If you're immersed in the world of digital marketing, you've certainly come across the acronym SEO.
These three letters have the power to transform a business's online presence, taking it to new heights of visibility and engagement.
In this super comprehensive guide, we'll explore the fundamentals of SEO, uncover its essential properties and offer practical strategies for boosting your site's organic traffic.
What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the set of techniques and practices aimed at optimizing a website for search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. The importance of SEO in digital marketing is unquestionable, as it directly influences online visibility and the generation of organic traffic.
This practice encompasses a series of techniques and strategies that aim to optimize different aspects of a website, from its content to its technical structure, so that it is more easily understood and valued by search engine algorithms.
Investing in SEO is fundamental to any successful digital marketing strategy. The direct influence that SEO has on online visibility and the generation of organic traffic is one of the pillars underpinning the success of a website.
Search Engines: What Are They?
Search engines are the first point of contact between users and online content. They are complex and sophisticated systems designed to index, organize and provide relevant results in response to user queries on the Internet.
They are the fundamental tools that connect internet users to the vast world of information available online. Search engines play a crucial role in democratizing access to knowledge, making it easier to find relevant content amid the vastness of the web.
How do search engines work?
There are 4 main events that govern the operation of Search Engines. They are as follows:
- Crawling: search engines use bots, also known as spiders or crawlers, to scour the internet and examine web pages. These bots follow the links on the pages to discover new content.
- Indexing: after crawling, search engines index the information collected. This involves organizing and storing data in a huge database, making it readily accessible when a user performs a search.
- Ranking algorithms: when a user makes a search, search engines use complex algorithms to analyze and rank the indexed pages. These algorithms consider a variety of factors to determine the relevance of a page in relation to the user's query.
- Presentation of Results: the results are presented to the user on a search results page (SERP), ranked based on the relevance estimated by the algorithms. Links to relevant pages, along with titles and descriptions, are displayed so that the user can choose the most suitable option.
When someone searches for something on the internet, effective search engine optimization ensures that your site is highlighted in the results.
This not only increases visibility, but also puts your brand in front of an audience that is actively looking for products, services or information related to your niche.
What is the history of SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, originated in the 1990s, when search engines began to gain prominence.
Initially focused on basic practices such as the use of keywords, it evolved significantly in the 2000s with the rise of Google and the introduction of complex algorithms such as PageRank, which emphasized the relevance of content.
Over the years, SEO has undergone constant adaptations to keep up with changes in algorithms, search trends and the growing demands of digital marketing, consolidating itself as a fundamental practice for online visibility and generating organic traffic.
How did SEO come about?
SEO emerged with the first search engines, such as Archie (1989) and Veronica (1992), which had a fairly rudimentary approach.
However, it was with the launch of Yahoo in 1994 that the idea of manually categorizing sites began to gain prominence.
At that early stage, optimizing websites for search engines was more focused on basic practices, such as including keywords in meta tags and content.
As the Internet grew, new search engines emerged, such as AltaVista (1995) and, more significantly, Google (1998).
Google introduced more complex algorithms, including the famous PageRank, which evaluated the relevance of pages based on external links, fundamentally changing the approach to SEO.
Since then, SEO has continued to evolve, driven by frequent updates to search engine algorithms such as Google's Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird.
Today, SEO is a highly dynamic discipline, encompassing a variety of techniques aimed at improving online visibility, user experience and domain authority.
Who are the creators of SEO?
SEO does not have a specific set of creators or founders, as it is not a specific technology or product with identifiable inventors.
Instead, SEO has evolved over time as an organic practice in response to the development of the internet and search engines. Search engines have been developed by various companies and individuals over the years.
For example, Google, one of the most influential search engines, was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998. They were responsible for introducing PageRank, an innovative algorithm that assessed the relevance of pages based on external links.
However, it would be a mistake to say that they are the creators of SEO.
When did the term SEO come into use?
The exact moment when the term SEO was coined is not precisely defined, but there are indications of its use in the mid to late 1990s.
