I started working on search engine optimization back when most marketers were still just turning a blind eye to it. Today, everyone knows that SEO is the most effective tool for online marketing, bringing in far more conversions and customers than social media marketing, and is much cheaper than paid advertising. But why is search engine optimisation so effective? And what does it take to make sure your website really meets all the basic elements of SEO? The guide below will take you through the ins and outs of search engine optimisation!
What is search engine optimisation, SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, or Search Engine Optimization, is an essential task in online marketing today. If done right, Search Engine Optimization is an outstanding tool that can cost-effectively bring direct customers to your website – and thus your product or service – in response to their queries and searches.
This article will discuss: the definition of search engine optimization, types of SEO, off page and on-page search engine optimization, keyword definition, long tail and short tail SEO, and the orientation of search engine optimization as vertical and horizontal SEO.
The concept of search engine optimisation
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of tailoring the content of a website to make it rank as high as possible in search results.
Search engine optimisation is closely related to almost all other online marketing tools: it is based on content marketing and is an essential tool for social media marketing!
Grouping search engine optimisation tasks according to where they are carried out
Types of search engine optimisation
Search engine optimisation is the core of the pyramid
Off page search engine optimization
Off page search engine optimization used to be understood as link marketing. But today, with the advent of the semantic web, it means much more than that. Off site SEO now means links pointing to us from authoritative, valuable content. It no longer works to pile links into directories, you can get blacklisted by using automated SEO robots. We need links pointing to us from authoritative sites, from relevant content. The role of social media has also become important, because without social media marketing there is no search engine optimization today.
On page search engine optimisation
On page SEO is based on an efficient website engine, CMS system. Many open source CMS also include many SEO options, but for other reasons they are not suitable for achieving long-term, sustainable search results. The use of custom source websites is recommended. On page search engine optimisation is also based on the use of keywords in the source code to populate the surfaces visible to search engines, but this is only a small part of what is required for effective on site optimisation.
Classification of search engine optimisation according to keyword complexity: long tail and short tail keywords
Based on the complexity of keywords, we distinguish between long tail and short tail keywords, and thus also search engine optimisation. In the case of short tail SEO, keywords are single-word words, while in the case of long tail seo, they are multi-word phrases. Users using search engines are less and less likely to type in one-word short tail words, but rather a phrase or the problem itself. For example, if someone is looking for an online marketing consultant for their company, they will not type the word marketing into Google, as the results are very varied and it takes a long time to find an online marketing consultant. If you type in the term “online marketing consultant”, you will get the most relevant results. Defining your search terms is key to effective search engine optimisation or search engine marketing.
Grouping search engine optimisation by SEO direction
Vertical search engine optimisation
Search engine optimization is aimed at attracting visitors to your website. Visitors can type in short tail and long tail search terms based on the above. These keywords can be direct or indirect from our point of view. Customers can be either certain customers or potential customers. E.g. if I am a mattress retailer, a sure customer for me is the person who types “mattress” or “buy mattress” or “mattress price” in Google, because he is looking for my product. If I am a mattress retailer, it is therefore essential that I am at the top of Google’s results list for these terms, which will certainly bring customers to my shop (it is only my retailer’s vein, price, etc. that will tell me whether I sell him a mattress or not). The activity of search engine optimisation, where I optimise a website with a view to predefined, important keywords and terms, is called vertical search engine optimisation. Vertical because my goal is to get as high as possible in Google’s results list for these few keywords.
Horizontal search engine optimisation
Horizontal search engine optimization is not only about finding sure customers but also a broader layer of potential customers. As a good marketer, I have to pay attention to the usually long tail terms that describe the solutions provided by my products and services, as this is what my prospective customers are searching for and there are more of them. Sticking to the mattress example above, if I am a mattress retailer, my potential customer might be the person who wakes up with a sore back and types “back pain” or “my back hurts, why” into the search engine. This person may just have strained their back, but more likely they are sleeping on the wrong mattress, so I can provide a solution to their problem. However, these search words and phrases are endless and I cannot pay attention to all of them with a strong awareness. Horizontal search engine optimisation is working to get my website to the top of Google’s search rankings for as many terms as possible, even tens of thousands of keywords. Vertical and horizontal search engine optimisation support each other, but they can be separated at the planning stage. The detailed SEO techniques needed to achieve this are developed by each individual and are carefully guarded from their competitors, but in short, horizontal search engine optimisation aims to add as much content as possible and strengthen the site in general from an SEO point of view, while vertical search engine optimisation focuses on specific sub-pages, their improvement and their priority linking.
Why is SEO the most effective online marketing tool? Search engine optimisation results through examples
I couldn’t buy a coffee with the money I’ve spent on paid advertising: Google Ads or Facebook, Instagram ads in the last 5 years. No time to update this website properly either. The cobbler has the wrong shoes. The good cobbler who has so much to do that he doesn’t have time to mind his own business. So for a well search engine optimized website, there is no advertising cost, there is nothing but content marketing and SEO.
Who is the best SEO consultant?
We don’t care about our search engine optimization consultant competitors either. We also don’t care about the fights and negative PR work of SEO consultants that are launched against us, seeing our success. We don’t have the time, but we don’t need the mud slinging either. It’s the result of search engine optimisation: 4-5 requests for proposals a day, from which we pick the best ones that really interest us. Hotel SEO, restaurant search engine optimization, healthcare online marketing and quality ecommerce. These are the ones that really move us, of course that doesn’t mean we don’t take on other SEO jobs, but we are selective. Oh, and we don’t just do search engine optimization with our clients alone, even if it’s easier that way. So what does an effective search engine optimisation job consist of? I’ll show you!
