THE

COMPLETE

SEO GUIDE

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

I. SEO AND SEARCH ENGINES: THE KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING

II. OPTIMIZED CONTENT

III. POPULARITY

IV. TECHNICAL SEO

V. SEO ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS

APPENDIX 1: SEO TOOLS

APPENDIX 2: SEO GLOSSARY

FOREWORD

If you’ve chosen to purchase this book (for which I thank you), it’s to discover the essential discipline of digital marketing known as SEO. But before I open the doors to this odd and wonderful world, I need your attention for a moment. Allow me to introduce myself and share my decade of experience in the web world since I believe it’s important that you know who I am and why I picked up the pen. I’ll also provide some insights into what you can expect from this book and what you can learn once you read it.

A good way to start is by explaining what this book is not. It’s not another technical publication, like those unfathomable volumes that assume their readers are already well-versed in the art they promote and jargonize at every line to give themselves an air of seriousness. It’s not a disguised advertisement for an online course or an expensive tool that becomes crucial as you progress through the pages, there’s nothing to buy beyond the book itself. Lastly, it’s not content designed to create a buzz like clickbait [1], using magical words to attract attention and generate clicks or sales. You’re probably familiar with those sensational headlines filled with «secrets» promising to make you rich in no time, but you won’t find that here.

I won’t promise you «first place on Google in two weeks» as so many SEO players tend to do. It’s an easy but misleading promise. The web is full of opportunities but it’s not a place for miracles. As with geometry, SEO does not offer a “royal road,” as Euclid stated [2].

This book has been designed as a practical guide for anyone looking to expand their online presence and boost their digital marketing strategy. It’s packed with best practices and tips that cover most situations a webmaster might encounter during their optimization work. And here’s one promise I can make: once you finish this book, you’ll know exactly how to give your website or blog the visibility it deserves on the web, thanks to the power of SEO.

SEO, an Essential Digital Tool

But what is this «SEO» anyway? The acronym stands for «Search Engine Optimization», which means optimizing a website to achieve a better position in search engines. Don’t worry; the first part of this book will provide a comprehensive introduction to SEO, how it works, and the search engines themselves.

In the meantime, let me tell you one thing: no business or brand, no blogger, influencer, or web player, can achieve online results without implementing a relevant digital strategy. And such a strategy (almost) inevitably involves search engines, which serve as an essential gateway to the web for everyone.

«Search», the name given to search engines as an acquisition channel, is an integral part of the digital approach today. The vast majority of internet users start their online journey by opening a search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo… [3]) and typing or dictating a few keywords. It is practically a necessity. Every day, Google alone handles 8.5 billion searches, which equates to a mind-boggling 99,000 queries typed every second [4]. These searches generate a substantial number of clicks: 53% of all web traffic comes from organic search [5], making SEO an essential digital tool for businesses.

Furthermore, it’s not an exaggeration to say that no website, regardless of its size, the nature of its activity, or its commercial goals, can exist on the web without finding its place in the Search ecosystem. None. Any marketing strategy that aims to generate online leads must rely on the fundamentals of SEO, just as any building must have solid foundations to endure. Therefore, anyone involved in any way with digital marketing needs to understand, at the very least, the basics of this discipline.

SEO is an inescapable presence, whether you approve of it or not. It permeates not just search engines, but every aspect of the online world. To understand this, we need to view these engines for what they are: recommendation algorithms that draw from web content to make suggestions to users seeking information, products, services, brands, or local contacts. If you want these tools to take your website, blog, or e-commerce platform into account, you need to provide them with information about your business, the nature of your products or services, and the added value you offer to users.

It turns out that the rules for making an algorithm understand the nature of your work also apply to other web platforms: Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, mobile app stores (App Store, Google Play Store), and so on. It’s the same principle that underlies recommendation features familiar to streaming service subscribers, online shoppers, and news readers. Each time, an algorithm relies on existing content to suggest other products, services, or information that might match user expectations. In each case, it involves a specific form of optimization.

Natural referencing is everywhere, and everyone uses it. If you manage a website, maintain a blog (personal or professional), sell products/services on e-commerce sites, or run an institutional platform you need SEO to gain visibility, attract users’ attention, and generate clicks. In three words, to exist online. The purpose of this book is to show you how to leverage it.

A Life Dedicated to SEO

It’s time for me to tell you a little about myself. My story is somewhat atypical. I founded my SEO agency, Eskimoz, in 2010. After five years of freelance consulting, I formed a team and leased an office space. Over time, my small business grew to become the first SEO agency in Europe, entirely self-funded, with an initial investment of only €2,000. Our ambition is to reach unicorn status [6] by 2027. In less than a decade, I went from being a sole entrepreneur to the CEO of a company with over two hundred employees, operating in six countries.

I started by helping my clients’ websites recover from Penguin penalties [7]. I cut my teeth on challenging projects with tight deadlines that no one else wanted too much complexity for too little tangible benefit in return. It happened that I had a crucial resource: since I wasn’t accumulating clients, I had spare time, which I used to generate my first revenue. In doing so, I gained valuable experience in project management across various industries. I improved my skills and added value in a market that, not too long ago, was considered a hostile terra incognita.

Gradually, I gave my business a home (an office in the Trocadéro area in Paris) and started hiring. Once the momentum began, I grew the agency with the help of a dedicated team that quickly formed around the project. We started with six people, then twenty, then fifty, then eighty. We expanded from 30 to 1,000 square meters. In less than a decade, the agency scaled up, but its raison d’être is unshaken: the commitment to assisting professionals in their digital visibility strategy. Its philosophy stayed the same too: a human dimension in this support.

Today, Eskimoz has offices not only near Paris but also in Lyon, Madrid, London, Brussels, Milan, and Stuttgart, with around thirty employees in each country. This rapid expansion didn’t change the agency’s principles or its commercial approach. This stability is due to a unique status in Europe. While all the major SEO providers on the continent are part of large groups and follow commercial strategies beyond their control, Eskimoz remains the only truly independent agency in the market. We’ve retained complete freedom in all aspects of running the business and unparalleled flexibility in our value proposition.

All this has been accomplished by developing a company that is somewhat «unsexy»: solving discrete, little-known, sometimes austere problems but crucial for those seeking solutions. Unlike the «sexy solvers» like Airbnb or Instagram (among other popular examples), the «unsexys» are companies that don’t excite anyone; they’re not «cool» or «trendy», they don’t make headlines in the media every day, and they don’t go viral on social media. Yet, they offer effective solutions to everyday issues. Take a representative example: no one worries about the zipper on their pants or jacket. However, this «unsexy» product is essential in the fashion industry. The market leader, a Japanese company, YKK Group, generates billions in profits by producing half of the zippers made worldwide. Perhaps not very sexy, but certainly lucrative!

Similarly, Eskimoz is an «unsexy» agency because it revolves around a theme rarely discussed at dinner parties. However, like the production of zippers, its function is as discreet as it is indispensable, as it literally powers the digital world.

Why this Book?

There’s no need to dwell on it; I’ve had the opportunity to share Eskimoz’s success story elsewhere. However, I want to use this brief account to convey a message: Eskimoz is a case study, a demonstration of what a passionate and motivated entrepreneur can achieve by using the web as a springboard. There’s a metaphor I particularly like: if you plant a seed in the ground, regularly water it, and ensure it receives enough light, you give it the opportunity to grow into a towering, radiant tree. The success I’ve achieved with Eskimoz is attainable for any business.

Confucius said, «Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.» For a decade now, I haven’t been working; I’ve been living my passion. I develop my optimization tools and refine my hacks to ride the waves that shake the search engines. Today, I want to share the knowledge I’ve gained and the experience I’ve forged and make sure my example is useful to you.

I decided to write this book to pass on my expertise, with the idea that everyone can replicate this upward trajectory, make a living from their online activity, generate income, and grow their company. Yes, everyone: from a yoga teacher to a shoe salesman, from a computer engineer to a real estate advisor, from a solo entrepreneur to the CEO of a multinational corporation. There’s room for everyone in the digital ecosystem. If you have an internet connection, basic skills, and plenty of free time, then everything is possible with this book as your guide.

[1] «Clickbait» refers to content designed solely to grab attention and encourage the internet user to click, often through a sensationalistic title that plays on emotions. According to Gregory Golinski, the «SEO guru» of YourParkingSpace.co.uk, clickbait «involves deceiving consumers by making them believe that the content they are clicking on will be better than it really is. In doing so, you take something from your audience without fulfilling your part of the contract, which is to create quality and useful content.» Source: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/clickbait-headlines-good-tactic/

[2] In a comment from the First Book of Elements, Proclus of Lycia (5th century BC) reported this anecdote: one day, the king of Egypt, Ptolemy, asked Euclid if there was a shorter way to learn geometry than studying his (difficult) treatise. To this, Euclid replied that there is no royal road in geometry. The expression has become proverbial.

[3] There are many search engines, less known (and less used) than Google.

[4] Source: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/google-search-statistics

[5] Organic search refers to the natural links displayed on a search engine’s results page, meaning the links that do not come from paid search. Source for the statistics: https://www.brightedge.com/blog/organic-share-of-traffic-increases-to-53

[6] A «unicorn» refers, in economics, to a startup valued at over a billion dollars, independent and unlisted on the stock market: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn_(finance)

[7] A penalty is a sanction imposed by a search engine against a website that does not adhere to its best practices. It can have significant consequences on a site’s position in the search results, even leading to its complete removal from the index.

I. SEO AND SEARCH ENGINES: THE KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING

Open Google (or any other search engine), type in a few words, and hit Enter. A list of results appears. Each of them represents a link, and each link leads to a specific web page. Click on the result that seems relevant to you, knowing that there’s nothing stopping you from going back and selecting another one if the first one proves unconvincing. Sometimes, the answer is displayed directly in the search results page, and there’s no need to click anywhere.

There you have it; you’ve just performed a web search. It’s the simplest thing in the world: everyone does it. Your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers all use this type of tool to find information today’s weather, yesterday’s game scores, the recipe for delicious coconut milk chicken, the secrets of thermodynamics…. On the internet, almost all knowledge is accessible with a few clicks. On average, a typical person conducts three to four searches per day on search engines [1]; that’s a lot!

It’s undeniable: search engines are an integral part of our lives, and we can’t imagine living without them… all without really understanding what happens when we press the Search button. In fact, 99.9% of Google, Bing, or Yahoo users have no idea about the mysterious mechanisms underlying their operation. Just like television, computers, or washing machines, we use these tools every day without even knowing what’s behind them. After all, as long as it works….

However, for someone who has their own website and would like to see their pages displayed prominently in the search results, other questions arise. What criteria do search engines use to determine which results and clickable links are shown, and in what order? Why are these pages highlighted over others? How can we ensure that Google chooses our content over our competitors?

Exploring the inner workings of search engines and identifying the mechanisms that determine the display of web pages in the results to manipulate them better is the essence of the discipline known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). But first and foremost, we need to understand what a tool like Google does in practice.

The Wonderful world of Search Engines

Search engines have profoundly transformed the way we access information, purchase products or services, communicate, entertain, and educate ourselves. They are the «major central hubs» of the global web, offering access to billions of possible destinations - and many internet users pass through them daily.

The numbers are overwhelming: the combination of organic and paid searches accounts for 80% of all traffic generated by websites [2]. In detail, the breakdown is as follows: 53% organic searches and 27% paid searches [3]. In practical terms, eight out of ten internet users who land on a web page have used a search engine. Therefore, these platforms are privileged gateways to the internet, and understanding how they work is essential for anyone looking to benefit from this web traffic.

 Why Do People Use the Internet?

To find information (57.8%)

To follow news and events (50.9%)

To learn practical things (how-to guides and tutorials) (47.6%)

To discover ideas (44.3%)

To search for products and brands (43.4%)

To find information related to education and/or studies (38.3%)

To prepare for a trip or vacation (36.4%)

To seek information related to health and healthcare products (34.7%)

To conduct professional research (28.9%)

(Source: GWI, Q3 2022)

In summary, most Internet usage is dedicated to conducting research. This explains the significant presence in the market of tools that aim to do exactly that: provide access to information all kinds of information.

Indexing and Ranking of Pages

Let’s imagine a tireless librarian who travels the world with an ambitious goal: to identify and classify all existing books. These books would then be cataloged in a gigantic index, through which this zealous archivist could provide, on demand, any resource from their list as if pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

From a purely technical standpoint, search engines do the same as this imaginary librarian, but by processing information in the broadest sense. They scour the immensity of the web to collect, index, and classify all content, in every conceivable field.

To accomplish this, they use computer programs called “crawlers” (or “web crawlers”) that explore the web in search of new publications and changes made to pages they have already indexed. Of course, given the (astronomical) volume of data to be processed, this process is both time-consuming and energy-intensive. For this reason, each platform establishes its own crawling frequency and allocates it a limited budget – after all, even search engines aim to conserve resources!

Using a powerful algorithm, the ranking of pages is determined by their relevance and quality rather than alphanumeric order, so that they display the most relevant results based on the user’s initial query. In doing so, the success of a search engine depends on its ability to provide the most relevant answers to a given question. The more satisfied users are, the more popular the search engine becomes.

The Results Page

When a query is entered, the algorithm interprets the terms used to search its index for the most relevant content and serves it to the user. The results are displayed on a dedicated page known as the SERP: an acronym for Search Engine Result Page. You are likely very familiar with the SERP, having seen it thousands of times. But did you know it follows a meticulous organization?

The SERP is structured as follows:

Each page displays ten results, and each result consists of several components:

The name of the site and the URL of the page (outlined in blue in the illustration).

The page’s title, which is also a clickable link (outlined in green).

The meta description (outlined in gray) provides an idea of the page’s content.

And in some cases, rich snippets (an example is shown in purple).

These results are not from advertising; they are «natural» or «organic» links (hence the term «organic search» or «organic SEO»). On the other hand, there are «paid» or «sponsored» links that companies can display in the SERP for a fee as part of advertising campaigns. These two types of results stem from different strategies but are often considered complementary because they address distinct issues [4].

Ranking in the Results

The structure of the SERP is not random, but the choices made by the search engine to achieve this result are a better kept secret than the recipe for Coca-Cola. Besides in-house engineers, no one knows exactly what mechanisms determine which page fills a particular position in the results. This secrecy is understandable: if everyone knew precisely what to do to rank in the top three, the whole concept of ranking would become obsolete….

However, some of these mechanisms are shared with users through guidelines (best SEO practices) published by the search engines. Nevertheless, the core operation of the algorithm is closely guarded and is the subject of speculations and analyses conducted by experts in natural SEO, who seek to «crack» the system. In this sense, SEO professionals are a bit like physicists of the web; it is their responsibility to understand how search engines work through their observations.

From Crawling to SERP: Search Engines in Five Steps 

Crawling (Exploration): The discovery, by web crawlers, of new web pages or updates made to already indexed pages.

Caching: Storing pages on the search engine’s servers to display them in search results. The links displayed in a SERP are «frozen» versions of existing web pages, which is why it takes hours (or days) for changes to be reflected.

Indexing: Adding the content to the search engine’s index.

Ranking: A two-step process: 1) Initial ranking is set by the search engine during indexing, based on multiple criteria and 2) The algorithm refines this ranking by considering page performance and changes over time.

Display in SERP: Results are shown on a dedicated page when a user makes a query. The search engine exclusively offers content it has previously indexed.

Google and the Others

The world of search engines can be divided into two categories: Google and all the others. Indeed, the tool developed by the Mountain View based company dominates the Search world, holding an overwhelming 92.6% market share [5]. For comparison, Bing comes in second place with an average of… 3% market share!

(WORLD MARKET SHARES)

(Source: statcounter.com)

In France, the same balance of power favors Google, with an average 91.6% market share, ahead of Bing with 4.5% (over the same period).

(Source: statcounter.com)

Google is also the most visited website in the world, ahead of YouTube (owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company), Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

(Source: SimilarWeb)

Of course, these figures should be considered in the context of the specific market. Google isn’t at the top everywhere. In China, mostly local search engines are used: Baidu (61.75%), Sogou (13.4%), Shenma (3.18%), and Haosou (3.11%). Bing takes second place (14.5%), with Google trailing behind (2.41%) [6]. In Russia, Yandex has been in first place ahead of Google since the beginning of 2022 (58.17% vs. 40.45% market share), gradually catching up over the years [7]. These are indeed exceptions but still warrant consideration if you are working in these markets.

From Desktop to Smartphone: How the Internet Became Mobile 

Who still surfs the internet from their computer? In 2017, for the first time, the share of web traffic from mobile devices exceeded the share of web traffic from desktop computers. This predominance has not been challenged since thus, mobile devices represented over 55% of the total web traffic in 2021.

Une image contenant texte, diagramme, ligne, Tracé Description générée automatiquement(Source: statcounter.com)

This shift has tangible effects on the use of search engines, as they have not ignored this change. In 2016, Google announced the implementation of the mobile-first index, which prioritizes the mobile version of the indexed website (when such a version exists). Since then, the search engine has continued to give increasing importance to mobile, even developing a dedicated page format for mobile devices - Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). 

How Google Became the most visited website in the world

In the mid-1990s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University, developed Google as just another search engine. However, it had a unique feature that made all the difference: its algorithm relied on a «quality score» called PageRank, which considered the quantity and quality of links pointing to the indexed pages. In essence, PageRank assessed the probability of a given page being visited by an internet user during their navigation. Naturally, a link from a popular site (meaning it was visited by a larger number of internet users) had a higher chance of being followed. This is exactly what PageRank was interested in, an innovative and efficient program that allowed the tool (then called BackRub) to stand out early on from the mass of search engines.

The name «Google» was trademarked in 1998. The platform enjoyed undeniable popularity, partly due to its clean and attractive design, but mainly because of the relevance of the results it provided to users. The search engine improved its algorithm by combining external and internal factors: on one side, inbound links; on the other, optimizations made on the web page (keyword usage frequency, <meta> tags, titling…) and considering the overall site structure. The diversity of ranking factors helped refine the relevance of the results while combating blatant algorithm manipulation.

But why Google and not Yahoo, AltaVista, Infoseek, Ask Jeeves, or any other popular search engine from the late 90s? The answer lies largely in its ability to provide the best possible search results, given its stringent ranking criteria.

By 2004, Google’s algorithm was already processing more than two hundred different signals to rank pages. The following year, the search engine began personalizing its responses, taking into account users’ search histories: to some extent, each internet user accessed a unique SERP. This was just the beginning of a series of algorithm updates that, one after the other, would profoundly alter Google’s ranking methods.

Google Updates Itself

Google regularly updates its algorithm to continuously improve the quality of displayed results and offer an optimal experience to its users. In a way, the platform implemented its own «quality policy» early on to stay ahead of its competitors.

These developments have allowed the search engine to combat abusive practices (low-quality content, spamming, keyword stuffing, content duplication, hidden text, cloaking, doorway pages… [8]) and have highlighted content that meets its requirements for quality, relevance, and safety, all with the user’s satisfaction in mind: if the user is happy, Google has done its job well.

Some updates are more significant than others because they profoundly transform the page ranking mechanism. These major changes have sometimes had devastating effects: for example, it is estimated that 3% of all search results were impacted by the launch of Google Penguin in April 2012. [9]

These specific updates can affect a website in various ways:

By changing ranking criteria (e.g., a factor that was considered important is no longer relevant, or vice versa).

By modifying criteria related to content for more quality, originality, and relevance.

By treating internal and external links differently.

By giving more importance to the user experience.

By changing security requirements (e.g., informing users which sites are secure and which are not).

It should be noted that these improvements have greatly influenced the evolution of SEO practices. This correlation is simple to explain: as Google transformed, SEO strategies needed to change as well. That’s why the history of SEO is often associated with the history of search engines, particularly Google.

Search Engine Optimization and Search Engines

Inseparable from search engines, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the digital discipline that aims to accurately answer the following question: how can we position pages in the top results displayed by search engines in response to user queries?

As seen, search engines index the billions of pages that make up the web to summon them when users make requests. Here, the webmaster’s mission is twofold: ensuring that their site’s pages are seen by web crawlers and, at the same time, convincing these crawlers of their content relevance concerning user queries.

What is SEO?

The three letters SEO stand for Search Engine Optimization. What is being optimized? Any website whose pages you want to display in the search engine results page (SERP). In other words, optimizing a web page for search engines means putting it in a favorable state to be chosen by algorithms and appear in the results.

This is what natural SEO is all about: the art and method of ranking pages in the SERP to gain maximum visibility and, by extension, generate maximum traffic.

(An example of a successful SEO strategy: achieving top position on Google for the phrase «natural SEO».)

What is the Purpose of SEO?

In 2021, the worldwide web boasted a staggering 1.88 billion websites. This number is even more astonishing when you consider that just thirty years prior, there was only one website, the very first one, which went online on August 1, 1991 [10]. Google claims to have indexed «hundreds of billions of pages» in its database, amounting to a size «well over 100 million gigabytes» [11]. At the same time, the search engine handles 99,000 queries per second, equating to 8.5 billion searches daily [12]. This means that the search engine is queried 8.5 billion times every day, providing billions of search results in response.

For the average internet user who primarily uses the internet for leisure, these are just statistics that don’t impact their usual online experience. However, for a webmaster looking to generate traffic to their website, these numbers highlight the enormity of the challenge they face. How can one make a website visible when there are nearly two billion possibilities to compete with? How can you highlight your content amidst millions of rival pages? How can you ensure that users seeking information find exactly what you want to communicate to them? It’s almost like casting a fishing line into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and hoping to catch a specific fish….

Fortunately, this oceanic analogy doesn’t entirely reflect reality. In the realm of digital marketing, you’re not fishing in the entire ocean but in a relatively modest-sized lake (or even a tiny pond). So, the numbers should be put into perspective: a website isn’t competing with 1.8 billion others but with a few hundred or thousand platforms operating in the same market. As a result, there’s a limit to how many search results a search engine can suggest to a user, even though the competition remains fierce within each market.

SEO is what enables a web page to find its place in this vast landscape.

The SERP and its Challenges

Let’s turn our attention to the famous Search Engine Results Page (SERP). It displays a limited number of links, ranked by relevance. The equation is simple: the higher a piece of content appears in the list, the more likely it is to satisfy the user’s query.

This apparent simplicity conceals a complex mechanism. The results page is much richer than one might initially think. It includes organic links from natural search results, sponsored links from paid search (usually one to three links, above organic results), as well as videos displayed in the «universal search» [13], and enriched results that can vary in number and format.

Over the years, multiple studies have shown that users primarily focus on the top results: they click on the first three links displayed at the top of the page. They likely believe that these results, having been placed there by the search engine, are the most relevant for addressing their query.

(Source: Backlinko)

As you can see from this graph, the first organic link captures more than 25% of all clicks. The top three organic links are selected by over half of internet users (54.4%). In total, the first page of the SERP accounts for 86.3% of clicks. The remaining 14% is divided among all the other results beyond the first page.

The graph below provides a better understanding of the fast decline in click-through rates as you move down the results:

(Source: Advance Web Ranking [14])

It’s evident that the curves decrease as you move through the results until they stabilize at the lowest point starting from the 10th link. On this graph, the blue curve corresponds to «brand» searches (which, as the name suggests, contain the brand name), and the red curve represents other searches. It’s observed that queries incorporating a brand name consistently generate more clicks than others, due to brand recognition (people are more likely to trust a name they already know).

The Relative Ranking in the SERP

While the absolute position of a page in the SERP is crucial, it’s not the only factor to consider. Other studies reveal that relative ranking is equally significant, as moving up one spot in the SERP, on average, increases the relative click-through rate by 32.3%. The variations are significant depending on the positions considered: going from the 10th to the 9th position increases the potential click-through rate by 11.2% but climbing from the 2nd to the 1st position catapults it by 74.5% [15]! This emphasizes the trust that users place in the very first result presented to them.

The challenge of the SERP is clear: to gain visibility (and drive traffic), a web page must appear on the first page of results for queries related to the company’s or brand’s activities. It is crucial to rank as high as possible on the SERP when a user enters keywords that are representative of what you do or offer because, beyond the first page and the top ten results, content is deemed virtually invisible.