The growth of search engines, especially with the launch of Google in 1998, played a significant role in popularizing the term.
As companies and marketers recognized the importance of optimizing their websites for better visibility in search results, the term SEO became commonplace in the language of digital marketing.
What are Google's Updates?
Google, as the leading search engine, is constantly evolving, improving its algorithms to offer more relevant, high-quality search results. Let's explore some of the main Google updates that have marked the trajectory of SEO.
Florida: Update Florida (2003) was a significant update, marking Google's transition to a more sophisticated approach to assessing relevance. Factors such as excessive keyword density were penalized, ushering in an era of greater complexity in the algorithms.
Panda: Launched in 2011, Panda aimed to penalize sites with low-quality, duplicate or thinly optimized content for search engines. It focused on delivering more useful and informative results to users.
Penguin: Penguin (2012) targeted manipulative link building practices, penalizing sites with low quality backlinks. It reinforced the importance of building an organic and relevant link network.
Hummingbird: Hummingbird (2013) brought improvements in the semantic understanding of search queries, allowing Google to interpret the meaning behind keywords. It emphasized user intent.
Pigeon: Pigeon (2014) has improved local search results, taking the user's location into account more effectively and offering more relevant results for local searches.
HTTPS/SSL Update: Introduced in 2014, this update favored secure websites, encouraging the adoption of the HTTPS protocol to ensure safer browsing.
Mobile-friendly update - Mobilegeddon: in 2015, Google began prioritizing sites optimized for mobile devices, rewarding them with better positions in search results, encouraging responsiveness.
Rankbrain: RankBrain (2015) introduced artificial intelligence into the ranking process, allowing Google to better understand the meaning of complex and unusual search queries.
Fred: the Fred (2017) targeted sites with low-quality content, too many ads and low value for the user, highlighting the importance of offering valuable content.
Mobile-first index: in 2018, Google officially implemented mobile-first indexing, prioritizing the mobile version of content for rankings in search environments.
Medic update: Medic (2018) focused on the quality and reliability of content, especially in health-sensitive niches. It reinforced the importance of expertise, authority and reliability (E-A-T).
E-A-T: E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) has become an important focus, especially after the Medic update. It reinforces the need for reliable content, written by experts.
Reliability update: This update in 2019 aimed to improve the reliability of survey results by reducing the presence of questionable information.
Diversity update: inorder to provide more variety in search results, the diversity update (2019) prevented a single page from monopolizing the first results.
BERT: BERT (2019) has brought significant improvements in understanding the context and meaning of words in a sentence, improving search results.
Favicon and Position 0: Introduced in 2020, this update displayed favicons in search results and adjusted position 0, affecting the visibility of featured snippets.
Page experience update and Core web vitals: prevised for 2021, the Page Experience Update includes user experience metrics, such as Core Web Vitals, in the ranking evaluation.
Core updates for June and July Core Updates are regular updates that adjust Google's main algorithms to improve the quality of search results.
Link spam update: Aimed at combating spam practices, the Link Spam Update (2021) focuses on devaluing low-quality links.
Core update for November: one of the regular Core Updates, this one adjusts algorithms to reflect changes in user preferences and the quality of online content.
Core Update:Core Updates are periodic adjustments that Google makes to improve the relevance and quality of search results.
E-E-A-T: the importance of Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness continues to be emphasized, especially in niches that require accurate and reliable information.
Helpful Content update: this update, in 2022, focuses on highlighting useful and valuable content, rewarding pages that effectively meet users' needs.
Core Update: theCore Updates are an integral part of Google's ongoing strategy to refine its algorithms, taking into account feedback and changes in the online landscape.
These updates reflect Google's commitment to improving the user experience, promoting valuable content and combating manipulative practices. Keeping up to date with these changes is essential for SEO professionals looking to maintain relevance and success online.
What are SEO Ranking Factors?
Ranking factors in SEO are criteria or elements that search engines consider when determining the position of a page in search results.
Search engine algorithms evaluate various aspects of a website to determine its relevance and quality in relation to a specific search query.
