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Be found by your audience by improving the positioning of your keywords on Google , the No. 1 search engine around the world. Positioning yourself on targeted keywords allows you to get on the buying path of the Internet user who performs a Google search to find a new product, service or solution to their needs. No one can underestimate the value of getting in the way of their prospect while they are actively searching. So, will they find on your website and more specifically on pages that meet their needs?
If your website does not appear in the first results of Google, Internet users will probably not find your site and it will be more difficult for you to achieve your web marketing and commercial objectives. To help you understand the challenges of Google SEO , read the following figures:
Google concentrates more than 91% of the search market share in France (ahead of Bing, Yahoo, Ecosia, Qwant, etc.)
The first 3 positions capture 60% of clicks (35% for the 1st position)
80% of Google users ignore sponsored ads (Ads)
75% of internet users never make it past the first page of Google
So, you better understand why Google referencing (SEO) is so important in your traffic and business acquisition strategy . Notice, if you are interested in the subject of SEO (natural referencing), you should already know that having your site well referenced on Google has significant advantages.
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint : consistent, sustained efforts deliver better performance than sporadic improvements. In Google's never-ending quest to deliver the best results to internet users' queries, its algorithm is updated thousands of times every year. Although some of them are so minor that most people will never notice them, Google occasionally rolls out an update that has a significant impact on search engine results pages (SERPs). Regular SEO monitoring can circumvent negative changes and exploit the opportunities left by Google.
With the experience of our SEO agency, we suggest you follow some good practices to improve your Google referencing and better reference your site on the results pages.
1. Track your Google ranking
Google SEO is based on the methodology, talent, audacity, experience of one or more SEOs, but also on the ability to collect and analyze key data. So, tracking your positions on Google is the starting point for all successful SEO projects.
Without a solid understanding of how your site is performing on targeted keywords, you won't know if your efforts are paying off and how effective your SEO strategy is. Keyword tracking should be done before you even start working on your Google SEO. This makes it possible to obtain a snapshot at time T of your positions and to add the new targeted keywords, for example. Over time, you will understand the value of reliable data.
Analyzing this data will give you a good idea of which keywords/landing pages are the most valuable, which are underperforming, and where there are opportunities for improvement. For this, a dashboard with KPIs, the key indicators of your performance, must be set up. It can take the form of a Data Studio powered by Google tools (Google Analytics, Search Console, etc.) or SEO tools like Yooda, Optimiz SEO, Semrush or Sistrix.
2. Target the right keywords
To ensure that your keyword targets are aligned with overall business goals and provide real value, it is important to choose them well by following different criteria:
Search intent
Search volume
Competition/Difficulty of positioning oneself
Conversion potential
We are going to detail the notion of search intention which will surely be the most difficult to grasp. While search terms mean something to you, that doesn't mean Google and people associate the same with them — and vice versa. Knowing the search intent, whether it's informational/educational, transactional, or navigational, will help you understand what stage of the sales funnel (or funnel) users are at. Also be sure to carry out or have carried out a keyword research to find the best keywords on Google.
Doing a thorough SERP (results page) analysis is essential. Look at what is currently ranking in the top search results for your top keyword targets, including:
Associated researches.
Other questions asked
Google AutoComplete Suggestions
Other advanced search features
Knowing what is needed to rank for a particular keyword will help you draw conclusions about the content writing efforts that will be required, as well as help you come up with a plan.
3. Clean up your site structure
The structure of your websiteplays a big role in SEO. Build a solid foundation for yours by resolving any technical issues that may be decreasing the visibility of your organic keywords.
Site pages should be both easy to find and navigate by search engines (and their crawlers) and users. If it's difficult for users to navigate your website and crawl search engines, your Google keyword rankings will likely be affected. And, if your website is intuitive to users and Google, your rankings are sure to see improvements.
4. Pay attention to user experience (UX)
User experience (UX) and brand equity are important when it comes to increasing organic search visibility and ranking well. Although user experience may not be the direct responsibility of an SEO specialist, it is important that user experience and SEO work together, especially since Google's algorithm incorporates this aspect into page ranking.
To ensure that web visitors are interacting with your website, you should use the Core Web Vitals report from Google. This monitors the load time of each page on your site and generates data to show you which pages provide good experiences and which need work.
5. Optimize for Google and especially for Internet users
Many of us are so obsessed with optimizing content for Googlethat we forget the final objective: to reach a target made up of very human Internet users. Although search engines and humans have different ways of reading and assimilating content, there are some commonalities that will help us ensure that we create content with both in mind.
Bots and humans want content:
Clear and concise
Containing accurate information
Without complex jargon
Who treats the subject as a whole
It is important to keep this in mind from the start of your content writing process.. As we think about ways to make our content easier to read for users and search engines. To reference your site, Hn tags are essential.
6. Write catchy and engaging titles
Are Title tags the most important SEO element of a web page? Probably. Not only because it's good SEO practice, but also because it's the first thing users see in search results and on social media.