Zero-Click Searches: A Major SEO Concern

It’s essential to keep in mind that a strong ranking on the results page doesn’t guarantee a click. This is particularly true as Google increasingly provides direct answers to users. In recent years, «zero-click» searches have been steadily rising, becoming a significant concern for search engine optimization. A study by SEMrush indicates that the zero-click search rate reaches 25.6% on desktop and 17.3% on mobile.

(Source: SEMrush [16])

We’re still a long way from the organic click-through rates (45.1% on desktop and 43.1% on mobile), but a clear trend is emerging. Thanks to various features developed by Google to provide a direct answer to a query (Position Zero, Knowledge Panel, Answer Box, etc.), a significant portion of users seem to achieve their goal without needing to click. However, isn’t the entire purpose of SEO to generate traffic? There’s a clear contradiction that should not be overlooked in the context of SEO strategy.

(Example of an «Answer Box»: Google displays the answer to the question asked in the search field within a box, without the user needing to click to reach the desired result.)

(In the graphs above, «Google keyword» in the legend refers to initiating a new search without clicking on a link. As for «Google clicks», they refer to clicks on other Google-owned properties, including various tabs on the SERP.)

SEO serves to:

Place a website’s pages in search engine results.

Gain visibility by achieving good positions in the SERP.

Generate traffic through users clicking on organic links.

Generate qualified leads as users arrive on the site by typing keywords indicating a specific search intent.

Improve online reputation (a company/brand that is highly visible in search results has better control over its image).

A Critical Discipline for (All) Businesses

What is the exact role of SEO in the business ecosystem? It’s straightforward: no company can afford to ignore the significance of search engines. Every organization must rely on an efficient and tailored natural search optimization strategy to generate traffic.

The company’s website is no longer a mere digital storefront as it once was. Nowadays, it stands at the crossroads of digital communication for organizations. Just like a train station, it connects the company with its prospects, clients, partners, suppliers, stakeholders, the media, and prospective employees. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the majority of internet users start their digital journeys by opening a search engine, with nearly seven out of ten individuals doing so [17].

Only SEO can reach a broad audience consistently by structuring a website around its content, popularity, and technical performance. This holds true for businesses of all sizes and across all industry sectors. Whether it’s a small or medium-sized enterprise or a large international corporation, each organization may employ different strategies [18].

The good news is that natural search optimization doesn’t necessarily require the expertise of specialists. Anyone can achieve results by putting in hard work, provided they have a clear understanding of how search engine algorithms function and are aware of the best practices outlined in this guide!

SEO enhances your website’s visibility on search engines, helps you generate more traffic, and provides more opportunities to convert prospects into customers.

The Origins of SEO

The practice of SEO was born in the latter half of the 1990s when webmasters and content creators began enhancing their web pages to appear in search engines, which were still young and innovative services at the time.

Initially, to index web pages, search engine algorithms relied heavily on information provided by webmasters themselves. This information included keywords scattered throughout the content, metadata integrated into pages, indexes, and more. To rank in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP), candidates often needed to submit the desired URL to various search engines, prompting them to send a crawler to do the work. However, the page in question had to contain, at a minimum, the keyword relevant to users’ queries and a few links.

In those early days, web professionals recognized the value of optimizing their pages to appear in search results, increase visibility, and boost organic traffic. This era was akin to a digital «Wild West» where almost anything was fair game. While some webmasters played by the rules and strived to follow the guidelines cautiously disseminated by search engines, others employed more controversial but short-term effective methods. It was easy then to manipulate page rankings, especially by overloading them with keywords, even if they had no real relevance to the content.

From the perspective of search engines, these manipulations were problematic. They were committed to delivering relevant results to users, who were likely to turn to other sources of information if they felt that this mission was not being fulfilled. These controversial techniques tended to place content of questionable interest at the top of the SERP.

In response, search engines organized themselves. Algorithms were refined to assign less importance to keyword density and shift towards a holistic approach combining semantics, popularity, and technical aspects, roughly speaking the three pillars of SEO that continue to hold authority today. Over time, search engines strengthened their indexing and ranking programs and put in place robust safeguards to prevent webmasters from exploiting existing loopholes.

In this context, SEO practice gradually evolved into a discipline. Web artisans began providing such services to the public, heralding the emergence of optimizers and SEO professionals. These SEO experts, often consultants in computer science or web developers, worked on their clients’ websites among other tasks, aiming to boost their positions or remove penalties. In their spare time, they endeavored to «crack» algorithms to unravel their secrets and develop increasingly effective optimization strategies.

These best practices were encouraged by search engines because they contributed to building a more reliable and secure web. Major platforms quickly provided official optimization guidelines for webmasters, listing acceptable methods. They also began to integrate with analysis tools like Urchin, one of the first web analytics solutions launched in 1998 [19]. Google’s decision to acquire Urchin in 2005 and transform it into Google Analytics, the most widely used analytics tool today, demonstrates major search engines’ intent to maintain some control over the SEO ecosystem.

As the 2000s approached, the evolution of natural search optimization practices became inseparable from the evolution of Google’s algorithm, which set the standard for SEO professionals worldwide, particularly through its best practice guides (see the timeline below). In 2001, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, appearing on a popular PBS talk show, began to explain Google’s dominance in the market by highlighting its ability to «consider the web as a whole, not just as a series of words on a page». This holistic view of the web ecosystem prevailed in subsequent updates, with a focus on both user experience and content quality.

Today, SEO is more dedicated than ever to deciphering the inner workings of search engines, particularly Google, to refine their processes. It’s an ongoing quest for improvement, leading SEO experts to be increasingly insightful in analyzing algorithms and offering more precise recommendations to businesses. As long as search engines exist, SEO will continue to evolve in harmony with them.

The Origin of the Expression «Search Engine Optimization»

The use of the «SEO» term dates back to 1995, according to its self-proclaimed inventor, Bob Heyman. Heyman recounted this episode in a book he co-authored with Leland Harden in 1997, titled Net Results: Web Marketing That Works [20]. 

It was the summer of 1995, and it was 3:00 a.m. on a Monday when the phone rang at Heyman’s home. At the time, he was the Vice President of Audience Development for Cybernautics. On the other end of the line, an angry voice exclaimed, «Why do we have to wait until page four to see the band’s name?» The irate caller was the manager of the rock band Jefferson Starship, whose digital visibility strategy was entrusted to Cybernautics. The band’s manager, attempting to show a club owner that the band had its own website, couldn’t recall the URL and resorted to using a search engine. He then realized that he had to scroll through three full pages to find the correct result for the query «Jefferson Starship». He was furious, hence the early-morning phone call. That very day, as soon as he arrived at the office, Bob Heyman gathered his team and made a search engine ranking the company’s top priority.

During that time, a website’s ranking in search engine results depended on a single parameter: the number of occurrences of the keyword. In this contest, fans were outperforming Cybernautics by mentioning the band’s name numerous times on third-party pages, which ranked higher in the SERP as a result. To level the playing field, they needed to increase the number of mentions of the band on their website’s homepage (in small black letters on a black background, so as not to disrupt readability but still be recognized by the algorithms). A few adjustments were sufficient for the main page of the official website to rise to the top position, and for the disgruntled manager to regain his smile.

Shortly afterward, Bob Heyman and Leland Harden named this emerging discipline «Search Engine Optimization». Not long after that, they hired their first Search Engine Optimization Manager. SEO was born. Two years later, in February 1997, John Audette, the founder of the Multimedia Marketing Group agency, became the first to highlight Search Engine Optimization as a separate marketing service, as seen on one of the agency’s website pages.

(Source: web.archive.org [21])

The Key Components of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Content: In SEO, content serves as the vehicle for information. It provides information to the target audience, fosters engagement, and demonstrates the depth of expertise (of the webmaster, the company, the publisher, etc.). Website content should be interesting, useful, relevant, and of high quality. It must educate the audience, address their essential needs, and offer value. In today’s digital landscape, content is considered the cornerstone of search engine recommendations, hence the saying «content is king».

Keywords: The selection of terms to be integrated into the page being optimized dates back to the origins of the discipline. While the importance of keywords has not diminished over time, their role has evolved. Rather than merely inserting many keywords into the content to be optimized, nowadays it’s essential to choose the right phrases to work with, consider user intent, and, most importantly, place them within high-quality and relevant content.

On-Page Criteria: Many SEO ranking factors concern the website to be optimized. These factors are primarily technical criteria related to the site’s structure, including its hierarchy, navigation, and methods of information retrieval, all designed to streamline the work of crawling and indexing by search engine robots.

Off-Page Criteria: Some ranking factors are influenced outside the website, known as «off-page» SEO criteria. Among them, backlinking (a strategy aimed at obtaining inbound links from authoritative domain sites) has maintained its significance through successive algorithm updates. Consequently, a page receiving links from influential sites continues to enjoy greater popularity.

Authority: To achieve a high position in search results and to gain the trust of users, a website must have some level of authority—a combination of reliability, quality, relevance, and added value. Given the importance of this criterion to users, who seek assurances when browsing a website, sharing personal data, and conducting transactions, it’s unsurprising that search engines prioritize it.

Local SEO: The local aspect of SEO has gained prominence in recent years as more users turn to search engines for information about local businesses, artisans, and companies near their location. Approximately half of all search queries now include a local intent, whether it’s for checking a store’s opening hours, finding information about upcoming events, or finding products/services in a specific geographic area.

Traffic: One of the significant benefits of SEO is the increase in website visitors. The volume of traffic is linked to the organic link position in search results, with the top positions generating the most clicks. However, SEO has evolved to consider more than just the traffic generated. It also looks at the subsequent steps after users arrive on the site: user experience and conversion. This has given rise to the field of Search eXperience Optimization (SXO), which encompasses these three dimensions—SEO, user experience, and conversion—to deploy highly effective marketing strategies.

User Experience: Users perceive a website as a cohesive whole and don’t differentiate between content quality and technical performance. They expect a seamless and smooth experience from start to finish during their browsing session. Search engines acknowledge these user expectations regarding page load speed, usability, and content display on mobile devices. 

SEO and Search Engines (Crossed Timeline)

August 6, 1991: Publication of the first website presenting the World Wide Web project [22].

1994: Launch of Yahoo! by David Filo and Jerry Yang. Around the same period, other search engines like AltaVista, Excite, and Lycos were created.

1995: Emergence of the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

1996: BackRub, the precursor to Google, was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford students.

1997: Launch of Search Engine Watch a site dedicated to the search engine industry and SEO.

1998: Creation of Google. The engine received nearly ten thousand queries per day while still in beta. The same year saw the launch of MSN Search.

1999: The first conference dedicated to Search Marketing, The Search Engine Strategies, was organized.

2000: Google becomes the dominant search engine when Yahoo! entrusts it with the management of its search results. Appearance of the Google Toolbar in Internet Explorer, enabling SEOs to consult their PageRank (the «score» assigned to a page by Google as part of its indexing work). Launch of Google AdWords sponsored links (supplemented by the Google AdSense platform in 2003).

2004: Google and competitors improved result ranking on geographic queries, aiming to highlight local businesses and artisans. They began leveraging user data (such as search history) to personalize the SERP.

2005: The «nofollow» attribute was created to combat spam.

2006: Google launched Google Analytics (based on the tool developed by Urchin) and Google Webmasters Tools (known today as Search Console). The search engine acquired YouTube, making it the second most visited website globally (after Google). The same year, search engines endorsed the use of XML sitemaps to facilitate crawling.

2007: Introduction of Universal Search, where Google combined traditional organic results with other types of responses (news, images, videos, product ads, etc.).

2009: Microsoft Live Search was rebranded as Bing, attempting to reclaim market share from Google (yet remains the second search engine, significantly behind its competitor).

2011: Introduction of Schema markup, a metadata type displaying structured data in the SERP. Google launched the Panda update followed by Penguin in 2012, two major algorithmic changes in search engine history.

2012: Google launched the Knowledge Graph, showcasing individuals, places, and diverse objects in the SERP, providing direct and click-free answers to users.

2015: For the first time, the proportion of searches made from mobile devices exceeded those from computers. Google introduced the Mobile-Friendly update to promote smartphone-adapted sites. The same year, RankBrain took the firm into the world of artificial intelligence: the algorithm relies on machine learning technology to better understand queries.

2018: Google officially prioritized mobile versions of websites in its indexing process through the mobile-first index update.

2019: With BERT, Google continued refining query understanding and search intentions using machine learning.

2021: As local searches gained prominence, Google worked on improving the quality of displayed results. The Local Search update combined criteria such as relevance, distance, and the importance of local businesses.

2022: Over time, Google has increasingly prioritized the quality of indexed content, emphasizing pages that offer the most value to users. The Helpful Content update focuses on original and useful content, aligning with a broader list of E-A-T criteria (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), later updated to E-E-A-T (adding Experience to ranking factors).

Will AI Knock Out SEO?

Over the past twenty years, the fundamental principles of SEO have remained relatively consistent despite changing user behaviors and the emergence of new ways to navigate the internet (such as the smartphone revolution and the somewhat stalled advent of voice search through smart assistants and connected speakers). However, artificial intelligence (AI) might indeed represent a turning point and significantly alter how search engines display their results.

The inclination of major web players toward AI is not a recent trend. Most of the GAFAM companies have developed their own projects in this domain. Facebook even launched (and shut down after only two days of testing) its own scientific AI called «Galactica» in late 2022 [23]. However, the significant leap forward in this field is attributed to OpenAI, with the public launch of ChatGPT, a chatbot built on a large language model (LLM). This unexpected success prompted quick reactions from Microsoft and Google. Microsoft injected billions of dollars into OpenAI and announced the imminent integration of GPT into their search engine, Bing. Meanwhile, Google disclosed (albeit clumsily) the existence of its own AI chatbot, Bard, to be implemented in their search algorithm. At the time of writing, these tools are still in the experimental stage. 

The question isn’t whether this technology will change SEO but rather to what extent it will do so. Search engines aim to blend traditional results (organic and paid) with AI-generated responses for complex queries known as NORA («Not One Right Answer»). Essentially, AI is intended to clarify things when multiple potential answers exist. However, this is just the initial step. The long-term goal is to use AI to add an extra layer of personalization and display results that closely align with the needs of specific users. 

For SEO professionals, AI holds promising opportunities in problem-solving, predictive analysis, specific tool development, automatically generating optimized content, etc. Content generation particularly captivates the hopes and concerns of the community. AI now can produce quality text without human intervention. This doesn’t mean handing over exclusive writing rights to machines (Google has tools to identify such content [24], aiming to penalize sites that abuse this). Instead, it’s about leveraging this technology to enhance the overall quality of pages and provide users with increasingly relevant answers.

In summary, the goal is to make AI a complementary tool, not a miracle solution for all SEO problems. 

[1] Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/google-search-statistics

[2] Organic searches refer to links from natural search engine optimization (SEO). Paid searches correspond to links from advertising (SEA). A search engine results page often displays both types of links.

[3] Source: https://www.smartinsights.com/search-engine-marketing/search-engine-statistics/

[4] To delve deeper into the synergy between SEO and SEA, visit: https://www.journaldunet.com/solutions/seo-referencement/1511435-seo-sea-comment-creer-une-synergie-seo-sea/

[5] The average calculated over one year from May 2022 to May 2023.

[6] Data source: https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/china

[7] Data source: https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/russian-federation

[8] These practices violate search engine guidelines and are sometimes referred to as «Black Hat», in contrast to best practices, known as «White Hat». They involve manipulating a search engine’s algorithm to artificially improve page rankings and rapidly increase generated traffic until a penalty is imposed, causing the site to lose its position, or be declassified.

[9] Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-algorithm-history/penguin-update/

[10] Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/19058/number-of-websites-online/

[11] This is particularly significant as Google is the most widely used search engine in the world. Source: https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/how-search-works/organizing-information/

[12] Source: https://www.internetlivestats.com/one-second/#google-band

[13] This is referred to as the main results page that appears after a search. It aggregates the content offered on the various tabs of the search engine.

[14] https://www.advancedwebranking.com/ctrstudy/

[15] These statistics are taken from Backlinko: https://backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats

[16] Source: https://www.semrush.com/blog/zero-clicks-study/

[17] Source: https://videos.brightedge.com/research-report/BrightEdge_ChannelReport2019_FINAL.pdf

[18] «Small Business SEO» is the term used to describe strategies tailored to very small businesses: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/small-business-seo

[19] Source: https://analytics.googleblog.com/2012/01/end-of-era-for-urchin-software.html

[20] Multiple instances of this story can be found on the web, including accounts from Bob Heyman himself, for example: https://searchengineland.com/who-coined-the-term-seo-14916. This article from 2008 was published in the context of a conflict between Heyman and Jason Gambert. The latter unsuccessfully attempted to trademark «SEO», claiming he coined the term in 2007.

[21] http://web.archive.org/web/19970801004204/www.mmgco.com/campaign.html

[22] An image of this first website is accessible at this URL: http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html

[23] Source: https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/facebook-shuts-down-ai

[24] Tools… based on artificial intelligence!

II. OPTIMIZED CONTENT

In Google’s eyes, content is king [1] and this isn’t just a figure of speech: it’s one of the most significant ranking criteria within the well-known search engine’s ecosystem. Its importance continues to grow alongside algorithmic developments, focusing on the quality and relevance of information provided to users.

Consequently, if you aim to rank highly in Google’s search results, you need to offer internet users content that is both high-quality (both in content and form) and relevant (addressing the issues of the targeted readers). Achieving this requires applying specific web writing guidelines and ensuring that indexing robots can «see» this content, explore it freely, and index it accurately.

However, it’s not as straightforward as it may initially seem. To captivate search engines, you don’t want to write for the sake of writing, without prior reflection. Creating content capable of securing top positions in the SERP entails understanding the algorithm’s functioning [2], comprehensively knowing the target audience (along with their specific concerns, which the content must be able to address), and carefully implementing Google’s optimization guidelines. Best practices derived from the convergence of these three aspects enable the creation of SEO-optimized content.

These best practices include content writing itself, the HTML structure of the page, using relevant keywords and the appropriate semantic field, as well as adding (and optimizing) multimedia content. These practices will be detailed in this section. In a final section, we’ll explore how to further enhance optimization by improving content quality and targeting featured snippets the famous structured data that provide extra information to users by displaying it directly in the SERP.

A page optimized for SEO must…

Meet the needs of Internet users

Add value

Facilitate the work of indexing robots

1. Crafting Search Engine Optimized Pages

The creation of optimized content stands as one of the most immediately approachable SEO aspects, primarily revolving around concepts of composition, relevance, and user intent—largely minimized in technical complexity. Simply put, it involves crafting content that not only meets user satisfaction but also encourages further engagement, all while facilitating search engine indexing.

What is Web Content?

In the online world, content encompasses both the broad notion of a «web page» and its components (text, images/videos, HTML tags, links, etc.). This content manifests in various forms, as detailed below. Yet, within the framework of an SEO strategy, it must be as high-quality and relevant as possible. Indeed, content meeting these criteria stands a greater chance of securing a place among the top results in the SERP. Conversely, poor-quality content will be positioned less favorably (although exceptions exist), and more significantly, its presence may adversely impact the entire site, given Google assesses a platform’s quality across all its components.

Why create optimized content?

To improve page ranking and gain SERP positions

To generate backlinks (and boost popularity)

To educate your audience (and move them along the buying path)

To generate engagement and leads

To gain reputation, demonstrate expertise and inspire trust (as part of a branding approach)

Understanding Different Types of Web Content

The list of web content is long. The options available vary according to the nature of the site in question: some content is exclusive to particular platforms (e.g. YouTube only publishes videos), while others are cross-sectional and applicable across multiple scenarios. Here’s a non-exhaustive presentation that should sufficiently address your SEO needs.

Static Pages

The term «static page» refers to any «fixed» page on a website: the homepage, service page, «contact», «about» page, among others. They’re termed «static» because, once published, they typically remain unchanged for extended periods—also referred to as «cold content». Usually accessible with just one click from the navigation menu, these pages are critical for both SEO and conversion.

Informational Content

These types of content aim to provide information to users, ideally addressing different stages of their conversion journey, enabling each piece to address specific issues. They entail:

Blog articles

News pieces (published in digital media)

In-depth reports

Whitepapers and their variations (ebooks, minibooks…)

Guides

Comparators

Interviews

Expert opinions

etc.

Their primary goal isn’t immediate sales but rather to attract attention, enhance page and overall site visibility, demonstrate expertise, encourage interaction (such as leaving comments and social media sharing), or guide consumer decisions (for instance: buying guides and comparators).

(Excerpt from a blog post)

(An interview)

(Excerpt from a white paper)

Entertainment Content

Une image contenant texte, capture d’écran, plein air, montagne Description générée automatiquementEntertainment content stands apart by not primarily aiming to communicate information or drive user conversion. Rather, it aligns with a visibility strategy (branding): the goal is to draw attention to the company or brand, foster engagement, and grow the community. This content type is predominantly found on social media, often in the form of «snack content»: bite-sized pieces designed to capture attention and evoke emotions.

(Story on Instagram)

Educational Content

While similar to informational content, educational materials go further by providing significant added value to users. These include tutorials (to assist in using a product or service effectively), conferences or webinars, training sessions (such as e-learning), infographics, market studies, reports on market trends, and more.

(An infographic)

E-commerce Pages

In e-commerce websites, the most crucial content comprises «category» or «sub-category» pages (organizing the products offered to users) and «product» pages (or product listings). For an online retail site, this content holds significant importance, requiring meticulous attention to optimization.

Conversion Pages

A separate category is allocated for pages exclusively designed to convert users, commonly known in marketing as landing pages. These typically incorporate a form to access content, initiate a demo, download a document, sign up for a service, or create an account. The webmaster’s aim is to gather contact details to generate leads.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

FAQs aim to address common queries users have, especially related to the company, brand, products, or services. These pages hold substantial SEO potential as they cater to questions frequently searched on Google. Consequently, they have a good chance of ranking high in the SERP and, possibly, securing the highly coveted Position Zero.

Multimedia Content

The concept of ‘content’ extends beyond mere text. Optimized content can also take the form of an infographic, an image (photograph, drawing…), a video, a podcast, and more. These formats are favored by users and should thus not be overlooked within an SEO strategy [3].

Other Content

There are other types of content that we won’t cover here, as they are not directly integrated into website pages and require separate optimization efforts. This category includes advertising content, emails, professional documents (presentations, circulars, etc.), brand books, data sheets, forum posts, etc.

Why is it important to choose the right type of content?

To this question, we can provide two answers:

Each content aligns with a specific marketing approach.

Each type of content serves a different search intent.

Marketing Objectives

The marketing dimension is inherently linked to the SEO aspect of your content strategy. However, each content format serves different marketing needs and thus fits into a distinct stage of the conversion journey. The chart below emphasizes four specific marketing goals: content can be more or less entertaining, inspirational, educational, or persuasive. For instance, viral content, branded videos, and games aim to entertain, while guides and infographics aim to educate, checklists and webinars aim to persuade, and so on.

Une image contenant texte, capture d’écran, cercle Description générée automatiquement(Source: First 10 & Smart Insights)

Search Intent

In terms of content, Google’s algorithm values legitimacy and relevance. For each query, the engine prioritizes the type of page that best aligns with the search intent expressed by the user, aiming to display a result likely to address their needs. For instance, a transactional query might prompt either an «e-commerce» page (product listing, category page…) or informational content.

It’s important to note that the algorithm can understand search intent and seek out the most relevant content to fulfill it. The following table is schematic, but it will provide you with an idea of the type of content that corresponds to each search intent.

Information query

Blog articles, news, files, interviews, white papers…

Decision-making query

Guides, price comparators, tutorials…

Transactional query

Category pages, product pages, conversion pages…

Navigational query

Homepage, contact, about…

A helpful method for selecting the best content for a given situation involves inputting targeted keywords into Google (using incognito mode (private browsing) [4]), analyzing the top ten search results, and identifying the corresponding page types. In the following example, the query «valise rigide roulettes (hard sided suitcase with wheels)» (indicating an intention to purchase such luggage) primarily displays results from retail sites, along with a comparator in the tenth position (not visible in the image). This search provides insight into what type of content appears when such a query is made.