These factors are fundamental to the success of an SEO strategy and can directly influence the visibility of a page in search results.
What are the Ranking Factors?
The success of an SEO strategy is strongly influenced by various ranking factors that search engines take into account when determining the relevance and quality of a page.
It would be impossible to talk about them all here, but we'll cover the most important ones below. These factors can be categorized into two main areas: On-Page and Off-Page.
On-Page
Keywords:
- Strategic inclusion of relevant keywords in content, titles, headings and meta descriptions.
- Use variations of keywords naturally and without excess.
Quality content:
- Providing relevant and useful information to users.
- Structuring the content in a clear and readable way.
- Use of media, such as images and videos, to enrich the user experience.
URL structure:
- Friendly and meaningful URLs that concisely describe the content of the page.
- Use of keywords in the URL, where appropriate.
HTML tags:
- Proper use of HTML tags, such as title (H1), subheadings (H2, H3), and alt attributes on images.
- Creation of attractive and descriptive meta tags.
Core Web Vitals:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Ensuring that the largest element of the page is loaded in an acceptable time.
- FID (First Input Delay): Minimizing the page's interactive response time.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Reduction of unexpected layout movements during loading.
Off-Page
Quality backlinks:
- Obtaining backlinks from relevant and reliable sites.
- Diversification of backlink sources to build a variety of natural links.
Domain Authority:
- Building a solid and reliable online reputation.
- Increasing domain authority through ethical link building practices.
Social Signals:
- Involvement in social media platforms to promote sharing and interaction.
- Considering social signals such as likes, shares and comments as indicators of relevance.
Online Presence:
- Consistent and accurate listing in online directories.
- Managing ratings and comments to build a positive reputation.
By understanding and optimizing these factors, including the Core Web Vitals, in both the On-Page and Off-Page environment, it is possible to create a comprehensive SEO strategy that significantly increases the chances of ranking better in search engines.
What to Expect from the Future of SEO Ranking Factors?
The future of SEO ranking factors promises to be dynamic, shaped by technological advances, changes in user preferences and continuous adaptations by search engines.
Some trends and expectations for the future of ranking factors include:
User Experience (UX) as a Priority: User experience, including Core Web Vitals, is likely to become an even more crucial factor. Search engines are increasingly focused on offering results that provide a high-quality experience for users.
Mobile-First: with the increasing use of mobile devices, search engines will continue to prioritize the mobile experience. Mobile-optimized pages and loading speed will be decisive factors.
Semantic and Contextual Content: Search engines are improving their semantic understanding capabilities. The future may include a greater emphasis on contextual understanding of content, going beyond keywords to understand the intent behind search queries.
AI and Machine Learning: the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning by search engines should influence ranking factors. More sophisticated algorithms can take into account a wider range of signals to assess the quality and relevance of content.
Security and Privacy: Security and privacy considerations, such as the use of HTTPS and ethical data collection practices, may become more prominent in ranking factors as public awareness grows.
Voice Search and Visual Search: with the growing popularity of voice search and visual search, ranking factors can be adapted to cater for these emerging forms of interaction, taking into account the optimization of content for direct responses and visual recognition.
Specialization in Niches: the segmentation of results based on specific niches can be improved. Search engines can customize ranking factors to meet the specific needs of sectors or communities.
Multichannel integration: the integration of different marketing channels, such as organic search, social media and paid search, can play a more significant role in ranking factors, reflecting the importance of multichannel strategy.
It is crucial for SEO professionals to be aware of these changes, adapting their strategies as the digital environment evolves.
Agility and the ability to anticipate emerging trends will be essential for future success in search engine rankings.
What is Black Hat?
"Black Hat" is a term that refers to questionable and unethical practices that seek to manipulate search engine algorithms, violate guidelines and rules established by search engines, as well as deceive users in order to obtain undue benefits.
These practices are commonly associated with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies that seek to obtain higher rankings in search results in an unethical way.
