After more than two decades of widespread use of the Internet, websites have become more complicated, more beautiful, more interactive. Anyone wanting to show their website to the world can no longer use the marketing strategies that may have been popular and effective in years long past. So, how do you present your website to be as attractive and engaging as possible?

Make no mistake: it’s not just about having a pretty home page. Crucial to your website is what you have to actually offer: in short, it’s content, content, content. After that, what?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a necessary process that plays a critical role in the success of websites. Websites that want to be accessed easily by users around the globe employ SEO for better searchability and improved relevance, ensuring that they are at the top of the many similar websites out there.

SEO has three operations by which it makes websites more “approachable”: crawling, indexing, and ranking. These elements work together to determine where your website appears in search engine results, which directly impacts your traffic, visibility, and business success.

 

Crawling: How Search Engines Discover Your Pages

The SEO process begins with crawling. Crawling is the method by which search engines, like Google, use automated bots (often called spiders) to scan the internet for new or updated pages. These bots follow links from one page to another, discovering pages and collecting information about them.

If search engines can’t find your pages, they cannot index or rank them.

 

How to Ensure Search Engines Crawl Your Site

  • Sitemaps:These are essentially blueprints of your site that help search engine crawlers navigate it efficiently. You can submit your sitemap directly to Google via the Google Search Console.
  • Internal Linking: Internal links connect pages within your website. A strong internal linking structure not only improves user experience but also aids crawlers in discovering new content. Pages that are deeply buried in your site may not get crawled unless they are linked to from more prominent pages.
  • Robots.txt: A robots.txt file is a set of instructions for search engine bots. It tells them which pages on your site they should or should not crawl. Make sure your robots.txt file is configured properly so that you aren’t unintentionally blocking important pages from being crawled.
 

Indexing: How Search Engines Store and Interpret Your Pages

Once your page is crawled, the next step is indexing. Here search engines organize and store the information they’ve gathered from crawling your site. Think of it as the search engine’s version of listing your website’s pages. Indexing allows your content to be retrieved and presented to users in search engine results pages (SERPs).

 

What Happens during Indexing?

During indexing, the search engine analyzes your page content, such as text, images, and metadata. The search engine then determines whether your page should be added to its index and where it fits within the broader context of the web.

Some pages, even if they’ve been crawled, may not be indexed. This can happen for various reasons, such as duplicate content, thin content, or pages that have been marked with a noindex tag. Pages that are not indexed won’t appear in search results, which is why you should manage your indexed content.

 

Best Practices for Ensuring Your Pages Get Indexed

  • Unique, High-Quality Content: Pages that offer unique and valuable information are more likely to be indexed by search engines. Avoid thin content, duplicate content, and low-value pages, as these are often overlooked by search engines.
  • Mobile-Friendly Design: Google primarily indexes the mobile version of your site. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly to improve your chances of being indexed.
  • Crawl Errors: Regularly check your site for crawl errors using Google Search Console. Fixing issues like 404s or server errors can help ensure that your pages are indexed correctly.
 

Ranking: How Search Engines Determine Where Your Pages Appear

After a page has been crawled and indexed, search engines rank it: they determine the order in which the page appears in search results for specific queries.

Search engine algorithms use hundreds of ranking signals to determine how relevant and valuable your content is to a particular search query. While these signals are constantly evolving, there are a few key factors that have consistently remained important in ranking: links, content, and RankBrain (Google’s machine learning system).

The Role of Links in Ranking

Links play a major role in ranking. When a website links to your page, it acts as a vote of confidence in the quality and relevance of your content. When search engines see that, they realize that your page has reliable content too, helping to boost your ranking in search results.

However, not all links are created equal. Links from high-authority sites carry more weight than links from low-quality or spammy sites. Building a strong backlink profile with links from reputable websites can significantly improve your rankings.

 

The Role Content Plays in SEO

Content is the backbone of SEO. Search engines exist to answer questions, and the way they deliver those answers is through content. This includes not only written content but also video, images, and other types of media that provide information to users.

When search engines assess your content, they look for several factors:

  • Relevance: How well does your content match with what the user looks for? Does it answer their question or solve their problem?
  • Quality: Does your content provide value to the user? Is it well written, informative, and engaging?
  • Structure: Is your content easy to read and understand? Proper use of headers, bullet points, and other formatting elements can make your content more user-friendly and easier for search engines to understand.
 

Engagement Metrics & SEO

Engagement metrics are data points that show how users interact with your site after clicking on your link from search results. While these may not be direct ranking signals, they are used by search engines to adjust and refine search results. For example, if a large number of users are clicking on a lower-ranked result and spending time on that page, Google may determine that this page is more relevant to the query and adjust that page’s ranking accordingly.

  • Clicks: Clicks measure how many people click on your result in the SERP. High click-through rates (CTR) indicate that what users read in your title and meta description are compelling and relevant to them.
  • Time on Page: This metric measures how long a user spends on your page before leaving. Longer times on page suggest that users are finding your content valuable.
  • Bounce Rate: Bounce rate measures the percentage of users who leave your site after viewing only one page. High bounce rates can indicate that your content is not meeting user expectations.
  • Pogo-Sticking: Pogo-sticking occurs when users quickly return to the search results after clicking on a page. This behavior often indicates that the previously browsed content didn’t satisfy the user’s query.
 

The Evolution of Search Results

In the early days of SEO, search engines typically returned 10 organic links for a given query. However, over the years, Google has evolved, adding new formats and features to its search results pages (SERPs).

Today, SERPs are more complex, featuring elements like featured snippets, knowledge panels, local packs, and more. These features are designed to better address different types of user intent.

 

  • Featured Snippets: These are quick answers to a user’s query, often pulled from a webpage and displayed at the top of the SERP.
  • Knowledge Panels: These appear on the right side of the SERP and provide factual information, often pulled from sources like Wikipedia or Google’s Knowledge Graph.
  • Local Packs: For location-based searches, Google often displays a local pack with maps, business names, and contact information.

These features can impact SEO strategies, as they often push organic results further down the page. However, they also present opportunities for increased visibility by structuring your content in a way that it appears in these features.

 

Localized Search: Relevance, Distance, and Prominence

Local SEO has become increasingly important as search engines like Google place more emphasis on providing results tailored to a user’s geographical location. Local search results consider factors like proximity to the searcher, relevance of the content, and the prominence of the business.

Google My Business (GMB) is a vital tool for businesses looking to improve their local search presence. By claiming and optimizing your GMB listing, you can provide search engines with important information about your business, such as your location, hours, and services offered.

Additionally, reviews and citations play a crucial role in local search rankings. Search engines view reviews as indicators of trustworthiness and authority, while consistent citations (mentions of your business name, address, and phone number across the web) can improve your prominence in local search results.

 

Best Practices for Local SEO:

  • Google My Business: Ensure that your GMB listing is complete and up-to-date. Provide accurate contact information, business hours, and descriptions.
  • NAP Consistency: NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. Consistency across platforms (like your website, social media, and local directories) helps search engines confirm your business’s legitimacy.
  • Reviews: Encourage your customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and other review sites. Respond to both positive and negative reviews in a professional manner.
  • Citations: Build citations from reputable local directories and industry-specific websites.