It can be challenging to rank for an informational query when the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) displays results from institutional platforms (government pages, Wikipedia, dictionaries, etc.). In such cases, it’s preferable to prioritize examples from commercial sites that are similar to yours.

In SEO, Every Page is a Landing Page!

Indeed, any page accessible to search engine crawlers and indexable should be considered, in terms of SEO, as a full-fledged landing page. Users might access these pages from the SERP, through inbound links, or via social media.

As a result, every page on your website should be crafted with considerations of accessibility, design, navigation, relevance, and interaction/conversion in mind. If there’s a page you prefer not to be indexed, and therefore not actively involved in your SEO strategy, you should instruct search engines to ignore it using the robots.txt file [5].

How to Write SEO-optimized Content?

1. Writing (Primarily) For Users

Content should be optimized for both users and indexing robots. However, users should take precedence. Google emphasizes writing for potential readers first and, to a lesser extent, for robots. This involves creating unique, original, high-quality, and relevant content. Before producing any content, always consider what the user is trying to find and how you can provide a fitting answer. Remember to always consider the keywords your target audience might use and incorporate them seamlessly into your content without appearing forced or specifically placed to manipulate algorithms.

2. Adopting A Web-Specific Writing Style

As a general rule, writing for the web differs significantly from writing for print. Web writing is a distinct art that requires specific mastery. Two key aspects should be considered:

Encourage content consumption by prioritizing information hierarchy, ensuring that the most crucial data is accessible first (using an «inverted pyramid» structure, see box), and use formatting options to emphasize specific points in the text (such as Hn headings, bold text, bullet-point lists…).

Enhance content readability by favoring simple terms (avoiding technical vocabulary or jargon except for highly targeted content) and ensuring text clarity (using short paragraphs addressing individual questions, regular line breaks, and breaking the text into digestible blocks). These main principles should be integrated to produce relevant content.

«The Inverted Pyramid» Structure

In web writing, the commonly adopted «inverted pyramid» structure prioritizes displaying key information first. A variation involves starting with a broad overview and gradually delving into specifics, or initially answering the question briefly before providing detailed information.

Statistically validated, a Nielsen study [6] (though dated, remains unchallenged) highlights that internet users primarily focus on the initial paragraphs of a text, with their attention gradually diminishing as they read further. On average, 81% of users read the first paragraph, 71% the second, 63% the third, and only 32% the fourth! Thus, delivering key information promptly becomes crucial to capture attention, particularly when considering conversion.

3. Ensuring Quality and Relevance of Content

Good SEO-oriented content encompasses several qualities. It should be:

Well-written: Smooth, enjoyable, natural, and free of errors (spelling, grammar, syntax).

Unique: Crafted for a specific intent, without copying, duplicating, or plagiarizing existing content.

Relevant: Able to answer the user’s question and/or provide a solution to their problem.

Reliable: Drawing from quality resources and integrating external links to authoritative sites.

4. Cultivating Expertise and Trust

Visitors to your website should feel a sense of trust. Your content must demonstrate expertise, provide accurate information, and aim to enhance your reputation. Beyond quality and relevance constraints, it’s about establishing a relationship of trust with users.

To achieve this, you need to provide information about your company/brand/person, adhere to legal obligations (e.g., displaying terms and conditions for an e-commerce site), and ensure optimal security conditions for users, especially when they’re required to input sensitive data online.

Remember, trust is crucial online: visitors encountering your site don’t know you and have no reason to trust you initially. Hence, the goal is to reassure them as quickly as possible.

The form of SEO content is (almost) as crucial as its substance. The text should be reader-friendly, with well-defined paragraphs (separated by line breaks) and spacious, distinct headings. Relevant visuals like images, graphs, etc., should punctuate the content. Avoid dense blocks of text that might discourage potential readers. Additionally, careful attention to font choice is crucial. Font styles situate you within a specific context, convey your identity and values, and can evoke emotions. For instance, rounded fonts blend seriousness, casualness, and elegance, adding originality while enhancing readability.

Should you Publish on a Blog?

Absolutely, unequivocally, and a hundred times, yes! A blog is a separate section of your website (sometimes quite literally, as it can be created in a subdomain [7]) dedicated to publishing primarily informative articles. It’s an easy-to-implement tool; virtually any CMS incorporates this functionality, allowing articles to be written in a few clicks. It’s also a key element of any SEO strategy. While a website serves as a static showcase for your business, a blog stands out for its dynamism: you can add as much content as desired and freely modify previously published pieces. It’s both a showcase of expertise and a powerful communication channel (both in B2B and B2C contexts).

Blogs exist on nearly every subject, catering to the public or addressing niche communities: Health (conventional medicine, alternative therapies, nutrition..), Personal Development (mindset, meditation, positive thinking…), Finance (investment, Cryptocurrencies, rental property, finance…), Travel (tourism, expatriation…), Wellness (meditation, yoga…), Sports (fitness, running, sports coaching…), food (wines, world cuisines, recipes…), Entertainment and Culture (movies, TV series, celebrities, video games…), Automotive, Hobbies, and more.

As of 2022, there were over 600 million blogs online (among 1.9 billion websites). [8]

The blog: a key pillar of any SEO strategy that enables:

Publishing high-value informational content (strengthening expertise and educating visitors).

Targeting a wide array of queries by crafting articles dedicated to keywords you aim to rank for: 95% of organizations with a blog report improved rankings.

Generating more traffic: businesses with a blog attract 55% more visitors to their website compared to those without one.

Strengthening internal linking to direct readers to your website’s pages.

Generating backlinks by publishing quality content: entities regularly blogging garner 97% more inbound links.

Enhancing the expertise, authority, and trustworthiness of your website (refer to the «E-A-T» section further below). [9]

2. Page Structure & HTML Tags

Behind the surface of a web page, lies a specific structure. It is crucial for you to understand and master it to activate various SEO mechanisms. The framework of a page looks like a building’s structure: invisible from the outside yet critical for the building’s stability. There’s what users see and then there’s the internal framework allowing the page to exist on the internet. Manipulating a web page’s internal structure is crucial in creating optimized content; it involves getting your hands into the HTML, even on a surface level.

Html Structure of a Web Page

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a computer language used to describe a web page’s content and its formatting. It’s a standardized format enabling web page creators to control how the page will be displayed in a browser. This language relies on a specific grammar: «HTML tags». They are used to define titles, format specific expressions, embed multimedia resources (images, videos, etc.), and much more.

These tags are invisible to users—unless they dare to peek into the page’s source code. Yet, they are essential for communicating with search engine robots, helping them understand the content’s context (especially by placing relevant keywords). Additionally, these tags assist users in navigating through the page, enhancing the reading experience by highlighting text elements.

HTML Tag

In HTML language, the tag refers to the basic unit. It appears as follows:

<head></head>

Between these tags, we place the element’s name, along with its attribute if it exists (source, “nofollow,” alt attribute, etc.) indicated after an equal sign «= « and within the opening tag. For instance:

<img alt=“monimage.png”>

It’s a simple yet effective language that enables crawler robots to understand the meaning of each tag.

The entire web page is structured using these tags. They’re inserted in a specific order: the correct sequence involves HTML, Head, Title, and Body tags, establishing the fundamental structure of a page. The «head» section includes general information about the document, invisible on the page, while the «body» section displays content visible to users.

(Source: Scaler)

Does this seem complicated to you? The good news is that using a Content Management System (CMS) relieves webmasters from needing to know HTML code: page construction happens automatically. When creating a page or writing an article on WordPress, it’s still possible to display the HTML structure by clicking on the «Text» tab to exit the standard «Visual» editor and reveal the page’s framework. But be careful not to meddle with just anything!

This is an opportunity to visualize (and get familiar with) the HTML structure of the page. Even if, for SEO purposes, you only need to know a part of these tags— the ones we’ll delve into later.

Building Html Markup

Tags form the basic structure of a web page, featuring a main title, subsections preceded by subtitles, paragraphs, boxes, visuals, formatting, and all that jazz. This organization simplifies understanding and reading by immediately identifying the most important elements within the page.

Once you understand these conventions, applying them becomes straightforward. However, the choice of tags isn’t arbitrary: one doesn’t insert a <h1> tag for aesthetic reasons or to change, say, the text size that’s the job of the web designer, who works with a specific language, CSS [10]. Instead, the tags are used for SEO purposes, to communicate with indexing robots. Furthermore, the HTML structure of the page influences its loading speed, which is a crucial ranking factor.

In SEO, some HTML tags are more critical than others. In this section, we’ll focus on three of them: the title and meta description (two tags known as «meta» tags [11]) and the Hn headings.

HTML Tags

The <title> Tag

It’s one of the main components of any optimized content. Invisible on the page itself, the <title> tag is «read» by search engine robots, displayed as clickable text in the SERP below the URL and above the <meta description> tag. It’s also seen on the browser tab once the page is open. On Google, the title appears in blue:

The <title> tag plays a crucial role in a page’s ranking. However, the exact criteria for writing it is still under debate. Here, we gather what seems most relevant.

What is the Purpose of the <title> Tag?

The title refers to the «title» tag within the HTML code of a web page and describes the content of that page. It serves two complementary roles:

Assisting crawler robots in identifying, indexing, and ranking the page in search results. It should include the keywords expected by the search engine’s algorithm.

Providing users with information about the page’s content. In this regard, the title should capture the user’s attention and encourage them to click.

Every page of a website (meaning: each URL) should be associated with a unique, original, and distinctive <title> tag. Therefore, it’s necessary to customize the title for each page. To do so, you can access the code and modify the title between the <head></head> tags at the top, or more simply, fill in the «SEO Title» field in the dedicated section displayed using a plugin (the most famous being Yoast on WordPress). Note that if you don’t fill in this field before saving or publishing your page, it will remain empty as Yoast doesn’t automatically fill it.

How to Write a Relevant Title

Each <title> tag is built based on the content of the respective page and, more specifically, on the targeted keyword. To craft it, three fundamental parameters are considered when creating it: length, semantics, and attractiveness.

1. Length of the Title

The maximum size allocated to the <title> tag by search engines isn’t fixed; it evolves over time and depends on the text width (measured in pixels) rather than the exact number of characters, which can vary based on letter spacing [12]. What do you need to know about this?

The accepted maximum length for a title is estimated at 60 characters (including spaces) and can extend up to 68 characters depending on the typography used, as some letters occupy less space than others. There are instances of <title> tags exceeding 70 characters (mostly with many «i’s»). Conversely, a title containing multiple «w’s» will take up more space. To simplify, consider the number of pixels: a maximum of 599.

Beyond the recommended length, Google truncates the title, displaying ellipses. While this may seem minor, this truncation carries two drawbacks: firstly, the invisible words are still recognized by the search engine, but their SEO impact diminishes; secondly, a truncated title impairs the user experience. In the example below, truncated titles fail to deliver all the information to users.

Crafting a title that’s too short constitutes another extreme: it doesn’t provide enough information for both robots and users.

The ideal length of a <title> tag is also shorter on smartphones due to the smaller screen size: approximately 50 characters are advisable.

2. Semantics

Let’s delve into the tag content. Semantic optimization aims to enhance its SEO effectiveness: search engine crawlers, just like users, rely on the displayed text to assess the page’s relevance. The crawlers use this to determine if it’s worth presenting to users while the users themselves use it to decide to click (or not) on the organic link. What are the best practices to adopt?

The title should include the main keyword targeted on the page or an expected variant by the algorithm. Incorporating the primary phrase contributes to the page’s ranking through an «exact match», but in some cases, a variant or synonym might function more effectively. In the example below, for the query «running shoes», two results display an «exact match» («men’s running shoes» is one of them), while the other two use a variant («running shoes» and «shoes and running sneakers»). To determine the best approach, examining the <title> tags of direct competitors can be helpful.

Ideally, the keyword should be placed at the beginning of the tag, preferably avoiding the use of stopwords [13].

The <title> tag can also incorporate the brand name, an excellent way to gain recognition. A common technique involves placing the brand name at the end of the phrase, separated by a hyphen or vertical bar. It can also be positioned at the start of the phrase, particularly effective for well-known names in their industry.

Beware of keyword «stuffing» in the title! By integrating too many relevant terms, you risk diluting the SEO weight. Besides, Google doesn’t favor such practices and might interpret it as an attempt at over-optimization. Additionally, this technique provides little to no added value to users.

3. Attractiveness

The user’s click on the link in the SERP doesn’t directly impact the page’s ranking, but it sends a positive signal to the search engine that needs consideration. Search engines aim to provide users with content that interests them and solves their queries. Therefore, if your page generates a high number of clicks, it indicates relevance. How can you entice users to click on your URL?

Put yourself in the shoes of a user entering the query. What title would they expect to see? What hidden intent should the offered content address?

Highlight the benefits of your content considering what the user seeks, using terms like «best», «perfect», «all you need to know», «affordable», etc. (But don’t overdo it!)

Incorporate commercial information that addresses your audience’s needs.

The <title> Tag for a Product Page

The case of a product page is unique. Since each URL must have its own <title> tag and considering that an e-commerce site can include hundreds or even thousands of similarly structured product pages, it’s advisable to use a «pattern». This template will be replicated across all pages, with only its constitutive elements being modified.

A pattern can take various forms based on the chosen hierarchy for your product pages. Here are two examples:

[product] + [category] + [value addition] + [brand] for a product page. This would look like: «Multifunctional Tefal Raclette Maker - Affordable Raclette Machine – Boulanger».

[category] + [brand] for a category page. This would be: «Raclette Machine – Boulanger».

For the query «raclette machine» here’s the type of product page that might surface:

The <title> Tag for a Homepage

In the specific case of a homepage, crafting the <title> tag involves other criteria. Remember, this tag should consider the page’s content. However, a homepage acts as a summary of the entire website, and this status should be reflected in the chosen title. To optimize it, focus on the two or three most representative terms of the site’s activity and combine them with the company or brand name.

Title: Why Does Google Do as it Pleases?

There are instances where Google independently selects the title displayed in the SERP. When this occurs, there are three possible explanations:

You haven’t crafted a title: Google does it for you based on the page content (and other undisclosed parameters).

You’ve recently written a title, but Google hasn’t indexed the latest version of the page: it still displays the old tag or the one it created. You need to wait for the next crawl for the correct tag to show up.

You’ve indeed written a title, but Google doesn’t find it relevant: it’s not informative enough, contains too many keywords, is too lengthy, or is too similar to other titles on the same site.

Google rewrites the <title> tag in a third of cases (33.4%), mainly because it’s too lengthy. [14]

A good title fulfills two criteria: draw attention and align with the searcher’s intent. One solution is to frame the <title> tag in the form of a question and then answer that question in the content. The interrogative form helps draw the user’s attention (as they might have the same question) and thus gives the page a competitive edge. It also targets the coveted Position Zero in the SERP and increases the chance that the associated content will be used by Google in response to a voice search. In the example below, you’ll notice that the first three textual results are occupied by tags formulated as questions.

Another possibility is to include a number in the <title> tag: «5 Tips…», «Top 10 Best…», or, for a product/service page, the price of the item or service («At-home massage starting at 50 euros…»). This simple tactic significantly boosts click-through rates. Why? Because our brains love numbers, which tend to automatically organize information in a logical order to the extent that they’re likened to «candies for the brain» [15]!

The Meta Description

Just like the title, the meta description doesn’t appear on the webpage; it’s an HTML tag displayed in the SERP. It’s located below the URL and the title. Together, these three elements form what’s known as a search snippet on the search engine results page.

The <meta description> tag often faces neglect due to its ambiguous role in SEO. Its influence on ranking is believed to be minimal, if not nonexistent [16]. The description is assumed to have no direct impact on a page’s ranking. However, it serves other crucial functions and can significantly influence how both users and search engine crawlers perceive the content.

What’s the Role of a <meta description> Tag?

The meta description describes the content of a page. It’s often likened to a commercial «pitch»: providing a quick overview of the content and its value, aiming to entice users to click. This is where its importance lies: by showing users that the targeted page contains the sought-after information, it encourages them to visit.

Although it doesn’t directly affect organic search rankings, the description plays a more subtle yet essential role by influencing user behavior. Pages offering the most relevant descriptions, when ranking similarly, have a higher chance of generating traffic and, more importantly, conversions.

Its role is similar concerning search engine crawlers, as a quality description helps them identify the page’s content they’re crawling. By assisting the Googlebot in its work, you contribute to better ranking your pages.

Attract Users to Satisfy Search Engine Crawlers!

Enhancing the organic click-through rate for a specific keyword, a good description can (indirectly) impact the page’s ranking by sending positive signals to the bots. It’s an indirect SEO lever, yet beneficial when used wisely.

Each page of the site is associated with a unique and original <meta description> tag, inserted in the page’s code between the <head> tags. In WordPress, a field in the Yoast plugin is dedicated to filling in this tag:

In 70% of Cases, Google Rewrites Descriptions

It might be surprising, but Google disregards the existing <meta description> tag in 70% of cases [17] for content that appears on the first page of the SERP. The guidelines [18] explain that Google «uses the […] page’s tag to generate snippets in search results, if [the engine believes] it provides users with a more accurate description than what is purely offered by the page’s content. [emphasis added]. Hence, the engine assesses the relevance of the meta description and decides whether to retain it as is or recraft it to incorporate more elements derived from the existing content and rich snippets.

It’s worth noting that a web page is more likely to have its <meta description> rewritten when it ranks between positions four to six in the SERP. This trend might be explained by the engine’s intention to enhance the attractiveness of these intermediate-positioned contents, which typically receive fewer clicks than the top three. However, this doesn’t clarify why results ranked seventh to tenth are generally spared from this practice, even though they receive fewer clicks…

How to Write an Effective Meta Description?

Keeping in mind that Google alters nearly two-thirds of the descriptions in the SERP (see box), one should aim to write a tag that satisfies the engine and persuades it to retain it as is. Here are some best practices to apply.

1. Description Length

Similar to the title, the meta description must be limited in length to avoid truncation. Google considers text width (approximately 960 pixels wide) rather than strict character count. However, it’s generally advised to keep a description between 150 and 160 characters, with spaces included (less than 120 characters for mobile, approximately 680 pixels), to avoid being too long or too short. This roughly corresponds to about two sentences. Given limited space, it’s best to be concise, straightforward, and direct. Be inspiring rather than verbose!

An Endless Meta Description?

Technically, a meta description can be as long as desired. However, Google will inevitably truncate it, potentially hiding crucial information from users. The idea is to prioritize strategic terms, particularly the keywords central to the content, placing them at the beginning.

2. Description Relevance

The effectiveness of a <meta description> lies in its relevance, a concept that can be understood in three ways:

A description is deemed relevant when it offers a summary of the page’s content. It must be unique, associated with only one webpage, and precisely reflect the information within it. For a homepage, a rather general meta description is advisable, while for strategic pages (services, pricing, contact, landing pages, etc.), delving into specifics is preferable.

Depending on the page, descriptions don’t necessarily need to be complete sentences; a simple sequence of data, arguments, or benefits can be more relevant. For instance, a product page’s <meta description> should consolidate key information about the featured item without necessarily linking the terms. Mentioning the brand, price, delivery conditions, available colors, and sizes, among others, is suitable.

Lastly, a meta description should prompt clicks through a suitable call-to-action matching the content and audience: «order now», «buy today», «take advantage of a special offer», etc. Remember, the objective at this stage is also to convince users to click the link and access the page.

3. Keywords

The <meta description> should integrate the main keywords used on the page or, at the very least, semantically related terms. In this regard, it’s valuable to consider the description as an extension of the title. Ask yourself: if Google allowed you to craft a <title> tag longer than the allowed sixty characters, what would you include? Which keywords would you choose to include?

When Google Highlights Keyword Relevance in the Description

Google may highlight the main query within the meta description by displaying it in the bold font. This indicates that the phrase used is notably relevant to the user’s search, significantly enhancing the chances of driving interaction.

Multiple Descriptions in Bulk

Similar to crafting the <title> tag, generating <meta description> tags can become arduous when optimizing thousands of pages. In such cases, one can automate their creation using «patterns» tailored based on the pages being optimized. For instance, for localized commercial pages on a renovation company’s website, a template could look like this:

For your thermal insulation work in [city] within [region], request a quote from [company] without delay. Take advantage of a free quote!

This template would be replicated across all localized pages (for various cities in the Hauts-de-Seine department: Courbevoie, Nanterre, Colombes, etc.) by adjusting the constituent elements of the description. This approach allows for unique tags without the need for individual customization.

Description: An Adaptable Tag

A <meta description> isn’t set in stone: it should adjust to the page’s content as well as the search intent it aims to address. In case of a shift in content angle or target audience, it’s advisable to modify the description to align with the new requirement. Moreover, «refreshing» an old description on a page contributes to boosting its performance: thus, it’s relevant to rework tags on older posts to bring them up to date.

The Hn Tags

The layout and formatting of textual content are both factors of attractiveness. The digitization of content doesn’t change this: in a way, it amplifies this issue by including the necessity to structure content for indexing robots.

This structuring is the role of HTML tags, particularly the <Hn> tags. Invisible on the final page, these titles help in hierarchizing the content elements to facilitate readability (for users) and streamline indexing (for robots). These tags, totaling six, correspond to different titles to be placed within the content: «h» refers to «heading», and «n» indicates the hierarchical position. Hence, we have <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, and so on.

What’s the Purpose of <Hn> Tags?

The role of <Hn> tags is visual, semantic, and technical. They distinguish titles and subheadings from the rest of the content, highlight keywords, and provide information to crawling robots. By hierarchizing content in this way, they aim to achieve two things:

Optimize content for strategic keywords to help the Googlebot understand the topic and index the page more easily. This contextualizes (and values) key terms better.

Facilitate user reading by helping them grasp the main information at the sight. Each subheading aims to synthesize the subsequent sub-part. Given that users read an average of 28% of a web page, delivering crucial information immediately is necessary before they potentially leave.

These two goals intersect. Thus, content well-structured for search engines becomes easier to read for users, encouraging them to visit other pages—also helping in reducing bounce rates [19].

<Hn> tags are integrated directly into the text body. In a CMS, the formatting tool allows for easy application through the «Paragraph» dropdown menu.

How to Write <Hn> Tags

When writing <Hn> tags, it’s important to consider their hierarchy. The <h1> tag holds the most importance, followed by <h2>, <h3>, and so on. This means that the value of a keyword phrase is weighted according to the hierarchical position of the tag: terms in <h1> tag are more important than in <h2>, and similarly, <h2> holds more weight than <h3>. Given that most content includes an <h1> and a few <h2> tags (with fewer subsequent levels), these should be the focus of optimization efforts.

The <h1> Tag

The <h1> tag corresponds to the main title of the page. Careful attention should be given to it, including the primary keyword or one of its variants. The good news is that you have more space than with the <title> tag: Google recommends limiting it to 100 characters, approximately 8 words (but these are recommendations—you’re free to go longer). This allows for crafting a proper title rather than just a string of keywords, as an <h1> should be both informative and engaging—it’s about enticing the reader to delve into the content. In the example below, the <h1> tag includes the primary keyword («CTR») and effectively introduces the page’s topic.

Note: Each page should display only one <h1> tag. It’s not about turning the entire text into an <h1> hoping to attract the crawling robot’s attention! Similarly, each <h1> tag must be unique.

The <h2> Tag

The importance of heading 2 is significant since using <h2> tags helps divide content into subsections. Each heading 2 plays a specific role within the page: it should reflect the overall topic while emphasizing variations or synonyms of the main keyword, following as logical an order as possible.

In this example, out of three <h2> tags, two incorporate the most important keyword («CTR»), while the third highlights a variant («click-through rates»).

How to Properly Use Heading Levels

Here are some generic rules to keep in mind when using <Hn> tags to structure content effectively:

Use as many <Hn> tags as necessary, adapting their usage to the content length. For content under 600 words, stick to the first two levels (h1, h2). Around 1,000 words, integrate <h3> tags to hierarchize ideas. Only content exceeding 2,000 words justifies the use of <h4> tags and higher—there’s a risk of losing readers in an accumulation of subparts.

The placement of <Hn> tags should follow the different levels: h1, then h2, then h3… avoid skipping from one heading level to another, for example: jumping from h2 to h4 or vice versa.