It's important to say that none of them are advisable. This is because search engine algorithms have evolved to punish such practices. So the chance of losing positioning by using one of these techniques is very high.
Some Black Hat SEO techniques include:
Keyword Stuffing: filling content with an excessive amount of keywords in an attempt to manipulate search engines. This results in low-quality content and is not beneficial to users.
Cloaking: displaying different content or pages to search engines and users. This can be done to obtain higher rankings by deceiving search engines about the actual content of the page.
Link Farming: creating a network of sites with the sole purpose of creating links to the main site, in the hope of artificially increasing the domain's authority.
Doorway Pages: create pages optimized for specific keywords, but which redirect users to a different page. These pages are designed just for search engines.
Comment spam: sending irrelevant links or spam in blog and forum comments to get backlinks.
Hidden Text and Links: inserting text or links that are invisible to users but that search engines can detect. This practice aims to increase the relevance of keywords without affecting the user experience.
Link Buying: buying links from other sites to increase domain authority. This is against search engine guidelines.
The use of Black Hat techniques can result in penalties from search engines, including the de-indexing of the site, a reduction in rankings and, in extreme cases, the complete removal of the site from search results.
It is important to adopt ethical SEO practices, known as "White Hat SEO", which focus on offering quality content and a positive user experience.
How to Develop an SEO Strategy?
Developing an effective SEO strategy is key to improving your site's visibility on search engines, attracting organic traffic and achieving your online goals. Here are the steps to developing a solid SEO strategy:
Define Clear Objectives: identify specific goals, such as increasing organic traffic, improving conversions, or increasing online presence.
Keyword research: carry out keyword research to identify terms relevant to your niche. Consider user intent when choosing keywords.
SEO audit: assess the current health of your site with an SEO audit. This includes analysis of meta tags, URL structure, content, loading speed and more.
Competitor Analysis: study competitors' SEO strategies to identify opportunities and gaps that you can exploit.
Develop Quality Content: create relevant, informative and valuable content for users. Use keywords in a natural way and maintain consistency in content production.
On-page optimization: optimize on-page elements such as titles, meta descriptions, header tags and URLs to reflect the chosen keywords.
Link building: build a link building strategy to obtain quality backlinks. This includes partnerships, guest posts and content promotion.
Technical SEO: make sure your site is technically optimized. This includes improving loading speed, making the site responsive, correcting 404 errors, among others.
User Experience (UX): improve the user experience on your site. This includes easy navigation, responsive design, and fast loading times.
Monitoring and Analysis: use tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor your site's performance. Analyze metrics such as traffic, conversion rate and positioning in the SERPs.
Constant updates: keep up to date with changes in search engine algorithms. Adjust your strategy as necessary.
Social Media and SEO: integrate your social media strategies with SEO. Share content, promote engagement and drive traffic to your site.
Mobile Optimization: make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices, as search engines are placing increasing importance on the mobile experience.
Evergreen Content Strategy: develop evergreen content that remains relevant over time and attracts continuous traffic.
Results evaluation: regularly evaluate the results of your SEO strategy. Make adjustments based on the analysis to continually improve performance.
By following these steps and adapting your strategy as necessary, you'll be well on your way to building a strong and sustainable online presence through SEO.
What are the best tools for SEO?
There are several tools on the market that can help SEO professionals in different aspects of website optimization. Here are some of the best tools widely used in the SEO field:
Google Analytics: Monitors website traffic, user behavior, conversions and other important data.
Google Search Console: Offers insights into how Google sees your site, identifies crawl problems and provides data on search queries and keyword performance.
SEMrush: Comprehensive features including keyword research, competitor analysis, position tracking and SEO auditing.
Ahrefs: Powerful tool for backlink analysis, keyword research, rank monitoring and SEO auditing.
Moz Pro: Provides features such as keyword research, backlink analysis, ranking tracking and site auditing.
Yoast SEO: Plugin for WordPress that helps with on-page optimization, offering suggestions for improving titles, meta descriptions and other crucial elements.
