The battle for high search engine rankings continues. Every company strives to rank at the top of search results for specific phrases to reach the widest possible customer base. Website positioning is a process of ongoing improvement and optimization. However, nothing happens by magic; it's the result of carefully planned, carefully executed actions. Learn how to support this process and how to properly position your website.
Striving to rank as high as possible in search results for specific phrases offers a real opportunity to increase interest in your offer among new users. Just look at the statistics published by Ignite Visibility – over 43% of internet users click on the link in first place, over 37% of recipients click on the link in second position, and with each subsequent lower position, the click-through rate decreases – only 3% of users are interested in the link in last position.
How to position a website – determining keywords
Users arrive at a website based on individual keywords or entire phrases entered into the search box. Therefore, selecting keywords is one of the key aspects of SEO. They are the key factors through which users define their needs, relying on precise feedback from Google.
As the website owner, you need to understand user expectations. This will allow you to choose the right keywords—keywords that your potential audience can use. However, you shouldn't focus solely on keywords and very general phrases—they're very popular, making it difficult to stand out, and they usually don't allow you to reach users who are actually interested in your offer. The result? You might see an increase in website visits, but conversions will be low. And you want to generate traffic that translates into high sales, right?
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Keywords can be divided into several categories:
- brand phrases – directly related to the company or specific product that the user is looking for, e.g. Casio watches
- local phrases – relating to the company, industry, location, e.g. dentist Warsaw, dog groomer in Krakow
- Long tail phrases – not yet appreciated by everyone, but they hold enormous potential; they are especially recommended for e-commerce as they allow you to narrow down your search, e.g., quilted autumn jacket without a hood
- advice phrases – they reflect queries entered by the user; they are recommended primarily in articles published on the blog, e.g. what beauty treatments are suitable for pregnant women, what book is best as a gift for a teenager.
You know the keyword types, so what's next? How do you know which ones have high potential and which can be completely ignored? If you want effective SEO, you can't rely solely on your intuition. There are readily available tools that will help you choose the right keywords.
Google's Keyword Planner is one of the most popular tools for helping with keyword selection. While it's primarily used for planning Google Ads campaigns, it also supports SEO efforts.
Using this tool, you can search for phrases with potential and analyze them, taking into account search frequency and competitiveness.
This tool not only allows you to search for keywords, along with search volume information. It also provides phrase suggestions, similar to Ahrefs.
This tool allows you to search not only for popular phrases but also for related search queries. This allows you to access not only your main keywords but also long-tail and guide phrases.
Keywords can also be searched for using paid (more advanced) tools, including Senuto. Its Keyword Database allows you to find specific phrases with high potential. You receive not only a list of words but also information on average monthly searches, trends, and seasonality. Phrases in the form of questions, related words, and even word groups are also included. This extensive functionality allows you to create a targeted set of keywords.
SEO audit – an introduction to positioning
If you want to achieve effective SEO, you need to understand the health of your website. Why? For Google to like your site, it must meet their expectations in many respects. These include:
- proper construction,
- speed of operation,
- user friendliness,
- content,
- proper link profile.
An SEO audit is an introduction to positioning, which will allow you to create a specific action plan that will increase the likelihood of achieving top positions in search results.
There are several essential elements that should form the basis of an audit. These include information regarding:
- website construction,
- website speed,
- indexing capabilities by Google robots,
- correctness of the website code,
- content analysis – also in terms of duplicates,
- competitive analysis,
- keyword analysis,
- link profile.
A properly conducted website audit and implementation of the changes it recommends will help increase:
- website visibility,
- movement within it,
- sales potential.
This means you'll gain even more benefits than just SEO support. There's only one condition: it must be conducted reliably, preferably by industry experts. These specialists know which elements to pay particular attention to in order to align as closely as possible with Google's algorithms.
Carry out on-site activities
Audit results are an excellent and valuable source of information about the website's condition and how to optimize its positioning. They serve as a starting point for further action, primarily within the website itself. Below, we present several important aspects.
- Correct internal navigation
A website must be user-friendly, as well as Google's crawlers. Proper internal navigation plays a crucial role here, ensuring that every visitor can easily reach the right destination.
As part of SEO efforts, it's essential to implement all steps aimed at improving internal navigation. It reflects proper website architecture.
The most important element is the website menu, which contains the most important main tabs. These should direct you to individual subpages – categories, which in turn should direct you to subcategories, and so on.
If you want to check if your website's architecture is correct, check it using the so-called 3-click rule. This means that a user wanting to reach a specific location should make just three mouse clicks. Of course, this rule won't apply to very complex websites or e-commerce sites. However, it's worth considering building an architecture that requires the least number of clicks from the user.
