What is SEO and how should it be done?

Posted on by Higor Lacerda

Companies that own a website and/or virtual store will always want to be on the first page of Google and go even further, ranking first in searches. But with that goal in mind, some doubts arise, is there any service for that? Which is? How should it be done? This “magic” service does exist! And it’s called SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

What is SEO?

Simply and straightforward, SEO basically consists of providing information to search engines (eg Google, Bing, and Yahoo) about the content on your site, aiming to gain authority over your competitors, leading to improved search rankings and a significant increase in traffic.

An SEO project is formed by a set of techniques and professionals from different sectors, being able to find programmers, designers, copywriters, advertisers, performance analysts, among others. There must be an excellent synchrony between these techniques and professionals, because for each SEO project there will be a different competition, requiring unique forms of planning.

How to make quality SEO:

We share a basic SEO project in 16 pillars, in which we separate internal topics where you can use as a basis for study and planning.

1. Layout & Architecture:

  • Content should be clear and open;
  • Avoid ads over content;
  • Create hierarchical content;
  • Keep a clean navigation;
  • Use “nofollow” for ads and affiliate links;
  • User friendly URLs;
  • Leave contact information always visible;
  • Include the pages of “privacy policies” and “about”;

2. Keyword Research:

  • Choose your keywords wisely;
  • Keep one main keyword per page;
  • Check the competition for the title (Google “allintitle:” your keyword);
  • Take the keywords from your competitors;
  • Always monitor your clickthrough rate (CTR);

3. Title Tags:

  • Use your main keyword in your title;
  • Make it “clickable”;
  • Add your mark at the end;
  • Do not repeat keywords;
  • Formula “Title Tag”: Keyword in focus + Secondary keyword + Brand name;
  • Holds between 50 – 60 characters;

4. Meta Descriptions:

  • Write something brief and concise;
  • Include the main keyword as fast as possible;
  • Holds between 150 – 160 characters;

5. Header Tags:

  • Write a single H1 tag for each page;
  • Use the main keyword in H1;
  • Use latent semantic indexing keywords (LSI Keywords) in the H2 & H3 tags;

6. The Content:

  • Use the main keyword in the first paragraph;
  • Long content is related to better rankings;
  • Keep keyword density between 2% – 4%;
  • Write texts with latent semantic indexing keywords;
  • Add internal & external links;
  • Prioritize quality rather than frequency;
  • Configure Rich Snippets & Structured Data;

7. User Experience:

  • Decrease your Rejection Rate;
  • Use “scrollmaps” software;
  • Use “heatmaps” tracking;
  • Reduce the use of pop-ups;
  • Be careful with interstitial ads (ads before page loading);
  • Have a site optimized for mobile devices;
  • Set up friendly 404 pages;
  • Implement an SSL certificate;

8. Google Analytics & Search Console:

  • Note the keywords that your site has the most impressions;
  • Look at the keywords in which your site is best positioned;
  • Assign internal links to pages with more impressions and better rankings;
  • Check & Correct crawling errors;
  • Configure & Submit a sitemap.xml;

9. Site speed:

  • Optimize the loading time (Desktop / Mobile);
  • Enjoy the browser cache;
  • Compress the JavaScript files;
  • Compress CSS files;
  • Reduce response time with the server;

10. Image optimization:

  • Add alt text for all images;
  • Use a descriptive name for the files;
  • Compress the image size;

11. Link Building:

  • Build links from sites with large domain authority (Domain Authority);
  • List the sites by topics;
  • Add links within the content;
  • Follow the backlinks of competitors;
  • Diversify Your Links & Texts Anchor;

12. Google Penalty Recovery:

  • Be aware when your traffic drops;
  • Remove bad links;
  • Deny unknown connections;
  • Check for hacks;
  • File a reconsideration request;

13. Social Media:

  • Always be active in social networks;
  • Set up a Twitter Card;
  • Set up Facebook Like Box;
  • Set up a Google Plus Badge;
  • Add tanned and share buttons;
  • Encourage your audience to share your content;

14. Content promotion:

  • Find popular content in your niche and improve it;
  • Use sharing assets (eg infographics);
  • Disclose via Email;
  • Share content from other people, aiming at reciprocity;

15. Tips & General advice:

  • Always learn as much as possible;
  • Stay tuned for updates on “Search Engine Land”;
  • Be patient;
  • Dispense suspicious techniques (Black Hat);
  • Do not spam;