Incorporating multiple heading levels should allow working with variations of the primary keyword and expanding the semantic field. <Hn> tags provide the opportunity to place secondary terms and synonyms.

Other Formatting Tags

There are many other formatting tags. Because they are less important in SEO terms, we’ll briefly mention the most common:

The <strong> tag emphasizes text. (Note: It doesn’t imply bold formatting; it’s the browser’s interpretation for emphasizing specific content. Bold formatting is applied with the <b> tag, and both tags are interpreted similarly by robots.)

The <em> tag emphasizes text in italics (rather than <i>).

The <p> tag delimits a paragraph.

The <ul> and <ol> tags create bulleted and numbered lists, respectively (each entry surrounded by an <li> tag).

Formatting content through HTML tags doesn’t aim for visual attractiveness—that’s the role of a web designer. Instead, it aims to highlight notable passages for readers and search engine crawlers. Therefore, it’s essential to use these tags sparingly; highlighting an entire paragraph with <strong> would be counterproductive.

<h1> and <title>: Should They Differ?

This question sparks debates in the SEO community. Technically, Google doesn’t impose any obligation in this regard. However, considering that these tags have different roles, it’s logical to differentiate them. Some experts argue for displaying the same title in both the <title> and <h1> tags, considering this redundancy as a sign of coherence. Yet, three reasons lean towards differentiation:

The H1 tag offers more space than the title, allowing for more keywords and high-value expressions.

Each tag serves a different purpose. While the title aims to entice clicks in the search results (providing differentiation among other links), the main title should stimulate users to engage with the content. This difference influences their content.

The title, as metadata, provides contextual elements—like the company or brand name—that don’t suit the H1, which should focus on the content’s subject.

Remember, you have the freedom to choose, and Google won’t penalize the redundancy (using the same content for both tags on a page). However, using the same keyword in both tags is recommended for consistency.

Users read a maximum of 28% of words on a web page (likely closer to 20%). In other words, web content is often «scanned» rather than thoroughly read. Therefore, page structuring and highlighting elements in the formatting are crucial for ensuring that users capture the most critical information during their initial scan. [20]

3. Keywords and Semantics

More than a third of SEO professionals (36.3%) consider keyword research as one of the primary optimization levers [21]. And for a good reason: this research almost always constitutes the initial step in a website’s SEO strategy, whether it’s newly launched or aimed at improving its ranking.

However, keywords alone don’t suffice anymore. While in the past, inserting keywords and phrases into a page would enhance its ranking, that’s no longer the case today. Why? Search engines now prioritize the most qualitative content that addresses users’ queries. To achieve this, they assess the entire content, not just the keywords, but also the context surrounding them. For webmasters, it means providing Google with what it wants by focusing on semantic optimization—an umbrella term for strategies creating content that’s rich, coherent, and relevant for both users and indexing robots.

Keywords

Keywords form the foundation of any SEO strategy. They refer to the terms users input when making a query on a search engine or within a site’s search bar (sometimes even in voice queries for voice search). Such queries might consist of one or multiple words. For instance, a user looking to understand SEO better might type into Google one of the following phrases:

«SEO» 

«natural referencing»

«company SEO strategy»

«what is SEO?»

«how to implement an SEO strategy for a website?»

These are five examples of queries centered around the same topic, showcasing varied forms and lengths. In response, the search engine displays a list of results leading to pages containing the terms used in the query.

The link between keywords and SEO is straightforward: the terms users type during their search should match the terms displayed on the page intended for optimization. This is the basic rule, but in practice, things are more intricate.

The Importance of Keywords in SEO: A Concrete Example

To rank a result for a specific query, Google’s algorithm seeks out pages containing the keywords related to that query. These terms act as «tags» that, when identified by crawling robots, help them understand the subject matter and assess the content’s relevance.

Imagine an internet user looking for management software for their architecture firm. They head to Google and type the following query: «architecture firm management software» (logiciel de gestion cabinet d’architecture). Here’s what appears on the SERP:

Two conclusions can be drawn from this example:

Inclusion of Keywords in Google Results: For a page to appear in Google’s results, it must integrate the keywords entered by users (or similar terms). This enables it to accurately target the terms for SEO content optimization. In this example, all the top results, including Position Zero [22], incorporate in their <title> tag the terms «management software» (or an equivalent like «ERP») and «architect(s)» or «architecture firm», which align with the user’s chosen keywords (highlighted in red in the image).

Keywords also provide insights into user issues. They assist in better understanding target audiences— who they are and what they seek— and in meeting their needs. In this example, the results either link to providers offering their management tools for architects or informative sites providing comparisons of existing tools. In both cases, these pages must fulfill a specific intent (such as purchasing a product or service) and provide the desired information.

Consequently, the keyword choice impacts the entire SEO strategy and the broader digital strategy, as these terms can be used in paid search (SEA) to generate relevant ads and sponsored links.

Different Types of Keywords

Keyword choice isn’t arbitrary. To differentiate them, several criteria are used.

Search Volume

Keywords are categorized into head terms (generic keywords), denoting highly sought-after and competitive queries, and long-tail keywords, referring to less searched but more conversion-effective queries, often longer (but not always). The latter are associated with «niche» keywords in the sense that they target a highly qualified audience (with high conversion potential).

Secondary Keywords

Secondary keywords refer to terms closely related to primary keywords (often generic) used within content. They aim to explore—semantically—the ecosystem of the primary term, such as synonyms, variations, or co-occurrences [23]. This is done to target both the primary term and all associated subcategories.

Temporal Stability

Keywords are divided into “evergreen” keywords, with search volumes relatively stable over time, and “event-based” keywords, linked to specific news or events (seasonality, calendar events, temporary trends, etc.). «Evergreen» keywords remain relevant for extended periods due to consistent user interest. For example, terms like «real estate» or «investment» show consistently stable search volumes over time.

Event-based terms have an extremely brief lifespan, such as sports results, movie showtimes, or election candidates. They can also lead to search spikes during specific periods, like the term «Christmas», which every year sees higher volumes in December.

Localization

Some terms target a specific geographic area: these are referred to as «local» or «localized» keywords. The query might include a city, a department, a region, a country, a street… An SEO strategy focused on these keywords primarily concerns local businesses aiming to reach nearby customers.

In Summary

Each type of keyword has its pros and cons. For instance, head terms and expressions are very popular and are crucial to engage users at the start of their search process. However, they face high competition—thus, it’s very challenging (even costly in SEA) to rank for them. On the other hand, «evergreen» keywords support long-term strategies but may generate less qualified traffic.

Brand Keywords

Branded keywords form a distinct category entailing terms associated with a company or brand name that internet users are likely to search for. This includes official brand names (Google, Apple, Decathlon), the products or services offered by these brands (Google Pixel, iPhone, Domyos equipment), variations, spelling errors (‘ipade’ instead of ‘iPad,’ ‘Gogle’ instead of ‘Google’), acronyms (SNCF, IBM, IKEA), affiliated companies, and subsidiaries (‘Citroën’ for ‘Peugeot’), among others.

Many webmasters underestimate the importance of these keywords and tend to overlook them. However, their use by internet users reflects a strong intention towards the searched brand: a user typing «Apple smartphone» or «Decathlon fitness bike» explicitly shows an interest in understanding these products or making a purchase. Moreover, tracking these terms enables a fairly accurate assessment of the company or brand popularity. Hence, they must be meticulously handled and closely monitored – especially on the homepage.

How to Effectively Use Keywords in SEO?

Keywords are critical for SEO. But, specifically, how should they be integrated into content? Here are a few simple rules to apply:

Conventionally, it’s considered best to focus on one main keyword per page. Alongside this, you can add one or several secondary keywords, as well as an expanded lexical field.

Within content, keywords are placed both in the text body (with a density ranging from 0.5% to 2% - see below), in HTML tags (title, meta description, Hn titles), and in the URL of the page.

Keywords are also used to optimize images and videos: they are integrated into the title, description, and alt attribute [24].

Keywords can also be placed in the anchors of inbound links (links published on third-party sites that point to your pages). This helps Google better understand the subject of the targeted page by the link.

Lastly, each type of page calls for its type of keyword. For example, head terms are suitable for static pages on the website (homepage, services, categories…) while long-tail keywords are better suited to pages placed deeper in the tree structure (product sheets, FAQs, etc.).

The Rule: One Main Keyword Per Page

Although it might be appealing to incorporate multiple terms on a single page, it’s ineffective. It’s advised to link each page with a distinct main query for efficiency. Main keywords highlight the most significant phrases to focus on, ensuring relevance across the entire site. Yet, this doesn’t prevent the inclusion of secondary keywords (variants, synonyms, long-tail phrases, etc.) to broaden coverage across various search queries and intents.

In SEO, there’s an implicit golden rule: assigning a main keyword to a single page. No need to create ten different contents targeting the same word in hopes of gaining more positions in the SERP. This presents a real danger: cannibalization, where closely related pages compete on Google. This situation inevitably leads to highlighting one page at the expense of all the others.

How Many Keywords in a Piece of Content?

The ideal keyword density (the number of times a term appears in a particular piece of content) is a heavily debated topic within the SEO community. Search engines don’t provide specific guidelines. Google even goes as far as stating that this issue is irrelevant. However, in practice, a keyword does need to appear a certain number of times for crawler robots to understand the page’s context. This ideal density varies significantly depending on the content’s nature; for instance, a news article requires fewer keywords than an «evergreen» page.

As a convention, it’s recommended to include one occurrence of the main keyword every one hundred or two hundred words, resulting in a density ranging from 0.5% to 1%. It’s possible to go up to 2% without falling into over-optimization. Overall, the emphasis should be on content quality, readability, and analyzing competitor optimization levels on the SERP to adjust strategies. However, extremes should be avoided: Google disapproves of pages practicing what’s known as keyword stuffing [25].

Over 70% of keywords with search volumes exceeding ten thousand consist of one or two words. More than 60% of all searches focus on a small fraction of the most popular keywords (0.16%). [26]

The Long Tail

Among the keyword types used in SEO, the long tail holds significant importance. But what exactly is a long tail query? There’s a tendency to associate it with longer queries, contrasting with shorter head terms. However, this is a misconception. Indeed, the term «long tail» doesn’t refer to the query’s length but rather its position in the search curve. If we analyze all queries made by internet users over a month, we get a graph like this:

(Source: Ahrefs)

Three sections are distinguished in this curve: the «head» («Fat head») comprising a small number of queries generating the highest search volume, the «body» («Chunky Middle») encompassing a larger number of queries with significant search volume, and the «tail» («Long Tail») corresponding to a very large number of queries displaying low search volume. The «long tail» refers to the expressions appearing at the bottom of the curve [27].

Another version of this graph allows us to see things differently:

(Source: Ahrefs)

It is easier to realize the disproportion between keywords. Out of four billion queries analyzed by Ahrefs, only 31,000 have a search volume greater than 100,000, while most queries (94.74%) display a volume ranging between 0 and 10 searches per month. However, many highly searched keywords consist of three or four words (and conversely, many low-searched keywords are short), which rules out length as the only criterion for defining the long tail. Similarly, it is not enough for a keyword to display less than ten monthly searches to be considered as belonging to the «tail» of the curve.

So, the proper definition of a long-tail keyword would be as follows: a term that is not highly searched by internet users, often composed of more than three words (but not necessarily) and associated with a head term of which it constitutes a variant or extension. For example, «SEO strategy» is a «head» keyword, while «implementing an SEO strategy for a bakery» is a «tail» keyword.

Head Term

Long Tail Expression

High search volume

Low search volume

High competition

Low competition

Few words*

Many words*

Multiple search intents

Unique search intent

Low conversion potential

High conversion potential

Ideal for pages higher in the tree structure

Ideal for pages deeper in the tree structure

*This is a general criterion, but there are exceptions

The Long Tail: Queries With High Conversion Potential

The significance of the long tail lies in a triple effect:

These queries are less competitive because they are less searched by users. Consequently, it’s easier to rank in the SERP for these search terms, whereas generic queries face fierce competition.

They offer a higher conversion potential for two reasons: first, they are easier to address as the subject matter is often more specific. Head terms require broader treatment, while a long-tail phrase, being more precise, can be addressed in fewer words thus, better satisfying users. Second, they address a unique search intent and are ideally positioned on pages associated with the end of the conversion funnel.

The substantial number of these queries allows for the creation of numerous pages to work on each variation within a given category. For example, the query «create a website for…» can be expanded into numerous pages based on potential variants: «for a small business», «for a store», «to boost SEO», «for selling products», and so on. The combined traffic from all these pages can become substantial.

In essence, the conversion potential of a query is inversely proportional to its position on the search curve. This is what makes the long tail an essential component of any SEO strategy.

Using Long Tail Keywords

Here are some tips for using long-tail queries in an SEO strategy:

Establish typologies of terms to expand, starting from a «head» keyword and branching out to various «tail» expressions. This task is relatively straightforward for e-commerce sites, where different products can be diversified based on materials, colors, or sizes. For instance, «women’s skirt» can lead to: «blue flannel women’s skirt size 40», «red cotton women’s skirt size 38», etc. A dedicated content piece can be created for each variation.

Create as many pages as there are possible variations of a head term you aim to rank for.

Focus on term combinations that generate searches or reflect user interest. Consider that the crawl budget is limited: clearly indicate to bots which pages should be prioritized for indexing.

How to Find Long Tail Keyword Ideas

A simple solution is to use Google’s autocomplete function, which displays query recommendations when you start typing terms in the search bar.

However, this approach has limitations. Google’s suggestion tool is designed to list popular queries, which often have high search volumes and thus are competitive, contrasting with the desired effect.

The best solution is to use keyword research tools, examine pages of direct competitors for inspiration, explore forums and question-answer platforms (like Quora), or focus on the needs expressed by prospects and clients (particularly by noting questions posed to sales or customer service).

56% of buyers have used queries of three words or more during their search on a search engine. [28]

Semantics and Search Intent

The keywords incorporated into content should match the terms used by internet users: this is crucial for Google to index and position the page on the SERP. However, this isn’t always entirely accurate. For years, Google has done more than merely scan keywords on a page: the search engine aims to «understand» the meaning behind the user’s query, namely their «intent». To achieve this, it no longer relies solely on individual words but on the overall meaning created by the combination of terms used within the desired context. As a result, Google can display a page in the results that doesn’t contain the exact search terms but is relevant to the query.

This is where the concept of semantics comes into play [29]. In SEO, semantics aim to create editorially rich and qualitative content to meet the user’s search intent.

The Role of Semantics in SEO

Semantics have become significant in the SEO landscape due to Google’s updates concerning the understanding of search intent and natural language, particularly with updates like Hummingbird, RankBrain, and then BERT. Over time, Google has transformed into a «semantic search engine», able to grasp the meaning behind queries by relying extensively on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Consequently, every word in the query holds importance, as well as the order in which they are placed.

This is a major shift because the algorithm understands what the user means, not just the literal meaning of the typed terms. For SEO professionals and webmasters, this implies working with a lexicon rich in terms associated with the main query, providing maximum information to crawler robots.

Writing in Natural Language

It’s crucial to understand that Google favors content written in a more natural and fluent language. In the past, SEO strategies often relied on keyword stuffing techniques to enhance content relevance; a sequence of specific, well-chosen terms was sometimes enough to rank at the top of the SERP. Today, Google values well-written, qualitative, and enjoyable-to-read content (considering readability significantly) that adds value. Content should also account for search intent.

Semantics to Boost SEO Rankings

Semantic optimization, coupled with a better understanding of search intent, enhances content relevance and gains Google’s trust. Consequently, three major advantages emerge:

The opportunity to rank for voice queries, often formulated in natural language [30] and in the form of questions.

The chance to secure highly visible positions in the SERP: Position Zero, Knowledge Graph, Local Pack, etc.

The ability to provide added value by addressing user search intent through reaching more qualified users closer to conversion by targeting «decisional» or «transactional» queries (see below). Additionally, richer content contributes to improving overall website statistics (bounce rate, session duration, number of pages viewed, etc.), sending positive signals to Google and consequently boosting rankings.

How to Use Semantics and Search Intent to Optimize Content

Let’s see how to practically integrate these concepts of semantics and search intent into your SEO content.

1. Understanding Search Intent

Every query hides an intent. The first step is to identify this intent for each keyword. There are four types:

Informational – the user seeks information. Search terms indicating a desire to know more about a given topic fall under informational searches: queries starting with ‘why’ or ‘how,’ seeking a definition or practical guide, etc. Example: ‘how do solar panels work?’

Decisional – the user gathers information before making a decision, like buying a product or service. Content for this type of search should inform the user’s choice and subtly guide them towards specific products or services. Example: «installation aids for solar panels».

Transactional – the user is ready to act. This type corresponds to the final stage of the conversion journey, and suitable content (landing pages, product pages, etc.) aims to trigger an action purchase, signup, appointment or quote request, download, etc. Example: «solar panel installation quote».

Navigational – the user wants to access a specific resource they already know. This search type is carried out by a user familiar with the company or brand, knowing precisely what they want. Here, brand-related keywords are used. Example: the website of a craftsman installing solar panels.

For each search intent, there are corresponding keywords to work into your content, aligning them with the intended intent.

2. Identifying the Semantic Corpus

Starting from the selected keywords, create a lexical field that includes all related terms (synonyms, variants, and co-occurrences). Placing these terms helps indexing robots understand and categorize the content.

Consider a service page from a thermal insulation company aiming to optimize local visibility. The page «thermal insulation in + city» should cover:

The lexical field of the service provided (insulation, insulating, energy, heat, thermal bridges, etc.),

Co-occurrences (wall insulation, attic insulation, floor insulation, etc.),

Synonyms (thermal renovation, energy renovation, improving energy efficiency, etc.),

And terms representing the targeted geographical area (department, region, neighboring cities, street names, places of interest, etc.).

Here, using semantic enrichment tools is highly beneficial; they provide rich lexical fields and related keywords to work with.

3. Refining Content and Presentation

In semantic optimization, writing plays a significant role. Semantic writing aims to offer users qualitative, enjoyable, informative, contextualized, and sourced content. This content should also:

Be correctly structured (using Hn tags)

Make information immediately accessible (subheadings, bullet lists, tables, etc.)

Have optimized images

Address search intent

4. Optimizing Semantic Tags

Semantic tags are HTML tags that provide indications regarding a web page’s content and the importance of its different parts, for indexing robots. They reinforce page structure and consolidate the hierarchy of its elements. The essential tags include:

The <header> tag displays content at the top of the page. This information is recurrent.

The <nav> tag contains only links and typically displays the main or secondary menu.

The <main> tag frames the main content on the page. It includes the following two tags, <article> and <section>.

The <article> tag displays the main content. It contains a title, publication information, page category, etc.

The <section> tag displays structured content. A series of <section> tags help in organizing the main content of the page.

<Hn> tags are part of semantic tags and structure content. They include the main keyword and secondary keywords.

The <footer> tag displays content at the bottom of the page. Like the <header>, this information is recurrent.

Around 8% of queries are formulated as questions. [31]

How to Find the Right Keywords

Keyword research is the process by which a webmaster (or an SEO strategist) analyzes the terms used by Internet users to find information on search engines. These keywords, presented as lists, are then integrated into web pages for SEO purposes. Here are the steps to identify terms and phrases to use in content published on your website.

What Makes a Relevant Keyword?

In keyword research, attention should be given to three criteria: relevance, volume, and competition.

Relevance is the content’s ability to meet users’ needs and provide added value. Choose terms closest to users’ queries and those that consider their search intent, depending on the field of activity and topics to cover.

Volume refers to searches generated by a specific keyword. Understand that a page targeting a less common query is unlikely to generate traffic— it’s like setting up an ice cream stand in the middle of the Sahara!

Competition indicates the relative difficulty in ranking a page for a keyword in the SERP. The more competitive a keyword, the harder it is to rank a page within Google’s top search results. Hence, using less searched terms but with higher conversion potential, like long-tail keywords, is preferable.

Identifying Relevant Keywords

1. Know Your Audiences

To find relevant keywords, start by not looking for them! Instead, focus on your target audiences. Who are the internet users targeted by your SEO strategy? What are the customer profiles you want to address? What do your prospects want and what problems are they trying to solve when they search on a search engine? These are the questions you must prioritize.

2. Identify Themes Associated with Your Business

What terms are being searched for by your target audiences? To find out, first identify major themes related to your business activity, products or services sold, and your company or brand. Create a list of about ten themes. For example, a company selling Cloud services could organize its research around the following topics:

Cloud computing

Web platform

SaaS, IaaS, PaaS platform

Private cloud

Public cloud

Hybrid cloud

Database

Servers

Networks

Cybersecurity

Consider themes where you want to position yourself, those that match the needs and concerns of your audiences.

3. Find Keywords within Your Themes

Once you’ve identified your themes, translate them into keywords. Put yourself in your buyer persona’s shoes and consider the terms they might use in Google to find the information they need. The key is to target keywords that are most likely to be used by the users you want to capture.

In the Cloud computing example, here are some relevant queries to integrate into a keyword list:

Cloud computing definition

Cloud computing services

Cloud computing advantages

Cloud computing profession

Cloud computing security

At this stage, don’t be afraid to expand your list to have as wide a choice as possible. Repeat this exercise for each theme. Then, use a dedicated tool to refine your lists and maintain the most important ones.

Where to Find Keywords?

Since 2010, Google has limited query visibility in its analysis tools (such as Google Analytics): 98% of keywords used by users are hidden under the label «not provided». However, there are other solutions to access keywords associated with page rankings in the SERP—like Keyword Planner (the keyword planning tool) accessible through Google Ads advertising platform. There’s also a wide variety of third-party tools commonly used by SEO experts. Don’t forget to observe what your competitors are doing and identify the keywords they are ranking for!

4. Considering Search Intent

Search intent should be considered to effectively optimize content for the right keywords. To do so, it’s necessary to take the list of head terms and extract their various possible meanings. For example, when a user enters the query «Cloud computing career», what precisely are they seeking? Are they interested in the job market in this sector (perhaps as an IT engineer themselves)? Or is it someone representing a company needing to hire a DevOps professional and wanting to understand their ideal profile?

A good approach is to type the keyword into Google (always in incognito mode) and review the displayed content. How do the pages listed by the search engine address the topic? Is the type of dominant content in the SERP related to your own objectives, indicating that the keyword is relevant within your SEO strategy?

5. Prioritizing Less Challenging Keywords (In Terms of Ranking)

Identifying relevant keywords isn’t enough; you also need to secure a position for them. To achieve this, attention must be paid to the competition: the higher it is, the lesser the chances of securing a place in the SERP. Indeed, aiming to compete on an equal footing with major players in the market in terms of SEO positions is simply not worthwhile.

For instance, a keyword like «Cloud computing» shows a high search volume (33,100 searches in a month) but also indicates significant competition, classifying it among the most challenging keywords in the market.

In such cases, it’s better to work on less searched-for keywords, hence less competitive ones, where it’s easier to rank. These could be more accessible head terms (with a significant search volume but not too competitive—typically terms belonging to the «Chunky Middle» section in the search curve mentioned earlier), long-tail phrases (addressing very specific search intentions), as well as branded keywords. Some queries also have a higher chance of obtaining snippets in the SERP Image or Video Packs, Position Zero, lists, Other Asked Questions, etc.

However, head terms should not be neglected, even if they are highly competitive. Ensure to build your lists by striking a balance between head terms and long-tail ones, benefiting from both the search volume of the former and the conversion potential of the latter.

your SEO strategy by prioritizing strategic keywords is crucial: the terms that closely relate to your field of activity. Whether head term or long tail, what they have in common is that they are directly associated with what you do, offer and/or sell. It’s precisely on these expressions that you should aim to make your pages visible in the SERP!

There are no good or bad keywords!

«There are no good or bad situations», as Otis asserts in his famous monologue from Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra. This also applies to keywords: the idea that there are queries suitable for all businesses is illusory. The «good» keywords are expressions that are relevant to your activity, your products/services, your target audiences, and the intentions you aim to address.

Remember: choosing a keyword is a blend of relevance, search volume, and competition. Similarly, there are no «bad» keywords, only terms that don’t meet your needs at a given moment.

