Contents
What is SEO?
SEO (search engine optimization) is a set of activities aimed at improving a website's position in search engines. The search results are a list of results that a search engine returns in response to a user's query. For example, entering the query "buy smartphone" in "Yandex" can yield over 14 million responses. It is important to note that the top positions in the results are often occupied by paid advertisements, while below them are websites that did not pay for ads but were recognized as high-quality and useful for users. This process is called ranking.
Websites like "M.Video" and "MegaFon" invest in paid promotion to occupy the top positions, while resources like "Yandex Market," Ozon, and DNS reach the top thanks to the effective work of SEO specialists. When a website first appears on the internet, its ranking is usually low, and it can be positioned in the thousands or even millions. The main goal of SEO promotion is to elevate the website to the first page, which in turn ensures greater traffic.
Why is SEO optimization necessary?
The main task of SEO optimization is to move the website to the top position in search results for the maximum number of queries. This allows attracting traffic, which leads to an increase in views, registrations, and sales depending on the company's goals. A study by Seoclarity showed that results in the top position receive an average of 8.17% of user clicks. In contrast, websites in the tenth position receive only 0.44% of clicks. For example, for the query "buy smartphone," the monthly number of queries is 565,000, which can bring around 46,000 users to the first site and less than 2,500 to the tenth.
One of the advantages of SEO is that one website can be promoted for multiple queries simultaneously. For instance, it can be found not only for the query "buy curtains" but also for "green curtains," "curtains Samara," etc. Even a small amount of traffic from one of the queries can collectively provide a stable flow of clients. Although promoting through SEO can take a lot of time and effort, its advantages become evident in the long term. After the optimization is completed, traffic continues to come without additional costs, unlike paid advertising, where each click requires payment.
History of SEO development
Search engine optimization began to develop in the 1990s with the emergence of the first search engines that replaced directories. Initially, the main criteria for evaluating web resources were content and keywords. The first ranking methods were ineffective, and many websites reached the top due to clever manipulations, such as excessive keyword usage. In 2005, search engines began to apply link ranking algorithms, such as Page Rank from Google and TCI from Yandex, which affected the site's value based on the number of external links.
A turning point occurred in 2009 with the introduction of machine learning algorithms, which significantly changed the approach to SEO. These algorithms allowed for the exclusion of low-quality promotion methods, and now only legitimate methods are required to achieve high rankings. Modern search engines use a multitude of criteria for ranking, including content quality, page loading speed, and technical characteristics. Websites that are overloaded with keywords and links, as well as those with technical errors, can no longer occupy high positions in the results.
SEO methods
To achieve high positions in search results, it is necessary to harmoniously combine various components of SEO optimization. Let's explore the main methods included in the process:
- Formation of the semantic core: This is a list of keywords and phrases that accurately describe the content of the website, allowing search engines to index it correctly.
- Improving content quality: Quality content is one of the key factors for successful SEO. It should be informative, unique, and easy to read.
- Enhancing usability: A user-friendly and understandable website interface contributes to positive user interaction with the resource.
- Speeding up loading: Page loading speed is critical, as users and search engines prefer faster websites.
- Technical SEO settings: This includes creating a logical website structure, setting up URLs, and fixing technical errors.
- Building external links: The number of links from quality external resources increases trust in the site and its position in the results.
Each of these elements plays an important role in the overall SEO optimization process and requires careful consideration to achieve the best results.