The title tag is your biggest opportunity to grab a user's attention and encourage them to click through to the page. Figure out which page you want to rank for each keyword target, then find a way to make your Hn title stand out from everyone else. While meta descriptions don't directly impact rankings, they should work closely with your title tags. Incorporate the keyword if possible, along with a clear call to action for users. Obviously, there are many other optimizations to put in place for better SEO titles.
7. Stay current with algorithm updates
Why bother with Google's latest algorithm updates? If your goal is to be first on Google, it's important to stay on top of every major (and sometimes minor) Google change. This helps to ensure that your keyword positioning remains stable, or even improves constantly.
Knowing when an algorithm update was first updated and when it officially ended is useful for tracking purposes and will allow you to trace keyword and traffic fluctuations back to the root cause.
This will help you uncover potential reasoning as to how/why a site was affected by an update, or some of the keywords and pieces of content that might have been affected. When multiple algorithm updates occur over a short period of time, it is extremely difficult to determine why certain site changes have occurred and to analyze the impact of a specific update. SEO monitoring work is very important to fulfill this objective.
8. Provide answers to questions asked
Google seeks to provide users with the best answers to their queries. Just look at the new features on Google's SERP that aim to improve the search experience:
Rich snippets (answer box)
Other Questions Asked (People Also Asked)
local package
Video extracts
Thumbnails of visuals
Podcast
Featured
Optimizing results in all possible forms around your priority keyword targets is now becoming an essential part of SEO strategy. While there is certainly a lot of debate about the direct value that ranking in “position zero” of search results offers to a business, in the end, do you prefer this position to your competitors?
9. Build Valuable Backlinks
Start by looking for opportunities on your website to link to resources through optimized and natural link anchors. This will help direct users to relevant content and build keyword associations, as well as the job of crawlers.
Unfortunately, crafting a solid internal linking strategy is only half the battle. The other half is to generate quality inbound links (backlinks)from reputable third-party websites.
It may seem overwhelming, but there are a few key tactics to hone:
Create quality content and reference it in the first positions of Google. It is rare to get backlinks without any visibility
Monitor your brand mentions for quick opportunities to get an inbound link from websites that are already talking about you
If you want other websites to link to you, remember to link to other websites. You only receive what you give.
Leverage social media to support link building. Engage with your targets ahead of time to help build relationships before contacting a link building opportunity.
10. Ensure the proper distribution of your content
It's important to leverage "non-SEO" channels in an effort to increase the visibility of your pages and site to support your link building efforts. The more attention you draw to your content, the more opportunity you have to:
Generate backlinks
Generate shares on social networks
Improve your Google positioning
Although different promotional tactics may apply to different types of content, creating a checklist and/or methodology is always helpful. This way, when it comes time to promote an asset, you have a list of all available techniques. This could include:
Distribution on social media
Sending emails to subscribers
Sharing by your internal teams
Include Google alerts to monitor mentions
Sharing with opinion leaders
Questions answers
Diversification of media
Identification of relays or potential backlinks
11. Continuously optimize and improve content
Although there are many other important factors for SEO, content is still #1 – “ Content is King”. Quality content matters more than anything else when Google determines how well your site answers a query. In fact, if there is one thing you should take away from this article, it should be the importance of high quality content.
Google's search quality guidelines explicitly state the importance of EAT, i.e. expertise, authority, and credibility. Your content should tell search engines and visitors that you're a trusted expert on topics related to your keywords.
But because search engine results are constantly changing, you need to continually optimize and improve your content. For example, just because you got a zero position for a particular keyword or phrase doesn't mean you'll stay there. Refreshing your content will ensure that you provide users with the best (and most up-to-date) information and increase keyword visibility. If the content is outdated, you will likely see your rankings decline.
On the other hand, if you're always on the lookout for opportunities to freshen up your content and provide users with the best material, you're likely to see an increase in keyword rankings.
Content optimization should never be one-size-fits-all, especially if you're not seeing the results you want. If something is not ranking well, re-optimize it for relevance, search intent, engagement, and readability. Your goal should be to provide users with better content than anything displayed for the given query.
12. Set up and optimize your Google profile
Local search has become another important part of SEO. In addition to driving business to your store, agency or premises, it also has an impact on the positioning of your website.
In many cases, Google takes into account the location of the Internet user on the SERPs. Things like photos, reviews, and phone numbers are more likely to include answers to queries than text links. The best way to participate in local searches is to create and optimize your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
This free service lets you manage how your business appears on Google properties, including maps, reviews, and local pack listings. A Google business profile improves your visibility and gives users information about you at a glance. It also allows customers or users to rate your business on Google.
Not only do these increase your credibility and allow you to control the story around your business, but they are also believed to have a significant impact on Google rankings. Additionally, your profile will provide you with information about your audience that can help you discover new opportunities and new keywords to target. You get insights into the queries that bring people to your website, how they interact with your posts, and how many clicks your website link received.