When to Conduct a Keyword Search

Several scenarios warrant a keyword search:

During the creation of a website.

When developing an SEO strategy.

When undergoing a strategic shift: targeting new audiences, launching new products/services, rebranding the company or brand, etc.

Following an algorithmic change in a search engine that impacts SEO rankings.

With the emergence of new queries related to explored topics.

When new competitors enter the market.

Depending on the scenario, it might be necessary to precede the keyword search with an audit of existing terms. This analysis aims to identify the expressions already used in the available site content and to explore new directions.

4. Optimizing Multimedia Content

Adding an image or a video to make your page more appealing is a great move. However doing so is like attaching a heavy load to the page that slows down its loading time. At the very least it should provide SEO benefits, which requires proper optimization.

Images and videos are critical components of a well-indexed web page. This is especially true because they have their dedicated tab on Google and most search engines, apart from appearing in the universal search. Yet, these contents need optimization to enhance user experience and boost your page rankings. There’s significant work involved in making these contents «viable» for Google.

Image Optimization

On Google, images appear in the universal search as well as in a dedicated tab within the SERP.

They appear in response to numerous queries and provide additional visibility—able to generate more traffic. Of course, their significance varies depending on the industry: while images might have little weight in selling software or offering dog training tips, they become essential attraction tools in the tourism sector (to evoke consumer dreams) and in e-commerce (to showcase products).

Regarding page structure, the image is integrated using an <img> tag, associated with the src (source) attribute indicating the URL path. Within a CMS tool, a media library allows the uploading of images, which can then be added to the desired page.

How to Optimize your Images for SEO?

Choose a clear, high-quality image (at least 1,200 pixels wide per Google recommendations).

Ensure image coherence with the subject of the page. If possible, position the visual close to the text block it directly refers to.

Prioritize an original and unique image over selecting from online libraries (where many sites use the same visuals).

Target one of the formats supported by Google: JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, SVG, WebP.

Give your image (or more precisely, the file) a concise and relevant name using descriptive terms. Avoid generic names like «image1.jpg». Also, provide a title for the image in your CMS when uploading.

Avoid inserting text directly into the image.

Fill in the alt attribute: a descriptive alternative text for the image when it can’t be displayed (aiding visually impaired individuals to «read» it using specialized devices) and making it «visible» to indexing robots. Additionally, if the image serves as a hyperlink, the alt text functions as anchor text. A well-optimized <img> tag looks like this:

<img src=src=«https://www.exemple.com/poussette-canne.jpg» alt=«poussette canne légère et pliable»>

Optimize image display to prevent page loading delays by compressing the image, using a CDN [32], implementing lazy loading [33], etc. These are technically advanced methods requiring a web developer for implementation.

Create a dedicated image sitemap to assist indexing robots [34], providing information about images on your site and increasing the likelihood of them appearing in the «Images» tab of the SERP.

Optimize images for mobile display.

Add structured data to images to provide additional information to Google, improving the chances of displaying them in rich results (via «ImageObject» data from schema.org). This data is encoded in tags integrated into the page’s source code [35].

Video Optimization

Like images, videos appear in two places within the SERP: in universal search and in a dedicated tab.

Depending on the query, a video can significantly increase visibility. It can be hosted on a distribution platform like YouTube or directly on your website (which allows for the addition of structured data).

How can you Optimize your Videos for SEO?

Avoid hosting videos directly on your WordPress server, as this consumes too much bandwidth. Instead, publish them on third-party platforms like YouTube before embedding them into your pages. There are two ways to proceed, using the «Share» button located under each video: you can either copy and paste the URL of the desired video onto the targeted page, or use the embedding tool («Embed») to retrieve the HTML code of the video and insert it into the page’s code. The use of the tag is preferred because it helps Google identify the content as a video.

Create a dedicated sitemap file for videos targeting crawler robots: this way, you can succeed in displaying them in the “Videos” tab of the SERP.

Add structured data to provide additional information to Google (and users) through the “VideoObject” data from schema.org.

Since Google acquired YouTube, the two platforms have maintained close ties that can be leveraged for SEO purposes. A particularly effective example: when the web page and its embedded video (from YouTube) share the same H1 title, there’s a higher likelihood that the video will be highlighted by Google in the SERP under universal search. To benefit from this visibility boost, it’s advantageous to produce videos and content jointly by using the same primary title.

5. Delving Deeper into Optimizing Web Content

You now have a good grasp of the basics of SEO content optimization. At this stage, you’re perfectly able to craft optimized content for your website and/or professional blog, thus laying the groundwork for your SEO strategy. However, it’s possible to go even further. In this final section, we’ll discuss more technical aspects that are harder to address, but provide an additional (and significant) boost to page rankings. We’ve selected two: E-E-A-T criteria and the semantic cocoon.

Google’s E-E-A-T Criteria

Did you know? Google’s search engine also relies on flesh-and-blood evaluators. This may seem counterintuitive, yet the Quality Raters [36] are there to assess the quality and reliability of content that Google must index and position in the SERP. To support them in their task, they have a set of recommendations gathered in dedicated guidelines. Among these recommendations are the E-E-A-T criteria.

Officially unveiled in 2018 during an update, these criteria were initially threefold: expertise, authority, and trust (E-A-T for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). In 2022, Google added an «E» for experience, and since then, we’ve been talking about the E-E-A-T criteria (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). As shown in the graph below, the first three criteria are linked to the fourth, which summarizes them all: experience, expertise, and authority are the pillars upon which trust is built.

(Source: Google guidelines)

These criteria represent attributes that define, for Google, high-quality content. They form an analysis framework allowing Quality Raters to assess some particularly sensitive content on the web: content that could impact the lives or finances of internet users. This concerns ‘YMYL pages’ (Your Money, Your Life), which touch upon critical domains such as health, finances, law, or online commerce.

Experience

The experience referred to here is that of the content creator. Google added this criterion to the initial three, aiming to emphasize the notion of personal experience related to content publication. The idea is simple: Google believes that content achieves its purpose better when created by someone drawing from their own experience (real use of a product or service, direct knowledge of a subject, expertise derived from professional experience, etc.).

Expertise

Expertise is associated with the level of trust users place in a given content. It’s primarily about legitimacy: do users turn to this type of content when seeking information? For example, someone seeking legal information would prioritize institutional platforms (like Légifrance), established publishers in the field (like Dalloz), or sites managed by legal specialists. Following this criterion, Google tends to prioritize actors who have demonstrated expertise in their field.

Authority

Authority is linked to the reputation held by the content author (or the entity responsible for publishing the content), which builds trust for users. Imagine reading an article published on Think with Google, an extension of the search engine: considering the company’s authority, you’d be inclined to trust the content consulted (provided it relates to its area of expertise). Among authority-building factors are the creation of high-value content, personal branding, and obtaining backlinks.

Trust

The concept of trust encompasses the other three criteria: it results from both the experience, expertise, and authority of the content creator (or the company). It is also reinforced by other factors such as personal data security or reassurance.

E-E-A-T, a ranking factor?

Google explicitly stated that there is no «E-E-A-T» score or «YMYL score» within the search engine algorithm [37]. Therefore, E-E-A-T criteria are not ranking factors, algorithmic updates, or features—rather, they are simply an analysis grid. This grid is used by Quality Raters to ensure that the algorithms are performing well (their feedback holds some authority with in-house engineers). It is advisable, therefore, to produce content that considers criteria such as experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

E-E-A-T Criteria Applied to Your Optimized Content

Regularly write numerous relevant, high-value content pieces that address the questions asked by online users. The content quantity as well as the «freshness» of its publication are among the criteria considered by Quality Raters.

Optimize your content with relevant keywords related to your activity and/or expertise.

Encourage internet users to click on your content; the click-through rate relative to all content published by the same author is considered.

Highlight the authority of the site and that of the company’s collaborators (presentation of the team, distinctions and awards received by the staff, mentions in the media, etc.).

Showcase the reputation of authors (name and specialty) and any content they may have created on other platforms.

Provide sources for the information given in your content (they must be credible and viable).

Foster the creation of backlinks and mentions of authors on third-party sites.

Incorporate trust-building elements into your website (presence of legal notices and general terms of sale, clearly visible contact information, secure payment methods, HTTPS protocol, etc.).

Share reviews and comments posted by your clients and partners.

(Source: Aufgesang)

If you were a Quality Rater…

here’s what Google would ask you to verify as part of an E-E-A-T assessment:

Check what the website or content creators say about themselves, especially on the «About» page or on dedicated profiles for each creator.

Assess what others say about the website or content creators—this includes reviews, references, news, and any independent resources or opinions about the site or its authors.

Examine everything found on the relevant page, including the main content and related sections such as comments or reviews.

Semantic Cocoon

The semantic cocoon combines web architecture and optimized content. It’s a powerful tool of expertise that aligns with the E-E-A-T assessment criteria. It’s been one of the most sought-after SEO strategies in recent years. However, it’s also one of the most complex to implement due to the significant volume of content it requires and the precision of its construction.

What is the Purpose of a Semantic Cocoon?

The concept of the semantic cocoon originates from a seasoned SEO specialist, Laurent Bourrelly, who designed the silo architecture. When well-optimized, this structure effectively meets the expectations of indexing robots. Remember: optimized content should meet user needs and provide added value. This is precisely what the semantic cocoon achieves by adding an extra dimension: completeness. It deals with a topic comprehensively and precisely, covering all subjects from general to specific.

In principle, a semantic cocoon takes this form:

(Source: Laurent Bourrelly)

Understanding this structure involves considering each circle as a level of depth:

The dark green circle, the largest one, represents the «pillar» page of the cocoon, presenting the overall theme.

Lighter green circles are second-level pages, addressing general topics related to the main theme—essentially, they act as topics «categories».

Orange circles represent third-level pages, delving into more specific subjects associated with each category.

Smaller beige circles correspond to fourth-level pages, exploring precise questions related to each topic.

For a semantic cocoon to hold SEO value, it’s estimated it should be structured with a minimum of three levels of depth.

However, its goal isn’t solely to enhance the natural ranking of pages and gain positions in the SERP. The semantic cocoon also embodies an authority component, allowing the showcasing of expertise in a specific field (the breadth of topics demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of the theme). It also aids in channeling «link juice» towards pages intended for promotion. Lastly, the cocoon optimizes website architecture for users and navigation quality—advantageous for overall site popularity.

An Example of a Semantic Cocoon on the Topic of Mortgage Credit

Level 1 Pages

Practical Guide on Mortgage Credit

Mortgage Credit Simulator

Mortgage Credit Renegotiation

Level 2 Pages (an example of the “Practical Guide” category)

Buying Real Estate

Obtaining a Mortgage

Loan Repayment

Types of Credits

Level 3 Pages (topics derived from the “Obtaining a Mortgage” section)

Credit File

Guarantees

Loan Estimation

Notary

Level 4 Pages (topics derived from the “Guarantees” section)

Guarantee

IPPD

Civil Servant Guarantee

Mortgage

Joint Guarantee

Set Up Your Own Semantic Cocoon

Identify queries with a significant search volume and genuine business potential, then categorize them into families based on the needs expressed by internet users.

Prioritize queries starting from the most generic ones (high search volumes) and moving towards long-tail expressions (more specific but less searched for). Use a ‘mindmapping’ tool to create a heuristic map and visualize the targeted structure.

Segment different themes of the website to give each maximum authority. Build content clusters by dividing them into different levels of depth: each level corresponds to a type of query (from more generic to more specific). Ensure complete isolation between the clusters!

Interlink pages within the same categories to strengthen the semantic weight of the entire category. Maintain a structured approach: for each page, a link upwards to the higher level, a link downwards to the lower level, and links pointing to contents of the same level—always staying within the cocoon.

Be cautious about not creating semantic cocoons everywhere on any theme. Stay focused on your industry and/or area of expertise. If you wish to expand your expertise, it’s possible to address diverse and independent themes by creating different websites, each with specific domain names. However, considering the investment, it needs to align with your marketing strategy.

[1] The reference to «king» content originates from a prophetic article by Bill Gates published in 1996 on the Microsoft website, titled «Content is king». The iconic entrepreneur designates content (information or entertainment) as the determining criterion for the success of a website. He also emphasizes the democratic aspect of this internet pillar by explaining that all companies can contribute to building a vast repository of high-value content for users («No company is too small to participate»). This foundation of digital marketing remains relevant nearly 30 years later. The article is reproduced at this URL:

https://medium.com/@HeathEvans/content-is-king-essay-by-bill-gates-1996-df74552f80d9

[2] Refer to Part I.

[3] In this book, we will only address multimedia content integrated into website pages, leaving aside social publications that rely on a different visibility strategy.

[4] When working on your web pages, make it a habit to switch to incognito mode (private browsing), a functionality available on all browsers. At the end of the session, browsing information is automatically deleted, avoiding skewing your analyses due to cookies and cached data.

[5] Refer to Part IV, Factor #6.

[6] Source: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/website-reading/

[7] Separating a site into domain and sub-domain(s) is sometimes recommended for integrating a blog. This is the case if you want to manage your blog on a CMS independent of your website creation platform (like Shopify or Prestashop in e-commerce). It’s also an advantage in terms of security: the potential crash of one server will not affect the other sub-domain hosted on a different server.

[8] Source: https://growthbadger.com/blog-stats/

[9] Source for the figures: https://www.marketpath.com/blog/why-blog-statistics-show-the-benefits

[10] «Cascading Style Sheets» (CSS) constitute a separate language focused on formatting HTML or XML files. This language has the advantage of acting collectively on text portions, allowing, for example, the modification of all level 2 headers without manually altering each one.

[11] These tags allow the integration of additional data on the page, invisible but interpreted by robots. Some appear in the SERP. However, several are no longer considered for SEO, similar to the «keyword» tag.

[12] In typography, «spacing» refers to the width of a character’s design, increased by its spacing (the spaces separating it from the characters before and after). Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasse_(typography)

[13] In semantics, «stopwords» refer to words that do not influence a page’s SEO. They are also called «empty words»: terms so common that indexing them becomes unnecessary. This includes articles (the, a, an…), coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but…), and numerous adverbs (much, more, apparently…).

[14] Source: https://ahrefs.com/blog/title-tags-study/

[15] Mike Hamers, «5 Reasons Why Using Numbers in Your Headlines Works»: https://writedirection.com/5-reasons-numbers-in-headlines-work/

[16] Google clearly stated that the <meta description> tag is not considered for ranking in search results - this was in 2009 and the position has not evolved since. The announcement is accessible on this page: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2009/09/google-does-not-use-keywords-meta-tag?hl=en

[17] Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-rewrites-meta-descriptions-over-70-of-the-time/382140/

[18] Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/snippet?hl=en#meta-descriptions

[19] The bounce rate is a performance indicator (KPI) used in digital marketing to analyze user behavior when they land on a website. It indicates the number of visitors who access a web page and leave the site without viewing other pages.

[20] Source: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/

[21] Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/state-of-seo/

[22] Position Zero refers to a box displayed above the results (organic and paid) in the SERP, providing a concise and tangible answer to the query within a search.

[23] Co-occurrences refer to terms associated with main keywords and within the same semantic field. In web writing, they are used to expand the lexical scope around a given theme.

[24] Refer to the «Optimizing Multimedia Content» section in this same part.

[25] Commonly known as «keyword stuffing»: the act of inundating content with terms in an over-optimization SEO approach. A common practice in the past, it now leads to severe penalties, especially since Google’s Panda algorithm was implemented.

[26] Source: https://ahrefs.com/blog/long-tail-keywords/

[27] It’s noteworthy that the distribution of keywords by number and search volume has changed little in ten years, as shown in a graph presented in a 2013 article (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263227263_Search_Engine_Optimization_and_Pay-per-Click_Marketing_Strategies#pf8). Only the size of the “head” has reduced to focus on a very few terms.

[28] Source: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/08/03/09/long-tail-guide

[29] The term «semantic» should not be taken in its original sense, which is connected with the «meaning of linguistic units». In the digital ecosystem, particularly in the field of SEO, semantics refers to constructing content to facilitate its understanding by computer programs.

[30] Voice queries are associated with the use of conversational interfaces, notably virtual assistants on computers, smartphones, and smart speakers. According to Google, 27% of the population uses voice search on mobile devices. Source: https://startupbonsai.com/voice-search-statistics/

[31] Source: https://moz.com/blog/state-of-searcher-behavior-revealed

[32] A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a group of servers with a heterogeneous geographical distribution, allowing them to be closer to the area where users are located and guaranteeing faster access to content. A CDN can be compared to an ATM network: there’s always a machine nearby to withdraw money.

[33] Lazy loading involves delaying the loading of a heavy element to enhance the page’s display speed. With this technique, a heavy element loads later, focusing maximum resources on loading the primary components.

[34] Refer to Part IV, Factor #6.

[35] Regarding structured data, refer to Part IV, Factor #9.

[36] The term «Quality Raters» or «Search Quality Raters» refers to individuals employed by Google to assess the quality of SERP pages. These evaluators conduct analyses using numerous criteria, the results of which are passed on to engineers responsible for feeding the search engine’s algorithms. Therefore, Quality Raters indirectly influence Google’s SEO factors.

[37] Through analyst Gary Illyes in 2019. Source: https://www.mariehaynes.com/qa-with-gary-illyes/

III. POPULARITY

Everyone wants to be popular… on the internet! In the realm of SEO, popularity refers to how an entity (a company, a brand, or a personality) is perceived by the community. This perception influences the level of trust that search engines grant it, following a simple formula: the more popular this entity is, the more public support it gains, making it more relevant to feature prominently in search results.

Popularity is a crucial concept in an ecosystem where attention is a scarce commodity, considering the extravagant volumes of data that internet users face every time they open a web page or launch an application, rightly termed «information overload» in this digital era. This is why search engines also rank sites based on their popularity, gauged by the attention the community pays to them, which is one way to prioritize them. Translated into the language of SEO, this is known as «off-page SEO»: all the factors external to the site itself that focus on the elements that make it popular (or not) on the web. Google has even developed a specific evaluation system: PageRank, an index of the «trustworthiness rating» that each referring domain enjoys.

The concept of popularity encompasses three major pillars of SEO: links, user experience, and the site’s reputation. By reading this section, you will learn everything you need to know to boost your site’s popularity and convince Google to position your pages higher in search results.

Popularity in Three Pillars

Hyperlinks: Obtaining inbound links (backlinks) and constructing a balanced link profile.

User Experience: Ensuring that the user easily and quickly finds what they are looking for on the site.

Reputation: Ensuring that the site is well-perceived by both internet users and search engine indexing robots.

Pillar No.1: Link-Building, The Art of Weaving Links

Let’s step back to the late 1990s. During the burgeoning stages of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin faced a significant issue: how to assess the quality of a website beyond just its content. Content alone didn’t always indicate overall relevance, especially when multiple sites displayed equally high-quality content say, two energy providers or two bakeries. In such cases, what criteria should be considered to prioritize one over the other?

To address this issue, Page and Brin integrated the concept of popularity into their algorithm. Google operates on the premise that content being discussed more on the web is more interesting compared to content with less discussion or none at all, and therefore, in simple terms, it is more popular. To measure this popularity, an objective reference point is required. The two men then considered looking at the links pointing to the assessed content [1], taking into account both the quality of referring domains and the number of backlinks. In the process, they devised the famous PageRank. It was a true revolution at a time when simply loading a page with keywords was enough to climb the ranks on the search results page.

Link-building, a technique used to improve SEO rankings, involves «building» a coherent link profile and obtaining as many inbound links (or «backlinks») as possible. Over the years, Google’s PageRank has retained its critical importance in this context.

Link-Building Never Fades Away

It’s one of the perennial favorites in SEO: every year, experts predict the end of link-building as a major pillar of search engine optimization. And every year, the facts prove them wrong. Despite the passage of time and the evolution of its algorithms, Google still places significant importance on backlinks, which remain a reliable indicator of a website’s popularity. While it’s true that content quality has gained more weight, this increased emphasis only puts links in an arbitrating situation: between two similar pages with equivalent content quality, PageRank can make all the difference in the SERP.

What Is PageRank?

PageRank is the name of the algorithm responsible for evaluating a web page’s popularity. It’s currently used by most search engines, albeit in various forms [2].

The algorithm relies on links pointing to the page to assign it a rating on a scale of 1 to 10. It considers the number and quality of these links, incorporating multiple criteria (such as whether the links are natural, the authority of referring domains, etc.) and using a complex, fluctuating calculation formula—a secret closely guarded by Google.

Even more interesting: PageRank gets passed on! When page A links to page B, it transfers a portion of its PageRank to that linked page. This is referred to as «SEO juice» or «link juice», visualized as a liquid flowing from one page to another in a cascade. In the realm of search engine optimization, this is far from a minor detail.

66% of pages on the SERP display no backlinks. The same study reveals that 90% of these pages generate no traffic, establishing an indisputable causal relationship between the two situations. The lesson? The more inbound links a page receives (from various referring domains), the more traffic it gets from Google [3].

The Practical Guide to Link-Building: Everything You Need to Know to Boost a Page’s Popularity

Link-building is a complex science. Above all, it requires a solid grasp of the concept of links. The following pages contain some technicalities, but if that seems burdensome, it’s possible to skim through them and jump straight to the section on «How to Get Quality Backlinks?».

Hypertext Link

A hypertext link is an element on a web page that enables access to another page. It could be…

«Internal» when pointing to a page within the same site

«External» (or «outgoing») when directing to a page on another site

«Inbound» when hosted on a third-party site and linking back to the concerned page

Backlinks: Essential Popularity Boosters

For the purposes of link-building, we will focus on inbound links (also known as «backlinks»): these links are hosted on third-party sites and direct to the page being referenced.

A link can appear as text (the link anchor or anchor text) or a visual element (button, image, or other). If it’s clickable text, it usually stands out due to specific formatting, like being in a different color and/or underlined.

In HTML language, a hyperlink is enclosed by the <a> and </a> tags. You add an href attribute to indicate the destination (the page you want the user or crawler robot to be directed to) along with the anchor text (the text the user should click on).

<a href=«https://www.example.com/page.html»>link anchor</a>

The URL associated with the href attribute can be «absolute» if it’s an outbound link, or «relative» if it’s an internal link (in this case, you don’t need to include the domain name; referencing the page is enough).

Attributes (and the «nofollow» concept)

Other attributes can be added to the link. For instance, the rel attribute defines the relationship between the page hosting the link and the associated resource. There are several values for this attribute, each with its specificity:

«alternate» designates an alternative representation of the document

«author» designates the author of the document

«canonical» indicates to search engines the preferred URL (when there are multiple identical contents)

«external» signifies that the referenced document is not part of the same site as the document hosting the link

«ugc» designates a link embedded by an external person (comment, forum post…)

Another crucial value associated with the rel attribute is «nofollow.» It tells search engines not to follow the link. In practice, this means that the link won’t be considered for ranking, and the PageRank won’t be distributed. For the website editor, it’s a way of saying they don’t endorse the referenced document, or at least, they don’t take a stance in its favor. Note that by default, all links are «dofollow» and transmit PageRank; hence, this value needs to be intentionally placed within the tag. (To make a link «dofollow», you simply exclude this attribute.)

<a href=«https://www.example.com/page.html» rel=«external nofollow»>link anchor</a>

Do we toss «nofollow» links in the trash?

A link marked with the «nofollow» attribute tells search engines to disregard it and not pass PageRank. So, straight to the trash?

Not quite. Using «nofollow» remains relevant when aiming to generate traffic, even without benefiting from SEO juice or credibility. This holds true for an e-commerce site directing users to its product pages, for affiliate links (commonly set to «nofollow» by convention), or for image-based links.

Moreover, Google occasionally makes exceptions, following «nofollow» links, especially if they’re from reliable domains like Wikipedia or institutional sites. Even without SEO benefits, these links tend to enhance the credibility of the destination page. Furthermore, since 2020, Google is the sole decision-maker on whether to heed a «nofollow» attribute or not. In other words, the search engine might decide to bypass your instruction if it deems it necessary… and follow the link regardless!