The process of effective search engine optimization
SEO without a strategy is worth nothing. No words are interesting, nothing is interesting, only conversions (purchases) at the end. In my classes at university I always stress: search engine optimization is not about getting a certain word or even a few phrases to the top of Google or Live search. We show you the steps of SEO:
Developing an SEO strategy
We start all of our marketing work by conducting an online marketing audit, and have been doing so for ten years. Nowadays, many people copy this method, seeing its effectiveness, but an audit and a strategy can only be good if it is:
It is carried out by an experienced professional who is well versed in both SEO and online marketing basics. The more tricks, tips and advice you have up your sleeve, the more companies, projects and problems you have seen. New SEO and online marketing consultants are born every day. But the 20 years of experience that I have in my head, from search engine optimization of all the websites of multinational companies to the full online marketing implementation of micro SMEs, is something that no one will ever have again. Search engine optimization processes evolve and change, of course, you need to update your SEO knowledge, but experience is still crucial.
It is done by a trained professional. Online marketing consultant and SEO expert is an interesting profession, no qualifications are needed. To be a photographer and give an account of it, you need a serious education. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an SEO expert or an online marketer: you can be a search engine optimisation expert after leaving primary school. In fact, you can even be successful, rank well in Google’s search results for certain keywords, have a popular vlog because you talk about everything that comes to mind, but that doesn’t make you a good online marketing or SEO consultant. But in search engine optimization, it’s all about search rankings, right? Very important, yes, but not everything. SEO is the most effective tool in online marketing, but it’s only one of them. You need context, research, scientific foundations and, of course, up-to-date knowledge. If you didn’t study this at university, or maybe you didn’t go to university, you won’t have the overall picture of the marketing profession that will lead to conversion and success in the end.
Therefore, a search engine optimisation strategy can only be successful if you create it with the right experience, with the help of a consultant who has an overview of the entire marketing segment. SEO alone is just a mass of empty visitors.
The key to effective search engine optimisation is good keyword choice
You can be first for a keyword if it doesn’t bring you enough customers. Empty visitors are not welcome to a business website owner. Search engine optimization results are measured in conversions, not visitors (the exception is search engine optimization for online newspapers). There are many keyword selection software and tools, from Google Ads’ own system to custom-programmed solutions that we have developed and use to determine relevant keywords.
So the keyword list is based on research as well as our own experience. In 20 years I’ve seen a lot of what works and what doesn’t. You have to pay attention to LSI keywords, of course, but also to synonyms and even additions that make you think of people who think or write very differently.
Search engine optimisation and content marketing – that’s what you need!
When a friend asks me what to do if they want more customers, my first piece of advice (if they have a search engine optimization based website) is to write more content! Content marketing is the driving force behind SEO. SEO strategy, keyword selection and content marketing that matches these will get you to a search engine optimised website.
The results of SEO can be measured
Okay, for all terms related to online marketing and search engine optimization, this blog is at the top of Google and Live’s listings, but can we do the same for our clients? We have clients that we have been helping for 18 years in all aspects of search engine optimization and online marketing. It wouldn’t be that way if we weren’t successful.
But to make it tangible, I’ll show you an example from Google Analytics! In the image below you can see the statistics of a dentist’s office, compared to the previous year and the last 30 days of logins. Specifically, the conversion here is when a patient books an appointment online at that dentist’s office. In the picture you can see that in the current period our system has measured 123 appointment bookings, compared to only 72 at this time last year. So, in one year, the SEO work has brought 70% more patients to our clients.
How much does search engine optimisation cost?
You see, online marketing is a system, and the SEO strategy that we give our clients is the result of a well-functioning, certainly effective, scientific and empirically based consultancy process. But how much does it cost a company? I used to say, you can take many different kinds of cars to the beach on holiday. You can buy a Trabi, but you can also buy a BMW. A BMW will get you where you want to go, but it’s also more comfortable and safer than a Trabi. You can choose. Whichever you go with, you still decide how hard you want to push the accelerator. If you drive more, you’ll get there faster, but your car will use more fuel. But there’s an ideal speed, where it gets good fuel consumption and is relatively fast. Well, that’s the speed we’ll find for you during your online marketing audit!
Frequently asked questions
What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the collective term for the activities and tactics used to ensure that a website’s content is ranked as highly as possible in the unpaid results of search engines such as Google.
Why search engine optimisation?
Since people often only look at the first search results, it makes a big difference how high a site appears on these results pages. Users trust Google, and if something is not in the first results (e.g. it only appears on the second results page), they are unlikely to click on it.
What are the types of search engine optimisation?
Search engine optimisation can be divided into two main types: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. These can be further separated into technical search engine optimisation. These are all important for a website’s content to perform well in search results.
How much does SEO cost?
The pricing of SEO depends on many things, as does the return on investment of search engine optimisation. This is discussed in more detail in the pages cited in the related articles section.
What is the relationship between SEO and SMM?
Search engine optimization and social media marketing work effectively when integrated into a common online marketing strategy. This means that their effectiveness is reduced when used separately!