SEO Basics – An Introduction

If it is very urgent that your website is found optimally by Google. and if SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is still a book with nine seals, you should entrust the necessary measures to an SEO agency. However, this does not mean that search engine optimization cannot be taken into one’s own hands. One of the most important SEO basics is: search engines like what people find good! The following 9 rules for search engine optimization are deliberately bold – and they are only your first steps:

Meaningful domain name

Your strongest trademark on the Internet is your domain name. The domain should point out your offer or brand as unmistakably as possible. If your name is Miller and you do roofing: millerroofing.tld would be optimal, while your “tld” (top level domain) suffix should be “com”. If the optimal name has already been assigned, you must look for a creative alternative. You can also use “net” and “org” as your tld if the “com” is not available.

Content and Sitemap

Content is the be-all and end-all! Pay attention to qualitative and meaningful content and convey your expertise to your customers with a clear added value. Texts, images, and videos should be diverse and at the same time structured with a systematic hierarchy of headings. Even large amounts of content can be accommodated through a clever menu structure. But: Too sparing content looks like a supermarket with empty shelves.

Keywords

One of the keys to high website ranking is still “keywords”, i.e. terms that someone who is looking for your offer could enter. If you are Miller Roofing in City, “Roofing” is, of course, the central keyword. A popular trick: Enter the main keyword into Google search (possibly with a space) and use the automatically displayed terms yourself. Helpful keyword tools are also the Google Keyword-Planner or Hypersuggest. Use keywords in headlines, text, and metadata.

Avoidance of keyword stuffing

Even if keywords are a central aspect for successful SEO, exaggerated use is forbidden! If the content is overloaded with keywords, Google recognizes this as keyword stuffing (and thus as trickery) and evaluates the page. So use keywords wisely!

Loading time

The Internet search should be above all one thing: namely fast. When designing your website, pay attention to a fast loading time by avoiding unnecessary scripts and files that are too large. The Google PageSpeed service is suitable for checking and improving website speed.

Internal link building

The “business cards” for your website are called links. This is, for example, a link to an SEO offer for you – and an example of a well-placed link. Because just like business cards, you should only place links where they are helpful and meaningful. Don’t buy links and don’t trade them randomly (“I link to you and you link to me”). Google usually notices this and devalues your page.

External link building

Highly meaningful links are those on reputable websites like Yellow pages or Das Auge, membership lists of associations, professional Internet forums etc., but above all an entry in Google Maps with all the information provided there! In general, the better a page is ranked on which you are linked, the more the link is worth. There are pages that can find out “links to my website”.

Ease of use

Ease of use for the smaller screens of smartphones, tablets, etc. is an absolute must – at least if Google search is also to deliver good results from mobile devices! Google itself has an immediate test for the “mobile-friendly” criterion with information on necessary measures.

Uniqueness and reliability

Uniqueness is (also) good for search engines. This means that especially your texts should not be copied from other sources, because Google seems just as dubious as it usually is. If there is something on a foreign website that you don’t want to keep from your visitors, then you better make a link there. Make good texts, or have them done – but do it yourself.