The Origins of Inbound Links and the Concept of «Referring Domain»

The source of a link refers to the referring domain where it’s hosted. This term points to the website’s domain name, the attribute that identifies it. In the example below, the domain name consists of the root domain (usually the company or organization’s name) and the extension.

(Source: economie.fgov.be)

By referring domain, we mean a domain hosting at least one link pointing to your website.

In SEO, not all link sources carry the same weight in link-building. To assess the quality of an inbound link, Google considers the authority of the referring domain. The higher the authority, the more weight the link carries, contributing more popularity to the referenced page, thereby boosting its PageRank. In practice, receiving a link from a governmental site or a major publication like Le Monde holds more value than a hundred links from lesser-known blogs.

The Inbound Link as a Trust Indicator

Why does the nature of the referring domain matter? The answer is simple: a site linking to another page signifies trust in that page, and Google takes notice. Furthermore, the higher the authority of the referring domain, the more significant this trust indicator becomes. For Google, when a reputable media site links to your page, it speaks louder than if it were from a local merchant’s site. Both scenarios imply trust, but they carry different credibility.

What makes a «Good» Referring Domain?

To identify a «good» referring domain, consider:

Its Trust Flow and Citation Flow scores (two indicators of the level of trust attributed by Google).

Its SEO ranking for keywords related to its activity and brand name.

The thematic relevance between its content and your own website.

Analyzing referring domains aims to identify sites linking to your web pages and assess their importance. This process helps detect «toxic» domains disregarded by Google, which harm your SEO efforts. It’s also key to pinpointing the most valuable domains for SEO, encouraging efforts to obtain more backlinks from these sites or closely related pages in terms of authority and theme.

The most sought-after referring domains are those with unwavering authority and the trust of search engines. These domains typically use «official» extensions like .gov, .edu, .museum, etc. They represent authoritative resources in the digital realm.

Affinities in the web world

The authority and performance of a referring domain aren’t the only factors: thematic relevance is just as crucial in link-building. An inbound link from a site unrelated to your business area won’t be deemed relevant by Google. For instance, if a page about a dog breed gets a link from a vacuum cleaner website, it won’t gain any PageRank benefit. To streamline authority transfer, thematic relevance is essential—topics should be similar, related, or at least connected. Even when the referring domain is a general media site, it’s preferable that the link is published in a section relevant to your business.

The Concept of «SEO Juice»

The concept of «SEO juice» helps you to understand how PageRank is transferred from one web page to another and why links play a vital role in organic search engine optimization.

This «SEO juice», also known as «link juice», refers to how a site’s authority is passed on to third-party pages. When a link is created from page B to page A, it’s page A that receives the «SEO juice», depending on the quantity of juice that page B possesses (meaning its own PageRank). If page A receives multiple links from well-ranked pages, this juice accumulates, enhancing its PageRank. The more popular the originating site, the more potent the «link juice». However, for this to work, links must be left as dofollow.

But be cautious, this relationship is bidirectional! If the hosting site of the backlink is of poor quality, the PageRank of the destination page automatically decreases.

Furthermore, the «link juice» has a crucial feature: it cascades. If page B hosts a link to page A but also links to page C and page D, this juice is split into three equal parts. Each page then benefits from one-third of the global «SEO juice» from the original page. If any of these pages are targeted by a nofollow link, the total juice is redistributed between the remaining two pages, resulting in 50% for each. The diagram below illustrates this configuration.

(Source: SEObility.net)

Of course, the term «link juice» isn’t to be taken literally; it refers to a specific behavior of a search engine algorithm that assesses a page based on the quality of the domain sending it a link.

Anchor Text

On a hypertext link, the anchor text (or link anchor) refers to a sequence of clickable words. In the example below, the link is placed on the word «Link-building», which appears in red to be distinguished by users during their navigation.

This anchor text caters to both users and search engines, offering insight into the destination page’s content. Hence, the term «Link-building» implies that the targeted page deals with this subject. Therefore, a link’s label must align with the content of the page it directs to: both users and algorithms disfavor misleading anchor texts.

The Four Types of Anchors:

A natural anchor (or generic) is neutral and nondescriptive. It doesn’t indicate the destination page’s content. For instance: «click here», «on this page», «learn more», or even a page’s URL. The lexical field around the link identifies the related theme. It’s also advisable to place primary and secondary keywords around a natural anchor to bolster its SEO weight.

An optimized anchor contains the primary keyword from the destination page (rather than the hosting page). It’s a significant SEO factor but should be used sparingly: excessive use of optimized anchors falls under Penguin penalties.

A semi-optimized anchor reflects a more subtle approach: integrating a variant of the primary keyword or semantically related terms.

A brand anchor includes a company or brand name. If the context allows, such an anchor can be entirely natural.

What’s the Right Mix of Link Anchors?

In SEO, a balanced distribution of link anchors (across an entire domain) typically includes approximately:

50 to 60% natural or generic anchors.

5 to 10% optimized anchors.

20 to 30% semi-optimized anchors.

10 to 15% brand-specific anchors.

A Balanced Profile of Links

A single backlink holds little SEO weight. However, hundreds of backlinks can influence Google! This is where algorithms come into play: they’ve been designed to spot attempts to manipulate inbound links. The consequence can be a Penguin penalty, potentially devastating to the SEO standings of the culprit. This highlights the importance of presenting a «link profile» that is both balanced and varied. This profile encompasses all the backlinks pointing to a given site, impacting its PageRank.

To achieve a balanced link profile, it’s crucial to:

Vary referring domains

Diversify anchor texts

Target different destination pages

In essence, a strong link profile requires employing multiple approaches simultaneously to acquire backlinks.

Acquiring Quality Backlinks

Search engines favor a balanced link profile. To achieve this, the aim is to obtain high-quality backlinks from referring domains selected based on three parameters: authority, SEO performance, and thematic relevance. In this section, we’ll analyze the different methods to establish a relevant link profile in various situations—whether you’re a novice or experienced webmaster, whether the site you’re referencing is new or already well-established in its market.

«Good» and «Bad» Links: A Crucial Distinction in Link-Building

But first, what links are we talking about? In SEO, not all backlinks carry the same weight. There’s a clear distinction between «good» and «bad» links, with different effects on PageRank and SERP positions. Before delving deeper, it’s essential to understand the types of links that exist and why some are better regarded than others by search engines.

Natural VS Artificial Links

Google categorizes a link as «natural» or «artificial» based on how it was obtained.

A natural (or organic) link is one that’s published spontaneously by a webmaster or an internet user, without any visible intervention from the targeted site. Essentially, someone found content online that they liked and decided to refer internet users to it, aiming to share their findings and add value.

Conversely, an artificial link has been subject beforehand to an exchange or consideration (not just financial) between the two parties.

Not surprisingly, Google values natural links and devalues artificial ones, except in a very specific context: that of advertising and sponsorship (see below for the list of «toxic links»). Naturally, a link may appear natural even if there were negotiations beforehand—this is the holy grail for SEO specialists. A link constructed to appear natural allows the webmaster to maintain maximum control over its publication and benefit from the PageRank gain without drawing the search engine’s ire. Moreover, it’s worth noting that an artificial link, as such, isn’t problematic; it’s the accumulation of low-quality links that Google perceives as an attempt to manipulate its algorithm.

Google and Natural Links: A Love Story

Why does Google place so much importance on natural inbound links? This deep-seated affection can be explained by the role that backlinks play in the algorithm’s functioning: they bear witness to a webpage’s credibility and reliability. It’s important to remember that a natural backlink is a testament to trust—it demonstrates the popularity of the targeted page in the eyes of internet users. Moreover, natural links enhance user experience by providing access to relevant content capable of adding value to users’ lives—a quality that Google values above all else.

Quality Link VS Low-Quality Link

For a link to be considered of high quality, it needs to meet four criteria:

Natural (or appear natural)

Published on an authoritative site

Published on a site with a theme closely related to the destination page

Placed within qualitative and relevant content with an informative purpose (not overtly commercial).

Conversely, a low-quality backlink:

Appears artificial

Is published on an unreliable site (possibly devalued by Google)

Is hosted on a site unrelated to the targeted page’s theme

Is placed within uninteresting and/or overtly commercial content.

It’s important to note that these criteria are solely linked to the concept of popularity and align with SEO objectives. Beyond popularity, the overall quality of a backlink relies on several other parameters, such as the generated traffic volume, link conversion potential, or its ability to enhance brand visibility.

A backlink holds more SEO weight when its hosting page and the destination page are optimized for the same keyword. In essence, a link placed on Page A, focusing on the phrase «Yamaha motorcycle insurance» and directing to Page B optimized for the same phrase, will significantly boost SEO. This assumes complete control over the content hosting the link, achievable through specific link-building techniques.

Toxic Links

Google views any attempt to manipulate inbound links as contrary to its official recommendations. Consequently, the search engine encourages webmasters to practice «clean» link-building and prioritize, in constructing their link profile, backlinks as natural as possible. Simultaneously, it hunts down poor-quality links referred to as «toxic». What are these links?

Links bought or sold to manipulate page rankings.

Excessive link exchanges (particularly reciprocal ones).

Links generated by computer programs or automated services.

Links embedded in paid publications (native advertising or advertorials) or excessively displayed in press releases.

Links to low-quality directories or bookmarking sites.

Over-optimized links (containing an excessive number of keywords).

Links placed outside the main content of the page (header, footer, sidebar, comment section under an article, forum post, etc.).

However, this classification does not apply to links bought/sold for advertising and sponsorship purposes, such as within paid advertising campaigns [5].

Beware, the Penguin is Watching!

Google has an algorithmic filter specifically designed to identify low-quality backlinks, ready to penalize sites that don’t adhere to its guidelines on link-building. Its name? Google Penguin [6]. Since 2012, this digital entity has penalized abusive link-building practices, compelling webmasters (and SEO specialists) to build balanced link profiles.

The Keys to Effective Link-Building

Let’s now explore how to obtain high-quality backlinks, balance your link profile, boost your PageRank, and convince Google that your site deserves to be highlighted in search results. The methods presented below can (and ideally should) be used in combination for maximum effectiveness.

Link Building: Casting the Net for Backlinks

The term «link building» refers to «constructing» your link profile. This approach involves actively seeking high-quality inbound links by engaging with webmasters to have them publish links to your pages. Of course, it’s not just about politely asking for a link; it requires specific strategies, here’s a comprehensive list:

Guest blogging involves offering a third-party site an article with a link to the page you want to reference. The third-party site might accept the publication for various reasons:

You’re an expert in your field.

You have an influence online, generating views and interactions.

The content you propose is highly qualitative and relevant.

You offer to publish a text on your own site in return (see the «link exchange» section).

Publishing sponsored articles is a subtle form of advertising. It falls under «native advertising», a format that blends into the hosting site to give the impression that the content is 100% natural. A sponsored article is therefore high-quality content, with added value, containing a backlink to the desired page. Its publication usually involves a financial exchange.

Sponsored Articles: A False Good Idea?

Keen observers might have noticed that Google specifically points fingers at the publication of sponsored articles in its guidelines. Does this mean one should avoid this link-building method? It’s all about balance. Use this method in moderation while focusing on strategic backlinks. Above all, ensure the quality of the publication: if the article is well-written, perfectly aligns with the publisher’s editorial guidelines, and genuinely adds value, then there’s no reason for Google to reprimand you. Ultimately, the search engine’s goal is to provide its users with high-quality and relevant content, even if it includes links!

Link exchange is a «you scratch my back, I scratch yours» process: Webmaster A places a link on their site to page B, and in return, Webmaster B does the same on their site but to page A. It’s practical and tempting… However, Google isn’t too fond of this technique as it diminishes the PageRank’s value. Instead of relying on reciprocal links (Figure 1), it’s preferable to practice triangular exchange (Figure 2): where page A hosts a link to page B, and page C hosts a link to page A – both pages B and C belonging to the same webmaster. This way, there’s no risk of «crossing the streams»!

Figure 1

Figure 2 (Source: entreresource.com)

The practice of reciprocal links remains common in SEO, as evidenced by this study conducted by Ahrefs:

Is there a risk of these sites being sanctioned by Google? No, because the search engine has tools that allow it to identify bad practices… and to spot sites that publish natural reciprocal links. Indeed, it is common for quality sites to naturally exchange links to highlight the work and expertise of another. This approach is accepted by Google as long as it remains spontaneous. One might think the line between the two practices is blurry, but that’s how it is!

Highlighting the thematic ecosystem involves reaching out to platforms that have an interest (whatever it may be) in publishing links pointing to your pages. Numerous sectors are involved. For instance, a restaurant could be mentioned (with a backlink) on the city’s website, on a review platform like TripAdvisor, on a directory, on a local online newspaper, on a supplier or partner’s site, and so on.

Buying links means acquiring backlinks for money. Although officially rejected by Google, this practice remains widespread, which is why we mention it despite the potential for penalties. Again, it’s a matter of moderation: it’s possible to purchase inbound links from specialized platforms, but it’s better to carefully choose your partners to avoid falling under a Penguin penalty.

The Benefits of Link-Building Include:

Targeting the most relevant referring domains.

Ensuring a dofollow link, which passes PageRank.

Having the ability to choose the pages to target.

Controlling the placement of the link within the content (ideally in the initial paragraphs), as well as anchor text and attributes.

When the page hosting the link is featured prominently on the homepage (displayed there for several hours/days) and is well integrated into the site’s structure (accessible through internal linking), it gains a more significant SEO weight. If you have the ability to influence this factor, don’t hesitate to do so!

Linkbaiting: Generating Natural Inbound Links

«Linkbaiting» refers to the art of creating content that is relevant enough to capture the attention of web entities and encourage them (without coercion) to voluntarily publish links redirecting to the pages you want to optimize. The term originates from the English word «to bait», signifying the act of enticing users with quality content to encourage them to reference it. The major advantage here is that inbound links are entirely natural, spontaneously generated by internet users whose decision-making relies solely on the quality and relevance of the content in question.

The core of linkbaiting lies in creating content that genuinely interests the community. In this regard, you can guide users to generate backlinks by adopting some best practices such as:

Creating authoritative content in your industry.

Publishing content on current topics.

Involving recognized experts in their field.

Developing educational content (guides, tutorials, comparisons).

Producing studies and infographics.

Publishing whitepapers.

Launching promotional offers or contests.

However, while this method is highly effective, it comes with two notable drawbacks:

It only yields results in the long term.

It is challenging to control as it’s impossible to predict who will publish links, how many, or what anchor texts will be used. There’s also uncertainty about whether the webmaster will keep the link as dofollow or change it to nofollow.

A successful linkbaiting technique involves mentioning personalities, brands, or institutions in content and personally notifying them about the content’s publication to potentially receive a citation on their pages. For instance, posting a positive review of a recently released book and informing the author and publisher could lead them to direct other users to your content by posting a link on their site or sharing it on social media.

The Benefits of Linkbaiting

100% natural links spontaneously created.

Links originating from a wide range of referring domains, enabling the construction of a diverse link profile.

High-quality content that enhances your reputation.

Press Relations: Leveraging Your Network to Develop Your Link Profile

Media players have a significant role in obtaining backlinks. In this regard, public relations strategies and natural referencing have considerable merit in converging, given that official media sources maintain authority with search engines. For instance, consider the Trust Flow and Citation Flow (two indicators of a website’s authority) for the site Le cnn.com:

And, by way of comparison, the same metrics for the website of Charenton-le-Pont City—significantly lower, even though official municipal websites remain reliable sources of links for Google. Needless to say, this difference should impact the choice of referring domains!

(Using Majestic.)

(Without delving into the details of these indicators, remember that having a good Trust Flow slightly exceeding the Citation Flow is preferable.)

Therefore, an effective link-building strategy involves using traditional channels such as the media, particularly through press releases and press kits. Note that there are platforms known as «press release sites» that offer to publish this type of content for free with outgoing links. However, the optimal approach remains to actively engage journalists to host backlinks on their online news pages. Discuss this with a PR agency or a web agency that has a strong network of partners in the media industry.

The Advantages of Press Relations in Link-Building:

Inbound links published on authoritative sites.

Obtaining backlinks that target a very broad audience (national newspapers) or a highly targeted audience (regional newspapers, specialized press).

A boost in visibility for your company/brand.

Influencers and Bloggers: Crucial Channels in the Era of Web 2.0

In the realm of marketing, it’s well known that consumers trust information sources outside a brand more than the communications generated directly by the brand. As a result, the power gained over the years by influencers, the new-age communicators, wields communities devoted to their cause. What’s less recognized is that SEO can also benefit from these external conduits: influencers and bloggers, two pillars of the web 2.0, also representing the digital extensions of opinion leaders.

Partnerships with these intermediaries enable visibility within significant digital communities, leveraging backlinks published on their pages or social media accounts. It’s also a means to generate qualified traffic because internet users following an influencer/blogger tend to trust their recommendations, approaching mentions of a brand with a positive predisposition (akin to how one instinctively pays attention to a friend’s advice).

However, activating this delicate leverage requires accounting for some specifics:

The thematic alignment between the influencer/blogger and your domain: partner selection should match their affinity with your industry.

Audience metrics vary considerably. For an influencer, one looks at the number of followers on social media (nano-influencers have under 10,000 followers, macro-influencers range between 100,000 and 1 million); for a blogger, it’s the number of unique monthly visitors (significance starts from 5,000). On social platforms, smaller communities offer stronger conversion potential, while larger communities enhance visibility hence, the choice also hinges on your SEO goals.

The «voice» of the influencer/blogger is a crucial factor: their tone will shape how they discuss your company/brand or products/services in their content. A YouTuber known for a quirky style will likely address your company/brand similarly hence, it’s vital to be prepared and carefully select your partner to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Compensations often involve financial transactions but can take diverse forms, such as in-kind gifts typically, products or services sold by the brand reciprocal visibility, and more.

The Benefits of Influence in SEO

Virtually enormous visibility, contingent on the scale of the audience following the influencer/blogger.

Theoretically high potential for both reputation and conversion.

Opportunity to reach a new audience.

Private Blog network: an Effective but Risky Technique!

A private blog network (PBN) is a group of websites owned by the same entity (an individual or a company) to host links directing to the pages of a main site, for SEO purposes. The term «money site» is used to emphasize that this is the domain where one aims to attract traffic to generate conversions. This private network (Private Blog Network) can be made up of sites created for this purpose (often blogs) or expired domains [7] that have been acquired— this approach allows for benefiting from the SEO «link juice» obtained by the previous domain owner.

Une image contenant texte, capture d’écran, diagramme, Police Description générée automatiquementWhy rely on a third-party site to publish a backlink when you can do it yourself using their network of referring domains? This is the philosophy of the PBN, summarized by this image:

(source: SEObility.net)

The goal here is to boost the main site’s popularity through the links published on satellite websites that cover the same thematic content.

However, this link-building technique comes with drawbacks. First, it requires significant financial resources, either to create and host the sites or to acquire expired domains. Second, Google penalizes this approach, treating private site networks as «link farms» [8]. To avoid penalties, even more resources need to be invested in creating a relevant network, with satellite websites entirely independent of each other, which brings us back to the initial issue. Therefore, this strategy isn’t viable for everyone.

The Advantages of a Private Blog Network

Complete control over the published backlinks (anchor text, placement in content, URL composition, attribute).

Full autonomy in managing the link-building strategy.

A quick factor to establish, given the necessary resources.

The potential to develop satellite websites into monetized blogs.

A robust and long-lasting link-building structure.

Backlink Audit: An Essential Prerequisite

An audit involves identifying all the links pointing to a specific domain to assess their quality. This operation is an essential prerequisite for an existing site: since there are inevitably backlinks, analyzing them is crucial before establishing a coherent link-building strategy. Hence, the inbound link audit aims to:

Identify toxic links for removal, aiming to smooth out the link profile.

Recognize links that positively affect SEO by analyzing correlations between these backlinks and changes in SERP positions.

Highlight broken links (or «dead links») leading to error pages, either to restore or delete them.

Conducted using a dedicated SEO tool (such as SEMrush’s Backlink Audit or Majestic’s tool), this audit provides recommendations for implementing a strategy to obtain new, high-quality links, often by drawing inspiration from competitors. It’s an initial arduous step, potentially time-consuming when analyzing an older reference domain, but critical to establishing quality link-building.

What to Do with Toxic Links

Some backlinks can be harmful to natural SEO and put you at risk of penalties, even if you’re not directly responsible for their publication. Indeed, identifying and managing toxic links becomes crucial since it’s impossible to have complete control over the creation of backlinks for a given site. These toxic links might include outdated links, remnants of a previous SEO strategy from a time when link-building methods were more flexible, links published on automated feed aggregators, or even deliberate attempts to sabotage your SEO efforts (a form of Negative SEO [9]).

A link can be «toxic» for various reasons: it could be published on a low-quality site or in an irrelevant section of the page (footer or sidebar, comments on a blog post, forum messages, etc.), have over-optimized anchor text, lack interest for users, and so on. Even an outgoing link can be seen as toxic, for instance, if it redirects to a suspicious page. However, not all flagged toxic links are necessarily problematic; an auditing tool might identify a backlink as suboptimal for your website without necessarily impacting SEO negatively.

The good news is that it’s possible (in some cases) to get rid of these undesirable backlinks. Depending on the situation, we can:

Contact the webmaster of the hosting site and request the removal of the backlink,

Or disavow the link via Google Search Console (a functionality to be used cautiously).

Link-Building, a Strategy that Takes Time

Building a coherent link profile isn’t achieved overnight. The key to successful link-building lies in its gradual nature: take the time to develop a relevant strategy, diversify the situations (referring domains, anchor texts, destination pages), and allow yourself the time to do things properly. Gradual link-building remains the best way to strengthen the popularity of your website.

The first result on the SERP typically contains, on average, 3.8 times more backlinks than pages positioned from 2nd to 10th place. [10]

Pillar No.2: User Experience, or How to Satisfy Users to Please Google

There’s a common misconception that SEO is confined to a few on-page strategies and famous backlinks. However, this overlooks an essential part of what contributes to a website’s popularity: the quality of the user experience. Thus, a site that simplifies navigation, provides maximum security, adapts its display for mobile devices, and ultimately encourages users to spend more time on it, tends to be favored by search engines because it more effectively fulfills its purpose.

Hence the importance of what we call UX (User eXperience) in an SEO strategy. UX refers to how a website is perceived by its visitors. This experience, which encompasses various elements (ergonomics, navigation, content, interface), provides search engines with a good understanding of user satisfaction levels, indicating the relevance of the platform. Ultimately, enhancing UX means satisfying users to appeal to Google, making it a critical SEO factor.

User Experience and SEO: Are They Aligned?

The equation is straightforward: what pleases users also pleases Google. For years, search engines have urged webmasters to prioritize optimizing their web pages to primarily meet users’ needs, rather than primarily aiming to appeal to indexing robots [11]. Consequently, for a website to be well-regarded by the search engine, it must focus on the user and provide added value. In this context, Google expects your platform to offer users a qualitative, seamless, and intuitive experience: allowing them to find what they seek under the best conditions.

UX at the Crossroads of SEO Pillars

User experience lies at the intersection of SEO pillars. In its entirety, it influences a site’s popularity and thus fully belongs to off-page factors alongside inbound links and reputation. Examined in detail, it draws significantly from the other two pillars: content and technical aspects.

Content enhances the quality of user experience by addressing users’ queries and providing them with desired information related to their search query. UX depends on both the quality and relevance of content, the use of appropriate keywords, and creating a diverse range of pages to cover various needs (home page, product pages, FAQs, contact, tutorials, etc.) [12].

Technical optimization contributes to enhancing user experience regarding page loading speed, element availability on the page, mobile compatibility, and navigation (via internal linking). This aspect is so crucial that Google has officially integrated it into its ranking algorithm through a series of updates (HTTPS/SSL Update in 2014, Mobile Friendly Update in 2015, Page Experience Update in 2021, etc.) [13].

For Google, Content Takes Precedence!

Yes, the user experience on a website is crucial. However, as important as it is, UX always takes a back seat to the quality and relevance of content. Google primarily ranks web pages based on the content they offer, even when the browsing experience isn’t flawless. Conversely, the opposite isn’t true: a site perfectly optimized for UX but lacking quality content won’t be highlighted in the SERP. Nonetheless, this doesn’t negate the following observation: between two pages with equivalent content, Google tends to favor the one that provides the best user experience.