Ubersuggest: Keyword research tool that provides insights into search volume, competition, content ideas and backlinks.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Carries out technical SEO audits, identifying problems such as broken URLs, missing tags and redirection problems.
BuzzSumo: Helps identify popular content and trends, enabling the creation of effective content strategies.
Google PageSpeed Insights: Evaluates the loading speed of your site on mobile and desktop devices, providing optimization suggestions.
SpyFu: Allows you to analyze your competitors' keyword and ad strategies, as well as providing information on their ad history.
WooRank: Carries out SEO audits and provides recommendations for improving site performance in terms of SEO, usability and technology.
Rank Math: SEO plugin for WordPress that offers advanced on-page optimization features, schema analysis and support for various types of content.
LinkResearchTools: Comprehensive tool for analyzing backlinks, identifying toxic links and monitoring link quality.
Grammarly: Helps ensure the quality of content by correcting grammar and spelling mistakes, which is crucial for content optimization.
These tools are just a selection, and the choice depends on the specific needs of your project and the budget available. Customized combinations of tools can be ideal for different aspects of website optimization.
Technical SEO: how does it work?
Technical SEO is a branch of Search Engine Optimization that focuses on the more technical and structural aspects of a website, with the aim of optimizing its visibility in search engines.
While relevant content and backlinks are essential, technical optimization is crucial to ensure that search engines can understand, index and rank the site's content efficiently.
Let's explore the main elements of Technical SEO and how they contribute to online success.
Loading speed
Website loading speed is a crucial factor for user experience and SEO. Search engines favor sites that load quickly.
Technical SEO includes optimizations such as image compression, code minification and the use of content delivery networks (CDNs) to improve speed.
Responsiveness and Mobile Optimization
With the predominant use of mobile devices, optimization for mobile devices is essential.
Technical SEO ensures that the site is responsive and offers a consistent experience on different devices, which is valued by search engines, especially Google.
URL structure
A friendly and comprehensible URL structure contributes to the understanding of the content by search engines. Technical SEO involves creating clear, short and descriptive URLs, incorporating keywords where appropriate.
Tags Meta
Meta tags, including titles and descriptions, are crucial for SEO. Technical SEO ensures that these tags are optimized with relevant keywords, are unique to each page and are within the recommended guidelines.
XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt
Technical SEO includes the creation and maintenance of XML sitemaps, which help search engines understand the structure of the site.
In addition, the robots.txt file is configured to guide search engine bots as to which parts of the site should be crawled or not.
Canonicals and Redirects
The correct use of canonical tags helps to avoid duplicate content, while redirects (such as 301 for permanent redirects) are implemented correctly to ensure a smooth transition when there are changes to the site structure.
Security (HTTPS)
Security is a priority for search engines. Technical SEO involves implementing the HTTPS protocol, guaranteeing a secure connection between the user and the site.
This is especially important for sites that handle financial transactions or collect sensitive data.
Schema Markup
Adding structured markers to the HTML code helps search engines to better understand the site's content.
Technical SEO implements Schema Markup to provide additional information such as ratings, opening hours and events.
Errors and Redirects
Technical SEO involves identifying and correcting 404 errors, ensuring that visitors and search engines don't come across pages that can't be found.
Redirects are managed to avoid broken links and maintain the integrity of the site structure.
Server Log Analysis
Analyzing server logs is an advanced Technical SEO practice that provides insights into how search engines are interacting with the site. This includes which pages are being crawled most often and how search engine bots are interpreting the content.
SEO with the help of Tess AI
In an increasingly dynamic digital world, where online visibility is a valuable asset, SEO remains the benchmark for leading your site to success in the SERPs (search results pages).
As we explore the complexities of Search Engine Optimization, it becomes clear that it's not just about optimizing for search engines, but about providing an exceptional user experience.
With that in mind, we'd like to introduce you to Tess AI. Pareto's artificial intelligence has several templates that automate and facilitate various stages of SEO strategies, with even delivery flows that complement each other and add value from end to end.
Let us help you increase your presence on Google and consequently your organic traffic!
