl/seo-co-to-jest/kieta> <img src = ”https://www.szymonslowik.pl/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ tactics-linkowania.png "alt =" ways to get links "> </a> </br> <p> source: www.szymonslowik.pl/seo-co-to-jest </p>

Disputes around optimization and positioning

Many specialists argue whether individual factors really affect positioning in search engines (in practice, mainly in Google), or whether they only correlate with high rankings. In practice, it is relatively difficult to verify, as we are constantly operating in a changing environment. It is impossible to perform ceteris paribus analysis . As we shape one factor in the test, external factors change:

link profile and optimization of competitors' websites (with whom we are "fighting" for positions and it is not known whether our page jumped or another dropped),
google algorithm,
user behavior.

This often leads to hasty and wrongful conclusions. For example, many marketers at some point find that starting with Google AdWords increases traffic from organic results. This does not mean, however, that the website has become more visible (more phrases, better positions), but only that it is used more often (by address, brand name).

Quantitative and qualitative factors in SEO activities

I often come across a wrong assumption from partners and customers who think optimization is a one-time process. Well, some issues can be improved and adapted to Google's requirements once. For example, these may be issues related to correcting incorrect internal links (setting redirects, managing 404 errors), replacing graphic links in the menu with text links, speeding up the page or implementing RWD. However, many issues require continuous, long-term work, taking into account the intensity and pace of competition.

If you want to compete effectively in search results, you should create content optimized for various topics and phrases, shape the optimal structure of the website and obtain links. In the case of positioning links, it is not only their quantity that counts, but also quality. It does not change the fact that you have to get them regularly, constantly.

SEO tools

SEO specialists use a number of tools in the process of SEO diagnostics, optimization and positioning. There is no one perfect tool or set of tools that guarantees success. First, each specialist builds the set of programs that best serves him. Secondly, even the best tools will not give you long-term success in positioning, if they are not used by a specialist who can read, interpret data and translate it into effective optimization and positioning tactics.

Among the popular tools used by agencies and SEO specialists, the following are worth mentioning:

Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools)
Crawlers analyzing the structure and performance of the website: Sitebulb, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, and also web-based (e.g. Ahrefs or JetOctopus)
Link profile analysis tools: Ahrefs, Majestic, Link Research Tools, SEO SpyGlass, Moz OSE
Visibility and position analysis software: Senuto, Semstorm, Semrush
Plugins supporting optimization: Yoast SEO (for WordPress), plugins for generating sitemaps (e.g. dedicated plugins for PrestaShop) or performance optimization (WP Super Cache)
Sometimes also other elements of the Google ecosystem: Google Analytics, Google Trends, Google PageSpeed Insights, Google Structured Data Testing Tool and others
Tools for factor correlation analysis and competition research (e.g. SurferSEO)

Surfer - analysis of competition and correlation of on-page factors as well as content planning - try it

Senuto - analysis of keywords, competition, domain visibility - register via this landing page and you will receive a premium package worth PLN 249 for the first month.

I use both of these tools on a daily basis in on-page SEO and competition analysis.

SEO in strategic terms

From a strategic perspective, positioning and optimization are:

acquiring traffic without the need to have a budget for each click (as in the case of PPC ads or buying advertising space on portals),
presence in one of the most popular media, which is the Google search engine,
providing a point of contact between the brand and the customer when they are looking for information or a specific offer (this is a very important element of the customer's journey in almost every industry).

This process should be seen as an element of the entire digital marketing strategy, and not as individual shots (in this context, the phrase SEO campaign is often used as if it were some action embedded in a specific time frame). Positioning the pages continues and it is not expected that one day the page will be positioned sufficiently. Positioning of websites is a continuous process, because the search results for each phrase are a zero-sum game and the constant activity of competitors forces us to be constantly active in order to overtake them and maintain satisfactory positions. Therefore, you should pay for website positioning even when the website has achieved satisfactory positions in Google .

SEO audit - what is it?

In the context of SEO, the question very often arises what is an SEO audit? You can learn more about this on the SEO audit - what it is and what benefits it brings. There I describe what analyzes I carry out to determine the right path of website optimization and create an outline of the positioning strategy.

It is worth mentioning, however, that the audit concerns both the analysis of technical issues, content and structure of the website, as well as external factors (positioning links) and the visibility of the website over time.

Analysis of links, visibility and estimated organic traffic at https://www.bdsklep.pl/spozywcze ; source: Ahrefs.com

SEO services

If you already know what SEO is and want to establish cooperation based on transparent conditions and taking into account other strategic goals of your business, write to me. I will be happy to help.

In the request for quotation, it is necessary to write what the website is about, what topics you are interested in (keywords, categories of products / services), what budget you envisage at the beginning and describe the current situation of the company, and you will receive a free positioning quote. I always start my cooperation with an SEO audit. The waiting time for the audit is usually about 2 months from sending the inquiry (depending on the current queue).

SEO audit includes website code analysis, content and keywords analysis in terms of reaching potential customers, link profile research and competition analysis in Google search engine. All this to be able to conduct effective link building in the long run and position your website in order to achieve high positions. I deal with both positioning of B2B websites and e-commerce. I don't specialize in local positioning.

There is no shortage of positioning and optimization services on the Polish market. There are thousands of performers. There will be an SEO agency in every minor city. Nevertheless, when deciding to cooperate, one must remember to properly verify the company. These agencies are often de facto interactive agencies that create websites (more or less professionally), and additionally sell social media marketing, Google Ads or SEO.

SEO news

I am not a supporter of writing about trends for individual years, because it is either saying the obvious or enchanting reality. In SEO, it's often divination from a glass ball. However, it is definitely worth taking into account a number of factors changing the internet marketing landscape around us.

It is absolutely not the case that there is a trend in SEO and you should abandon the activities (keyword analysis, content optimization, technical SEO etc.). Usually, these news are an addition that allows you to squeeze even more out of the potential of a website. I think the key factors to consider are:

Conversational (and voice) search - search terms typed by users may increasingly take the form of natural questions (how to ... etc.). Here, I recommend using Ahrefs Questions, Senuto - Question Generator, or simply Answer The Public to search for such phrases and include them in the content of your articles.
Expansion in terms of topical authority (with the optimal use of page rank distribution on the page, so as not to dilute the power of positioning links on too many subpages).
Rich snippets and SXO - in the era of increasing exposure of Google Ads (formerly AdWords) and Google widgets, attracting attention in search results is becoming more and more important. Therefore, even when you are in the first position, it is worth taking care of the appearance of snippets in order to get a few percent more traffic.
Optimization for engagement - reducing the bounce rate from organic results, encouraging the user to multi-view sessions, entering the site and not returning to SERPs.
Voice search
Zero click search
Featured snippets

Mend Yourself with Jawad Hussain

Search This Blog