As part of your SEO efforts, it's worth checking and, if necessary, modifying your URLs. Changes must be made with Google in mind, so they should be, among other things, easy to remember, clear to navigate, legible, contain keywords, and as short as possible.
- Creating correct metadata
Properly constructed meta titles and descriptions will help generate more traffic to your website. Therefore, it's important to remember not only to complete these elements but also to ensure they are accurate, not just in terms of keyword placement.
The title should be between 60 and 70 characters long. Make sure it answers the question being asked while also grabbing attention and encouraging a click.
The description length changes from time to time, so it's best to stick to around 160 characters. The description should confirm the relevance of the meta title – it should be constructed to include a CTA.
The content on your website plays a crucial role, so it must be optimized appropriately. The key is to supplement the content with selected keywords, while maintaining a natural flow. The text must be rich in keywords, but still be easy to read.
The next step is to remove duplicate content – anything that already appears in search results on other websites. Duplicate content is one of those elements that can significantly lower a website's ranking in search results.
Remember that content includes not only text but also graphics. This too should be optimized – described with ALT and title attributes. Also pay attention to the size of images – if they are too large, they will slow down the page's loading speed.
- Improving page loading speed
Internet users don't like waiting, so they immediately abandon slow-loading pages. If you don't want this to happen to your website, ensure optimal page loading speed. You'll not only improve your rankings with users, but also with Google. The time it takes for your website's content to load not only translates into higher search engine rankings but also… higher conversions.
If the audit indicates a need to improve your page's loading speed, you should address this. To do this, you can reduce server usage, optimize images, remove unnecessary elements from the page, update themes and plugins, and reduce the number of redirects.
- Expanding the website content
Adding more content-rich pages is an opportunity to naturally incorporate keywords and build internal linking. So, consider expanding your website with new subcategories and starting a blog (if you don't have one).
Take care of off-site activities
If you want to strengthen your website's position in search results, you can't focus solely on on-site activities. You need to "go outside" to improve your authority, strengthen your online presence, and… build your website's natural link profile.
- Unification of company data
If your company information is published on various business card websites, verify its accuracy. Ensure it includes up-to-date information, which will help build greater trust and improve credibility.
- Completing online business cards
It's worth getting to know users – simply fill out the information in your online business cards. A presence on Google My Business is essential, among other things. A free profile helps you connect with customers both in search and on Google Maps.
It's also important to ensure that existing customers leave reviews of your company. The more positive reviews, the greater the trust. This will directly help increase website traffic, which in turn will aid your SEO.
- Publishing expert articles on industry portals
An expert image helps you rise to higher positions in search results, so it's worth publishing articles on industry portals. However, these shouldn't be typical advertising pieces, but articles that provide added value for the reader—they should dispel doubts, present new opportunities, and so on.
- Publishing sponsored articles
Sponsored articles are paid content. This doesn't mean they should be considered intrusive advertising or a presentation of your own services or products. If they're intended to grab the reader's attention and encourage them to visit your website, they should present a solution to a given problem, etc. How-to articles excel in this role, presenting specific knowledge and clear, user-friendly tips.
Remember! The publishing site you choose should be based on your target audience. If you operate exclusively locally, focus on these types of sites.
Positioning – rely solely on White Hat SEO
How to position your website without worrying about the future? If you want to improve your website's search engine rankings and stay at the top of the results list for longer, don't resort to unethical practices. Follow Google's guidelines, because only then will you achieve the desired results. Create websites with people in mind, not just results.
Follow only White Hat SEO principles, which include aspects such as:
- adapting the website to the needs of recipients,
- improving user experience,
- constant expansion of content,
- acquiring external links in a natural or non-invasive way.
Remember! Google currently prioritizes user experience. Therefore, keep your target audience in mind in all your SEO efforts. This will increase your chances of ranking higher in search results and minimize the risk of filters being applied to your website.
How to position a website – on your own or with support?
Wondering how to optimize your website: on your own or with the help of an agency? There's no one-size-fits-all answer, as everything depends on several factors. Current knowledge and experience are paramount – you need to know what actions to take to gradually climb higher in search results.
A common mistake is for those without extensive knowledge to attempt SEO themselves. Merely "touching on" a topic won't help much, because achieving high Google rankings isn't just about supplementing content with keywords. The entire process is multi-stage and long-term, taking into account Google's ever-changing algorithms.
Of course, much also depends on the agency you choose to work with. Price alone shouldn't be your sole consideration. Consider factors such as knowledge, experience, the results of previous campaigns, reviews from other companies, and even contract provisions.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- How to choose keywords for website positioning?
- Why should a website audit be the first step in the SEO process?
- Why is it worth using only White Hat SEO techniques?
- What works better – positioning yourself or with an SEO agency?