Three Levels of Google’s Consideration of UX (and Strategies to Optimize User Experience)

When it comes to user experience, Google can be seen to assess optimization at three levels: display in the SERP, user journey on the site, and the technical quality of the page.

Display in the SERP

68% of web experiences start on a search engine (via organic or paid links), far surpassing other channels like Display or social networks [14].

This statistic is significant: it shows that the first contact between a user and a website occurs through links displayed in the SERP. These links influence a user’s decision to click, depending on the presented information and the location of these links (in a specific «pack», Position Zero, within «Other questions asked», etc.). When a user clicks a link, they send positive signals to Google. Hence, it’s fair to assert that a website’s UX begins right from the SERP!

Strategies to Optimize Your Presence in the SERP:

Demonstrate the page’s value clearly by filling in the two tags displayed in the SERP: the title and meta description. Use these tags to provide engaging information about the content of the destination page, delivering maximum added value [15].

Enhance trust by creating relevant URLs in line with the user’s query. Avoid abstract URLs (numbers and symbols) and incorporate the keywords searched by users.

Capture attention by leveraging rich snippets—additional information that appears beneath the meta description: ratings in the form of stars (for customer reviews), hours and locations (for events), contact pages (for businesses), cooking times (for recipes), images, etc. These details are derived from structured data [16].

Display multiple results for the same keywords. Occupying different positions in the SERP for a single query tends to boost visibility while providing multiple entry points to your site. For instance, having an organic link, a video, a business profile, and a response in the «Other questions asked» section is an excellent way to enhance user experience.

User Journey on the Site

Once a user lands on a site page, their behavior generates numerous signals. Google captures these signals to assess the quality of the user’s experience and the site’s relevance.

The term «behavior» encompasses the user’s journey throughout their experience, from the first page until they decide to leave the site, having performed (or not) a specific action. Several indicators measure this behavior: bounce rate, time spent on the entire site, click-through rate, engagement rate, etc.

The «journey» refers to the path leading the user from point A to points B, C, D, etc., depending on the page where the desired information resides. Optimizing UX involves contemplating how the user navigates the entire site, finds relevant data, and interacts with the offered content. Several dimensions are considered:

Ease of navigation across the site and transitioning between pages.

Placement of the main information on the page: it should be immediately available and positioned above the fold (the visible content without scrolling down).

Utility of the information presented on the pages and the quality of the provided answers.

Presence of a call-to-action (CTA) to guide users.

Quality and consistency of design (colors, typography, visuals, etc.).

Relevance of images and videos displayed on the pages.

Multiple contact points with the company (form, phone number, email address, social media, chat window, etc.).

Security of users’ personal and banking information (activation of HTTPS protocol, implementation of secure payment methods, etc.).

Quality of the purchasing experience (for an e-commerce site): speed of account creation process (or purchase option allowing to skip this step), access to relevant product or service information, secure payment, etc.

A user’s search intent often takes the form of a question: who, what, how, where, etc. To streamline navigation, a useful technique involves placing the most critical passage of text right at the top of the page, either in the introduction or a dedicated section, while directly addressing the implied query. It’s also a great way to target the Position Zero spot!

The Issue with Bounce Rates

At first glance, a high bounce rate isn’t a good sign. It means that users leave your site after visiting just one page, indicating a potential UX problem. Google infers that the site doesn’t meet the expressed need and tends to devalue its ranking. However, this indicator might not be universally relevant. In some industries, a high bounce rate actually signals a positive outcome: it shows that the user found what they were seeking and didn’t need to explore further. Think, for instance, of dictionary definitions or cooking recipes! Therefore, it’s an indicator that requires careful handling and adaptation to your specific market.

Strategies to Optimize User Journey:

Work on your website’s structure to encourage smooth and logical navigation: design an architecture that streamlines user journeys, ensure information hierarchy matches user needs, etc. Consider how users progress through your pages until they find the desired information.

Provide high-quality and relevant content across all pages, tailoring content to suit their respective purposes. For instance, the homepage should address essential questions about your company and products or services, while a product page should display the item’s characteristics, and so forth.

Include CTAs strategically throughout your pages to guide users to subsequent pages, creating a coherent path aligned with the purchasing journey (e.g., moving from an information page to a landing page with a fillable form).

Establish a relevant network of internal links to encourage users to navigate from one page to another.

Simplify the main navigation menu to include a limited number of entries with clear labels. If necessary, incorporate dropdown menus or a secondary menu in the footer.

Implement an internal search engine on your website, enabling users to instantly access desired content by typing keywords. This tool is crucial if your site comprises numerous pages.

Ensure your site’s design reflects professionalism: modern interface, cohesive visual elements, restrained color choices, and typography.

Limit content that could disrupt user navigation, especially intrusive advertisements.

Technical Quality of the Page

Technical quality significantly impacts Google’s ranking criteria, particularly since the 2021 Page Experience update that evaluates how users interact with page content. Several metrics, categorized as «Core Web Vitals» [17], allow Google to assess user experience based on actual performance during page loading: speed, interactivity, and visual stability. More broadly, technical quality encompasses mobile ergonomics, security (HTTPS), and the possible presence of intrusive interstitials.

Strategies to Improve Page Technical Quality

Enhance page loading speed by optimizing heavier elements like images and videos.

Guarantee proper page display on mobile device screens, ensuring users can interact with various page elements.

Pillar No.3: Reputation, or What Users Think (and Say) About Your Site

The introduction of E-A-T [18] criteria into the ranking algorithm has strengthened this approach. Google officially encourages its Quality Raters to use the concepts of Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust in evaluating websites, which contribute to the good (or bad) reputation attributed to a company or brand. Hence, the guidelines prompt evaluators to «remain skeptical of claims made by websites about themselves, especially when there is a conflict of interest», to seek «sources that are not written or created by the website, the company itself, or the person», and to favor «independent reviews, references, expert recommendations, news articles, and any other credible sources of information about the website» to form a fair assessment [19]. It’s worth noting that these criteria do not officially encompass signals associated with social networks.

All of this makes reputation a complete off-page SEO lever. To conclude this section dedicated to popularity, let’s list the most important reputation factors within an SEO strategy.

User Reviews:

User reviews, comments, and ratings—whether from prospects, clients, partners, or collaborators—hold significance in digital reputation and reassurance, primarily (but not exclusively) in the e-commerce domain. This constitutes social proof, a well-known aspect of reputation.

What’s less known is that this social proof also influences Google’s perception of your company or brand, and, by extension, its view of the platforms that enables its online existence: the website, Google business listings, the blog, etc. This influence is particularly true, though not solely, in the context of local SEO—an approach with a distinct focus within this publication [20].

Customer Reviews: What Does Google Prioritize?

Quantity of Published Reviews.

Feelings expressed by users (positive reviews aid in ranking, but too many negative reviews have the opposite effect).

Speed of content publication (consistency is key: having one hundred reviews in a month and then none for a year is a pace that might be legitimately considered suspicious).

Variety and reliability of platforms hosting customer reviews (including Google).

Customer Reviews: What Does Google Prioritize?

• Quantity of Published Reviews.

• Feelings expressed by users (positive reviews aid in ranking, but too many negative reviews have the opposite effect).

• Speed of content publication (consistency is key: having one hundred reviews in a month and then none for a year is a pace that might be legitimately considered suspicious).

• Variety and reliability of platforms hosting customer reviews (including Google).

How to Get Reviews to Boost Your Online Reputation?

Ask your customers to leave a review after they’ve purchased your product or service or when the service is completed. Avoid buying customer reviews; Google considers this practice as a form of manipulation.

Request comments from your employees, partners, suppliers, and others to demonstrate their satisfaction and/or the quality of your working relationship.

Register your company on review platforms (like Trustpilot) to provide users the opportunity to share their opinions.

Build trust by responding to reviews posted about your business, especially addressing negative viewpoints. Consumers appreciate businesses that listen to their prospects and customers: responding to critical comments allows you to demonstrate sincerity and your ability to provide constructive solutions. However, it’s advisable to request the removal of misleading, defamatory, or abusive comments that do not warrant a well-reasoned response.

Incorporate Google stars into your website, particularly using structured data: they will appear in the SERP and encourage users to click.

Customer Reviews and Local SEO Criteria

Customer reviews are one of the three reputation factors associated with local SEO. The other two are the Google business listing (formerly Google My Business) and NAP citations (Name, Address, and Phone number) made in local directories, listings, apps, or social networks. These three factors account for 56% of ranking criteria in the Local Pack and 19% in local organic links [21].

The Involvement of Experts

Expertise is a crucial part of the E-E-A-T criteria. Google favors content that demonstrates a company or brand’s expertise, considering it for ranking when published on their website or blog. Therefore, involving experts in your pages contributes to enhancing your organization’s reputation and positively impacts the ranking of your content in the SERP.

Why is this so important?

Users trust experts. A study by Nielsen Institute shows that 85% of consumers seek expert advice and trustworthy content when considering a purchase [22].

Google has tools to identify experts in specific domains and assign them some «weight» when publishing. As such, it’s possible (but not certain) that an individual benefiting from a Knowledge Panel [23] may transmit some of their good reputation to content published on your site.

Mentions

Mentions refer to citations of a company, individual, or brand in web content, without necessarily having hyperlinks. Despite the absence of backlinks, these mentions hold some importance for Google, especially when they appear on authoritative sites. While the exact impact of these mentions on SEO is challenging to pinpoint, their influence is undeniable [24]. These mentions can appear in various content types: blog posts, case studies, forum messages, social media posts, press releases, etc.

How to Obtain Web Mentions?

The techniques used are similar to obtaining inbound links: publishing high-quality and relevant content (especially content encouraging sharing and republication, such as infographics), employing a PR strategy (issuing a press release, participating in media interviews, etc.), engaging in guest blogging, partnering with influencers, and more.

How Do You Track Mentions?

Tracking mentions is indeed a challenge. How do you know who is talking about you and on which site(s)? Several tools are available to help you determine this: Google Alerts (to be notified when the search engine comes across the terms you’ve set alerts for), Sprout Social (for tracking social media), Mention (like Google Alerts but with a broader scope), and more.

User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) refers to anything that internet users publish, referencing your company or brand without direct association. This content might include articles, customer reviews, comments, social media posts, and more. It’s advantageous as it draws attention to your organization while also fueling your SEO efforts, especially if it’s published directly on your website. Such content contributes significantly to boosting your site’s reputation.

It’s important to note that Google doesn’t differentiate between content created by the webmaster and content created by users, as long as it’s published in the same place. Content is a powerful ranking factor, even if it’s generated by individuals outside the organization. John Mueller, Senior Search Analyst at Google, confirmed this in a video [25]. Therefore, ensuring that the content aligns with your editorial policy and presents a positive perspective of the entity is crucial.

UGC also helps increase the number of keywords worked on the site, and this content is likely to be tagged on social networks, creating additional entry points to your website.

However, be cautious of abuses: some user-generated content might be spam, negatively impacting your site’s ranking. Google provides specific guidelines regarding spam [26]. Ideally, select relevant content yourself or display «editorial guidelines» on your pages for users looking to publish content associated with your company/brand.

[1] This assessment mechanism bears resemblance to the h-index (also known as «Hirsch index») used in the scientific community to quantify the productivity and impact of a scientist, considering citations of their work by peers. Essentially, the more articles a scientist has published that have been cited numerous times, the greater the trust placed in them.

[2] This was observed in February 2023 during the Yandex Data Leaks case: the leakage of a large portion of the ranking factors of the Russian search engine revealed (among other things) the use of an algorithm similar to Google’s PageRank. Source: https://www.journaldunet.com/solutions/seo-referencement/1518883-yandex-data-leaks-une-fuite-au-sein-du-google-russe-devoile-les-secrets-de-l-algorithme/

[3] Source: https://ahrefs.com/blog/search-traffic-study/

[4] These two indicators are specific to the Majestic tool used for analyzing referring domains: Trust Flow examines the quality of backlinks pointing to an entire domain, while Citation Flow considers the quantity of inbound links.

[5] Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies

[6] Refer to Part I.

[7] A domain is «expired» when its owner has not renewed its hosting or deliberately removed it. The domain then becomes available for new registration. Buying expired domains is an interesting approach in SEO because the backlinks associated with them remain valid, allowing the new owner to reclaim the transmitted PageRank. This, of course, requires careful examination of the targeted domain’s link profile.

[8] The term «link farm» refers to a method used to artificially increase the number of backlinks. Google associates this method with abusive SEO practices.

[9] Yes, SEO vandalism exists. It’s called Negative SEO, encompassing all actions taken by unscrupulous SEO practitioners to «taint» a reputable site in Google’s eyes and trigger a penalty. These practices are to natural SEO what fake customer reviews are to online reputation.

[10] Source: https://backlinko.com/search-engine-ranking

[11] A stance not without contradiction. For a page to be found by users, it also needs to be optimized to please search engine robots: it’s an unavoidable prerequisite for it to appear in search results. The conflicting intentions here demonstrate how interconnected SEO strategies are, requiring a holistic approach.

[12] Refer to Part II.

[13] Refer to Part IV.

[14] BrightEdge Research, «Organic Search Improves Ability to Map to Consumer Intent», 2019. Source: https://videos.brightedge.com/research-report/BrightEdge_ChannelReport2019_FINAL.pdf

[15] More information on tags in Part II.

[16] Refer to Part IV, factor #9.

[17] Refer to Part IV, factor #4.

[18] E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. Refer to Part II.

[19] Google’s general guidelines for Search Quality Raters.

[20] Refer to Part V, «Local SEO» section.

[21] Whitespark, «The 2021 Local Search Ranking Factors». Source: https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ranking-factors/

[22] Relevance, «People Trust Experts More Than They Trust You», 2014. Source: https://www.relevance.com/people-trust-experts-more-than-they-trust-you/

[23] The Knowledge Panel refers to an information box displayed in Google search results providing encyclopedia-like information about a personality.

[24] This impact was highlighted by Gary Illyes, Webmaster Trends Analyst for Google. Source: https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2017/09/27/the-last-word-on-fred-from-googles-gary-illyes/

[25] On the Google Search Central channel, YouTube. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muCwZcORL0k&ab_channel=GoogleSearchCentral

[26]Source:https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies?hl=fr#user-generated-spam

IV. TECHNICAL SEO

Users and algorithms perceive a website differently while navigating it. Explored by a human user, a page combines content and design choices (colors, visuals, element placement…) that collectively assist in finding the sought-after information. However, indexing robots see beyond these graphical components—almost as if they perceive the lines of code of the Matrix behind the visible reality. In doing so, the webmaster must cater to two independent perspectives: that of the human user and that of the algorithms used to rank websites. These are two opposing expectations that should be fulfilled by employing different methods. This is because the quality of visual rendering or content does not guarantee that robots can adequately explore, index, and position the page in question. Conversely, a page constructed for robots may not necessarily be suitable for user needs.

The technical aspect of SEO serves precisely this purpose: to streamline the exploration and indexing of your web pages by Google’s robots (notably by optimizing the «crawl budget», see box), while also enhancing the experience for users. Ultimately, it is one single goal: if users are satisfied with your website, logically, the robots should be satisfied too.

Crawl Budget

The crawl budget refers to the (limited) number of pages that search engine robots can explore on a given website at a given time. This process is the first step in the journey from indexing pages to ranking them in the SERP. Optimizing this budget (by simplifying the exploration work for robots) increases the likelihood of placing pages in search results. This budget must therefore be managed very carefully.

The concept of «technical SEO» stands independently from the other two pillars (site content and its popularity), yet it remains fundamental. Technical barriers alone can undermine all your SEO efforts. On the flip side, here’s some good news: once this part of the work is set up, you’ll hardly need to tinker with it again. It’s somewhat akin to laying the foundation of a strong and enduring SEO strategy.

The technical dimension of SEO encompasses numerous factors, varying in complexity. In this section, we’ll focus on factors that have the most impact on page ranking but remain actionable without requiring highly specialized technical knowledge. This excludes issues related to computer code or logs [1], which are better suited for advanced users. These factors are divided into three axes: site structure, ease of indexing by robots, and display performance.

Three Aspects of Technical SEO

Site Structure: Ensuring smooth navigation for both users and indexing robots throughout the site.

Performance: Ensuring fast and accurate page loading across all devices and platforms used to access the web.

Page Indexation: Ensuring the site’s content can be read and indexed effectively by Google’s robots.

I. Optimizing Website Navigation

Every website must have a structured design. This involves a detailed hierarchy of content and a global construction that enhances accessibility, smooth navigation, and user data security. A well-structured website facilitates content exploration for both users and indexing robots, a fundamental aspect of technical SEO.

Factor No.1: Streamlining Site Navigation

Having a well-built, structured website that offers easy navigation isn’t just about enhancing user experience [2]; it’s a critical technical factor in SEO. The goal is to make site navigation as seamless and efficient as possible. This effort helps users find what they’re looking for while also facilitating search engine robots’ exploration to discover and index new pages (or update existing ones). This preliminary structuring work brings two concrete benefits:

Enhanced User Satisfaction: Users easily find information or sought-after products/services, signaling positive feedback to Google.

Efficient Site Exploration: Search engine indexing robots better understand the site’s organization and content.

Let’s delve into optimization points to simplify navigation on your site, benefiting both the Googlebot and users.

Note that these optimization points primarily address larger sites, comprising hundreds or thousands of pages—especially e-commerce platforms and content-rich websites. Navigation concerns are less significant for sites with only a few pages [3], easily covered by a menu. If managing a «simple» showcase site, skip this section or review it broadly.

Crafting an Optimized Site Hierarchy

Hierarchy and structure essentially refer to the same thing: the organization of a website’s pages, including their relative ranking and interconnection. The purpose of this organization is twofold: to provide pages with logical placement and to inform Google which pages are the most important, allowing a better understanding of their content and effectively locating them within the entire site.

Google dedicates a section of its guidelines to the organization of site hierarchy [4]. Here are some guidelines included:

Organize into Categories and Subcategories: This ensures coherent navigation and allows room for future content. For instance, if intending to create an SEO section divided into three distinct pillars, one could create a category like www.example.com/search-engine-optimization, with three separate pages dedicated to each SEO pillar (/seo-content/, /seo-popularity/, and /seo-techniques/).

Plan Navigation from the Homepage: The homepage, often the most visited and primary entry point, requires thoughtful planning for users’ navigation to desired content. The aim is to ensure a shallow depth: conventionally, every page should be accessible from the homepage within a maximum of three clicks [5].

Create an HTML Sitemap: This serves as a structured «map» of the site that users can refer to if feeling lost (see the «Guiding Indexing Robots» section).

Use a Single URL Version for Accessing Content: Avoid multiple redirects by sticking to one URL version for content access.

Implement Breadcrumb Navigation: Place a breadcrumb trail on each page (further discussed later).

Establish an Internal Link Network: Develop an internal linking structure to streamline navigation (covered in the «Connecting Pages» section).

Display Custom 404 Pages: These pages redirect users to functional pages on the site, preventing navigational dead ends (see section «Creating Redirects»).

The Subdomain Dilemma

When planning your website’s structure, it’s advisable to steer clear of subdomains, such as www.blog.example.com. Search engines treat these as separate standalone websites, demanding additional SEO efforts to optimize each subdomain individually. Essentially, while subdomains offer their advantages, it’s more effective to focus efforts on a single domain by structuring your site using directories or categories, like www.example.com/blog/.

Giving Each Page of the Website a Specific Purpose

Every page on your site should serve a distinct purpose: it’s the key to a coherent organization that makes sense for both users and indexing robots. A page might be informative, administrative, or transactional, but it must always meet two conditions:

Its existence must be justified within the overall organization of your site (no superfluous pages, no duplicates: only added value).

Its objective must be explicit for the user: they should precisely know what each page is for and what they are expected to find. Hence, the importance of using clear labels in the main navigation menu, whether they’re universal pages («Home», «Contact», «About», «Blog/Resources») or domain-specific pages (products or services, information, procedures, etc.) [6].

An interesting approach is to consider each page of the site as a potential entry point for users (thus a landing page). This involves working on each page with three main aspects in mind:

Relevance of the content to the page’s topic (a «Contact» page should provide means to contact the company, a homepage should outline the company and highlight what sets it apart, etc.).

Choosing keywords to place in the page so that users can access it from a search engine [7].

Ranking the page in the overall site structure: users should be able to easily reach any section of the site from the landing page with minimal clicks.

Place a Breadcrumb Trail

In the web world, a breadcrumb trail refers to a line of text positioned at the top or bottom of a page, comprising a set of links enabling easy navigation back during browsing. Equally relevant, the English term «breadcrumbs» likens this to the trail of crumbs left by Hansel and Gretel, allowing users to swiftly retrace their steps. This breadcrumb trail operates as an ergonomic GPS that adapts to the user’s progression, without compromising the page’s readability.

What is The Purpose of a Breadcrumb Trail?

A breadcrumb trail serves three functions within a website:

Assisting users in orienting themselves within the site’s structure, enabling them to return to a previous section in a single click, without using the browser’s «Back» button.

Providing additional cues to indexing robots regarding the site’s structure and helping them contextualize the page’s content.

Offering users new entry points to the site, as the breadcrumb trail is also displayed in the SERP. This allows them direct access to content that meets their needs.

Three Types of Breadcrumb Trails

There are three types of breadcrumb trails, each tailored to the nature of the site and the aspect of user experience intended for optimization. This functionality can be based on:

The site’s hierarchy, in a logical manner (this is the most common and straightforward to implement).

Attributes primarily sought by users (relevant in the context of an e-commerce site, structured in a «catalog» format that’s more horizontal than vertical).

User navigation history (dynamic and adapts to the specific path taken by the user, potentially deviating from the site structure—also the most complex version to implement).

How to Add a Breadcrumb Trail to Your Site?

On WordPress, the Yoast SEO plugin offers this feature by default. Within the CMS dashboard, you’d need to click on «Yoast», then «SEO», followed by «Search Appearance», and finally, «Breadcrumbs». Some basic knowledge of coding is necessary here. Yoast provides a code snippet that needs to be added to your WordPress theme, typically within the page.php or header.php file, to display the breadcrumb trail across all pages [8]. Once activated, the breadcrumb trail will appear at the top of each page. You can also configure it within the plugin settings.

Key Takeaways

3 Best Practices to Streamline Navigation

Develop an optimized site structure that caters to both indexing robots and visitors navigating your site.

Adhere to the rule: one web page = one goal.

Include a breadcrumb trail to assist users in navigating and improve search engine indexing of your site’s structure.

Factor No.2: Optimizing URLs

A page URL refers to its address: the reference indicator that helps locate it on the web, similar to a real-life postal address. «URL» stands for Uniform Resource Locator, a technical standard universal in its application and adhering to specific usage rules. All URLs are structured in the same way, regardless of the country, encouraging user interaction [9].

Understanding URL Structure

The structure of a URL refers to its format, that is, how it is written. It’s important to understand that each web page has its own URL, and it is unique. For example, if this subsection dedicated to URL optimization were a standalone web page, its address could be:

https://www.example.com/seo-technique/url-optimization/

Breaking it down:

https: This is the protocol (here, the final «s» indicates a secure protocol). It’s also referred to as the «scheme».

www.example.com: This is the domain name of the site, the server communicating with the web browser (a translation in words of the IP address), along with the extension (.com), identifying the country or type of site. Together, this forms what we call the «authority».

seo-technique: This is the directory (or folder).

url-optimization: This is the path (specific to the page).

Such a URL signifies that we are on the site www.example.com with secure data (https), and the page /url-optimization/ is associated with the directory /seo-technique/. However, this is a fairly basic URL, and things can get more complex due to usually invisible, more technical elements.

Remember, within a URL, there are fixed elements (the protocol and the domain name) and modifiable elements (the directory and the path).

With or Without «www»?

The domain name of your website may be prefixed with the famous «www»… or not! In practice, their presence or absence holds little significance, but Google distinguishes between the two and considers them as two versions of the same site. It is, therefore, advisable to inform Google (via the Search Console) about the existence of both versions: www.example.com and example.com.

Optimizing Website URLs: Why It Matters?

The URL is more than just an address; it conveys crucial information to search engines, helping them to comprehend the page’s content and intent. Ultimately, it enables more efficient indexing by bots while providing a comprehensive view of the entire site, notably through different directories. It also allows users to immediately identify the subject of the page they’re aiming for or currently viewing. As a result, it should be structured in a readable manner, using clear terms rather than numbers or symbols.

Bad practice: www.example.com/index.php?=6538598

Good practice: www.example.com/optimization-url/

A URL, Three Objectives

An optimized URL serves three main purposes:

Enhanced Site Structure: It contributes to better structuring of the entire website by assigning each page a specific position within the hierarchy.

Guiding Crawlers: It directs crawler bots, showing them the path to locate the page, leading to a potential SEO boost. There’s indeed a correlation between a page’s SERP position and its URL content: a study by Backlinko demonstrated that shorter URLs tend to rank better than longer ones. Links in the first position typically display 9.2 characters fewer on average than those in the tenth position [10].

Improved User Experience: By simplifying navigation and indicating the page’s subject, a simple URL enhances user experience. A straightforward URL is easier to use (e.g., for copying and pasting). Additionally, since the URL appears in the SERP, it serves as information for users. Therefore, an attractive URL can potentially increase click-through rates.

Issue: Most of the time, Content Management Systems (CMS) construct URLs on their own without asking for your input. Therefore, you need to directly intervene within the tool to modify them.

Configuring your URLs on WordPress

Don’t worry, changing URLs is easier than it seems. In WordPress, you can make changes at two levels. First, you can select the overall structure in the settings (on the dashboard) through the «Permalinks» tab (a combination of «permanent» and «link», another term for a URL). Choose your desired structure selecting the «post name» is the best option for optimized URLs: whenever you create a page, WordPress automatically uses the H1 title as the URL.

Then, manually write the customizable part of the URL for each page. This can be done when the page or article is created, either by editing the permalink under the main title or by composing the «slug» in the dedicated section of Yoast. The «slug» refers to the content identifier, which is the very last part of the URL.

How to Optimize your URLs

Now that you know how to modify your page URLs to make them more efficient, let’s explore the best practices to apply for optimization.

Maintain a logical structure using descriptive terms rather than numbers or symbols, avoiding letting the CMS generate URLs on its own. Some programs do this automatically, such as Generate It’s Mod Rewrite Generator. So, no www.example.com/index.php?=12145, but only terms understandable by both users and search engines. For consistency, apply this structure across all pages of your website (search engines appreciate consistency).

Adhere to specific URL typography: use lowercase characters, no accents, symbols, or punctuation. The only separator to use is the hyphen (the «6» key on an AZERTY keyboard): /seo-best-practices/ instead of /search engine=BEST PRACTICES/. Google can read spaces, but they’re automatically replaced by «%20» in the URL, making it unreadable.

Include primary keywords, those that best describe the purpose of the page, as close as possible to the domain name (left side of the URL). Therefore, write www.example.com/url-optimization instead of www.example.com/how-to-practice-url-optimization.

Keep it concise by eliminating unnecessary terms (stopwords), while ensuring the page’s subject remains explicit [11]. Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions have no place in a URL; they only serve as distractions that tend to lengthen the address. For an optimal URL, ensure its length is limited: beyond 512 pixels, Google may truncate it in the SERP.

Limit the use of separators «/» by creating a simpler and more intuitive hierarchy, minimizing the depth of the pages.

Avoid adding a date (consider deactivating their automatic integration), as Google pays attention to content freshness and may view older URLs less favorably. Similarly, users are less likely to click on content they perceive as outdated.

Avoid creating strictly identical URLs for different pages. If you have no choice, consider indicating the page to prioritize for indexing by creating a canonical URL using the «rel=canonical» attribute. This helps circumvent potential cannibalization issues, where two identical pages compete in the SERP.

These best practices also apply to the domain name, which should ideally be simple, short, and memorable. Of course, your domain name is static: it can’t be changed once the site is created. Hence, an optimal domain name is a key factor to consider ahead of technical optimization. In this regard, you should acknowledge that www.apple.com constitutes a more accessible and engaging web address than www.the-brand-with-the-apple-that-produces-imac-and-iphone.com!

Ideally, URL optimization occurs during page creation: modifying an existing URL can cause more problems than it solves [12]. The most important criterion for URLs is often considered to be longevity: ensuring stable URLs in the long term is crucial.

Choosing the Keywords to Integrate into URL

You have a list of keywords for your page: a primary keyword and several secondary terms. Which should you integrate into your URL for optimization? This isn’t a trivial question: including the query in the address helps search engines identify its content and index it more effectively. However, moderation is key: prioritize the primary keyword used within the page, avoiding repetition and refraining from emphasizing secondary keywords—practices that might be seen as spamming by Google.

Good example: www.example.com/seo-optimization/

Bad example: www.example.com/seo-optimization-seo-organic-optimization/

Key Takeaways

How to Create SEO-friendly URLs? They should…

be easy to read (using descriptive words);

reflect the page’s subject;

include primary keywords (without risking over-optimization);

be designed to last long-term (robots dislike excessive changes in URLs);

maintain consistency across the entire website.

Factor No.3: Securing Data on Your Website

Security is a critical concept on the internet. If you aim to establish trust with internet users, protecting their data is essential [13]. To achieve this, it’s necessary to add a layer of security to your website by enabling the HTTPS protocol, an enhanced version of HTTP [14]. Under this protocol, the information transmitted on the platform is secure: this is what’s known as TLS (Transport Layer Security), a system that encrypts data and shields it from malicious third parties, preventing theft, alteration, or corruption. Implementing this TLS layer involves obtaining an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate [15], which is exclusive to your website.

Rest assured, despite the complexity of terms used in this introduction, transitioning to HTTPS is a relatively straightforward process!

Four Reasons to Shift Your Website to HTTPS

Building User Trust: Browsers signaling a website’s status as «secure» or «not secure» significantly impacts users psychologically.

Boosting User Engagement: Users are more inclined to provide critical personal information, like banking or health data, and make purchases on secure sites.

Guarding Against Data Theft: TLS encryption helps comply with GDPR requirements, protecting user data and preventing potential penalties for companies failing to secure their users’ information.

Satisfying Google and SEO Benefits: Google considers HTTPS as a positive ranking signal in its algorithm, although it’s just one factor among many. Over time, the significance of this SEO signal may increase. Additionally, HTTPS pages load faster than HTTP pages, providing a crucial technical advantage and better user experience. An online test [17] can measure the difference in loading speed between secure and non-secure versions of the same site.

Google Doesn’t Joke about Security!

The search engine explicitly highlights the role of HTTPS in its ranking algorithm, advocating for a safer internet. Google showcases sites offering secure experiences while frowning upon those that don’t! A secure site displays the familiar padlock icon in the browser, providing additional information upon clicking (as shown in the example below with the Chrome browser).

In the case of an unsecured site, Chrome displays a clear warning in the address bar where the padlock should be. An example can be seen with the website Baidu.com, the most widely used search engine in China.

The website whynohttps.com compiles (an updated) list of the most significant websites globally that are not secure and some of them might come as a surprise!

HTTPS: A Requirement?

If your website is merely a showcase of your services and users aren’t required to provide any information, having an HTTPS version isn’t obligatory—although transitioning to a secure protocol is highly recommended for trust reasons. However, the moment you ask users for personal information, even if it’s just to fill a form or create an account, HTTPS becomes essential. This is even more critical when dealing with financial or banking data, health-related information, sexual orientation, political opinions, religion, and similar sensitive details. Consequently, an e-commerce site, a bank, an insurance company, a medical platform (and many others) can’t operate without this layer of security. Otherwise, it’s akin to setting a boat afloat riddled with holes—a surefire way to sink in the short term.

How to Switch to HTTPS?

Here are the steps to integrate the HTTPS protocol into your website:

Obtain an SSL certificate that fits your needs. There are several types available: standard, extended validation, organization validation, domain validation, or multi-domain (also known as «Wildcard»). You can obtain a certificate for free via Let’s Encrypt, a nonprofit certification authority established in 2015.

Install the certificate on your site using a WordPress plugin, such as Really Simple SSL.

Set up 301 redirects between HTTP and HTTPS URLs. Usually handled by the hosting provider, but in some cases, this operation needs manual configuration. Then, update your site’s property settings in Google Search Console (see box).

Ensure that your HTTPS pages can be indexed: review the robots.txt file to confirm that the crawl of the secure version of your site isn’t blocked.

Initiate a site crawl to identify potential issues (broken links, lost SEO positions, etc.).

HTTP and HTTPS: Two Versions of the Same Site

If your website exists in both HTTP and HTTPS versions, it’s important to instruct Google to consider both versions separately. The search engine distinguishes between them, treating each version as an individual site. Transitioning from http:// to https:// is akin to changing domains, requiring specification in the Search Console: http://www.example.com and https://www.example.com. Be cautious to ensure that your SEO isn’t affected, especially by confirming that your backlinks are correctly redirected to the HTTPS pages of your site. Additionally, update your sitemap!

Key Takeaways

Transitioning to the HTTPS protocol secures your website.

While not obligatory, it’s highly recommended; users find assurance in the browser’s padlock icon, and Google favors HTTPS sites.

Incorporating an SSL certificate allows protecting user data and complying with regulatory requirements (GDPR).

II. Enhancing a Site’s Technical Performance

Performance is a crucial concept in technical SEO. When we talk about performance», we’re referring to a website’s ability to display correctly and swiftly when accessed by users, regardless of the device used. In this section, we’ll explore two significant technical factors of search engine optimization (SEO) that can make a substantial difference between a well-positioned site and others: page loading speed and mobile optimization.

Factor No.4: Optimizing Page Loading Speed

Google emphasizes the technical performance of sites, and it’s no surprise. A substantial part of the user experience hinges on how fast pages load in users’ browsers. Users expect swift access to desired content, meaning that extended loading times (beyond a few seconds!) can detrimentally impact UX and subsequently affect ranking in SERPs.

Why is Display Speed Crucial?

The display delay of a web page might seem trivial, but it holds significant importance for both users and search engines. Why?

From a User Experience Perspective: Nearly half of internet users expect a webpage to load within two seconds, and 40% of them immediately abandon a site if it takes more than three seconds to load. Additionally, it’s estimated that each second of delay reduces the conversion rate by 7% [18].

For Search Engines: Satisfied users send positive signals to algorithms by spending more time on a site and exploring more pages. Google considers these indicators (bounce rates [19], pages per session, session duration, etc.). Loading speed is so critical that the search engine has established a threshold below which a page might be downgraded [20].

Remember, improved display speed has a positive impact on user experience, subsequently affecting page rankings in the SERP.

Testing Your Website’s Speed: Beware of Misleading Impressions!

Browsing your site daily might give the impression of excellent performance, but this isn’t an objective way to assess its quality. Since your browser caches resources locally [21], it can display previously visited pages faster. Therefore, your positive impression doesn’t accurately represent the experience of the average user. The only effective way to test a page is through dedicated tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

The image below illustrates the performance analysis of Eskimoz’s homepage.

The Core Web Vitals: Essential Signals for Google

The term «Core Web Vitals» refers to the three main technical indicators used by Google to assess a page’s performance during its display. Officially introduced in 2020 and integrated into the algorithm in 2021, these signals are considered in the ranking of web pages. Therefore, it’s advisable to focus your technical optimization efforts on the Core Web Vitals.

33% of websites meet the thresholds set for Google’s Core Web Vitals [22].

How to Optimize Page Loading?

Page loading speed and the subsequent optimizations needed are technical points best handled by a web developer or a specialized agency. Here are two examples of complex levers:

Avoiding External Scripts: Steer clear of using external scripts (such as ads, font loaders, CSS, JavaScript) that add weight to browsers.

Improving Server Response Time: Enhance server response time by choosing dedicated hosting over shared hosting or implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

Fortunately, there are more accessible optimization methods that you can implement independently to improve your page’s performance. Here are the key ones:

Selecting Suitable Hosting: Choose a hosting service that continually enhances server performance, particularly through regular updates.

Opting for a Lightweight Theme: Use a relatively lightweight theme to build your site.

Keeping CMS, Theme, and Plugins Updated: Regularly update your CMS, theme, and all commonly used plugins to enhance security and site performance. Install new versions promptly (via the dashboard’s «Updates» section). Periodically review and remove unused extensions that might slow down your site.

Limiting Page Length: Reduce content volume (especially images) or introduce pagination to split longer texts [23]. Consider pagination for comment sections if they significantly contribute to the page’s total weight.

Optimizing Images: Reduce image weight (maximum 100 KB per image). Images often cause performance issues on a page. Resize them using basic editing software like Paint or use efficient plugins (like Imagify) on WordPress, which reduces image size without compromising quality [24]. Additionally, avoid hosting videos directly on your WordPress server due to high bandwidth consumption; instead, embed them from specialized platforms (like YouTube) by pasting the URL or HTML code into your pages.

Caching Your Site: Cache your site to boost its loading time. Essentially, a page copy is assembled on the first load and served to subsequent visitors with updates. This can be accomplished using a plugin like WP Rocket for WordPress.

Implement these modifications on your site and retest it to observe the difference. If your site has a large number of pages, prioritize evaluating the performance of primary content (homepage, services, categories, etc.).

Key Takeaways

Five (Easy to Implement) Factors for Improving Page Loading Speed

Hosting provider and theme selection for your site.

Regular updating of CMS, theme, and extensions.

Image compression on pages.

Limiting the volume of content on a single page.

Site caching.

Factor No. 5: Optimizing Pages for Mobile Display

The shift in web usage has progressively moved from desktops to smartphones. Mobile traffic has significantly increased over the past decade: by 2022, it accounted for nearly 60% of total traffic, compared to 38% for computers. The term mobinautes has even been coined to describe internet users browsing the web from mobile devices.

(Source: Hootsuite/We Are Social)

Google hasn’t merely acknowledged this shift. The search engine has incorporated updates into its algorithm that emphasize the mobile compatibility of websites, penalizing those that are ill-suited. The transition to mobile-first indexing (see box) solidified this intention: since this update, Google defaults to considering a site’s mobile version, whereas it was the opposite previously. For webmasters, verifying this compatibility is easy: Google has established a dedicated tool to test a URL in just two clicks [25].

Three Reasons to Optimize Your Website’s Mobile Display

To enhance user experience, considering that 60% of web traffic originates from mobile devices. As mobile display has become a standard, users expect your site to be readily accessible (and legible) by default on their smartphones.

To enable users to easily find what they’re seeking on your site and encourage them to take desired actions.

To boost your search engine optimization (SEO), given Google’s preference for mobile-compatible sites in its results (especially since the launch of mobile-first indexing).

creating your website (or its new iteration), prioritizing the development of its mobile version before adapting it to desktop is advisable. Why? Because Google prioritizes a website’s mobile version during indexing, provided it exists.

This choice aligns with the search engine’s goal to incorporate users’ evolving behaviors into its algorithm. It led to an update in 2018: mobile-first indexing, an innovative approach to analyzing web pages that primarily considers their mobile version. Essentially, there’s still a single index for cataloging websites worldwide, but it gives initial focus to the mobile (or responsive) version.

How to Make your Website Mobile-Friendly

There are several methods to make a website mobile-friendly. Here are the main options available to you, ranging from the simplest to the most complex.

Implement a responsive design: This approach involves dynamically adjusting a page’s layout to suit the screen size being used. With a responsive design, your website maintains a single version, adapting its display based on the device and considering touch functionalities. The URL shows the same HTML code across all devices. It’s Google’s recommended choice due to its ease of implementation and management via a Content Management System (CMS).

Viewing the Mobile Version of your Website

From the WordPress dashboard, navigate to the «Appearance» tab and click on «Customize»: this will take you to the customization page for your theme. In the left column, at the very bottom, simply click on the phone-shaped button to display your site’s mobile version. You can then use the menu to explore the different pages.

Another solution: Each browser offers access to «developer tools» that provide, among other things, a preview of how a page looks on mobile devices. In Chrome, display the desired page, then right-click and select «Inspect» (if needed, use «Toggle device toolbar» to modify the display). By hovering over the mobile image of the page, the cursor transforms into a circle to replicate touch interactions.

Opt for dynamic serving. Each page delivers a different source code based on the device used (thanks to user agent detection) while maintaining the same URL. It’s an efficient solution but relatively challenging to implement.

Design two versions of the same site, one specifically for mobiles. Therefore, two identical websites coexist, one for each type of display. The mobile site is hosted on a domain like www.m.example.com. However, this setup is far from straightforward as it requires designing two separate sites, indicating to the search engines that they are linked, and planning appropriate redirects based on the device used (through «user-agent» and «vary» headers). It’s also extremely costly and generally not a feasible approach.

Responsive Site or Mobile Application?

Your website is complemented by a user-friendly, practical, and well-structured mobile application. Do you still need a responsive website? The answer is yes! Keep in mind that your website is the primary showcase for your company/brand, at the core of your digital marketing strategy, and includes gateways to blogs, landing pages, forms, social media, etc. As such, your site should be fully accessible on mobile devices… regardless of your application!

Key Takeaways

Elements for Providing a Good User Experience on Mobile

Ensure that your mobile content mirrors what’s accessible on desktop (texts, images, clickable buttons, forms, etc.).

Your mobile content should be legible and offer the same functionalities as the desktop version, allowing for seamless interactions.

Pages should load swiftly on mobile to minimize bounce rates.

Ensure smooth and uninterrupted navigation (by avoiding interstitial windows that block or slow down navigation).

Consider adopting the AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) format to streamline HTML code on your pages and speed up their display [26].

III. Facilitating Site Indexing by Robots

The search engine robots have been programmed to browse the web in search of new pages or changes within already indexed pages, explore websites, and index their content before placing them in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). They do this job without external assistance, where a webmaster doesn’t play a role in this process. However, it’s still possible to lend a hand and guide them in their journey. This is the purpose of the technical factors discussed in the following pages, focused on creating and configuring sitemap and robots.txt files, internal linking, redirects, and structured data. These factors might be more challenging but are among the most important ones!

Factor No. 6: Guiding Indexing Robots

Imagine your website as an urban road network with hundreds, if not thousands, of possible paths. Now, envision indexing robots as vehicles racing through this network, aiming to cover as much ground as possible in the shortest time. What can you do to ease their task? The answer: place signposts throughout the network to guide the robots in their work, allowing them to be both swift and efficient. This is the purpose of sitemap and robots.txt files—two SEO technical factors absolutely essential for optimizing crawling on your site.

Creating a Sitemap File

The sitemap is one of the most crucial technical factors when optimizing crawling by indexing robots. It’s a file, typically in XML format, functioning as a map of the website: it lists all available pages, specifically the URLs eligible for exploration and indexing, displaying the page title and the date of the last update.

What is the Purpose of a Sitemap?

The sitemap file serves to simplify the task of indexing robots by optimizing their crawl. To achieve this goal, you need to create a coherent sitemap focused on the most important pages of your website: static pages, categories, and articles. You also need to ensure a well-structured site and include in this file only the pages you wish to submit for indexing.

Note that there’s also an HTML version of the sitemap, intended for human users. This file also displays important URLs of the site but aims to simplify navigation for users and enhance their user experience. This is the famous «site map» that used to be found in some footers (an example below from Apple’s site). However, the HTML sitemap has become less popular since website navigation options have evolved.

How to Create Your Sitemap

If you’re using WordPress with the Yoast SEO extension, it’s quite straightforward. Go to the dedicated Yoast tab in the dashboard, then to «Settings» and «Features». In the «API» section, there’s a box titled «XML Sitemaps» that needs to be enabled. Yoast automatically takes care of creating your sitemap!

Of course, it’s possible to generate your sitemap manually if you have a basic understanding of coding. But the easiest way is to entrust this task to Yoast (or an equivalent plugin) or to use a specific extension like WP Sitemap Page.

To check it afterward, in the same place, simply click on «View the XML Sitemap». An alternative method is to enter your website’s URL in your browser and add «sitemap index.xml»:

Finally, don’t forget to submit your sitemap to Google through the Search Console, under the «Index» tab, then «Sitemaps». Simply add the URL of the sitemap and send it.

Google has indicated that it’s not necessary to submit a dedicated sitemap for the mobile pages of the website, that’s a lot of time saved, provided you have a responsive design.

Creating a Robots.txt File

Another factor for optimizing crawling is the robots.txt file, which is in the form of a text file. Its role is the exact opposite of the sitemap: it doesn’t tell robots which pages to explore, but rather designates the pages that should not be indexed. The idea is to direct them towards the most relevant pages, as this file is the first thing they consult. In its absence, robots start their indexing work from the page they’ve visited and then crawl through the entire site.

Why Refuse Indexing some Pages

There are several reasons why you might want to block the indexing of a web page:

It’s under creation and shouldn’t yet be available to users.

It contains confidential information necessary for your site’s operation but shouldn’t be accessible to the public.

It’s a duplicate you want to retain without attracting robots’ attention to it, and so on.

In any case, the purpose of the robots.txt file is to optimize the crawl budget to focus the crawler’s attention on the pages that truly matter.

Configuring the Robots.txt File

Webmasters generally use the robots.txt file less, possibly due to its more advanced technical nature. Placed at the root directory of the website, configuring it requires adding lines of code. Using it isn’t overly complex, as it can be automatically generated by the CMS or created manually in a text editor, then placed at the site’s root. This file is accessible by entering your site’s URL into a browser and adding «/robots.txt».

Here’s where things get technical. In this example, the line «User-agent» with «*» means that access to the site is granted to all «agents» (meaning all users: robot crawlers, internet users, etc.). However, you can provide specific instructions, for instance, to allow access exclusively to Google’s robots, in the form of «User-agent: googlebot». The «Disallow:» command followed by a blank space indicates that no pages on the server are excluded, and therefore there are no restrictions to adhere to. To block a resource, you would use the command «Disallow:/». Conversely, the «Allow:/» command is used to instruct robots to follow a URL or a URL variable, but since this command is rarely employed, it can be disregarded.

Warning: placing the «Disallow:/» command without any further specification effectively blocks access for crawling to all pages on the website!

The purpose here is to instruct Google’s robots not to index some pages. For instance, consider a category page like «mountain shoes» on your e-commerce site that you want to hide from users during the summer season. You just need to add this line of code to the file:

Disallow: /mountain-shoes/

This implies that robots won’t explore the /mountain-shoes/ directory. However, this does not prevent access to the URL by typing it into the address bar or via any internal links that lead there. We’ve simply instructed the robots not to consider the page.

If this file doesn’t exist yet, you’ll need to create it. The easiest way is through your CMS. In WordPress, the Yoast SEO extension provides an automatic generator. In the dashboard, go to Yoast, then «Tools» and «File Editor». Click the button to create your robots.txt file, then modify it if necessary, before saving.

Key Takeaways

Creating your Sitemap and Robots.txt

You can create the file manually using a text editor (naming it «robots.txt») or use a tool to generate it automatically (like Yoast SEO for WordPress), then place it in the root of the website’s host (www.example.com/robots.txt) if the CMS doesn’t do it automatically.

Each directive for the robots should be on a single line. However, you can create multiple groups of directives, starting each group with the «User-agent» line that specifies the target.

Your site should have only one sitemap and robots.txt file.

Factor No. 7: Linking Site Pages (Internal Linking)

In the realm of SEO, links from external websites hold significant weight [27]. What’s often overlooked is the significance of internal links—those connections within a site linking its pages together. These internal pathways are navigated by indexing bots (and users) to traverse from one page to another within the site, comprehensively exploring its structure. This network of internal links is referred to as internal linking or site interlinking.

The Importance of Interlinking for Users

The term «interlinking» refers to all the links connecting pages within a single domain. These links function as gateways that users use to move from one content piece to another, enhancing navigation by making it more seamless. Users navigate a user-friendly platform that offers a well-guided pathway, leading them more efficiently toward the desired information (and toward conversion).

A solid interlinking structure also contributes to increasing the average time users spend on your website. Users leverage these links to navigate through the site’s structure, explore new content, view more pages, and ultimately spend more time on the platform. This increased presence sends positive signals to Google. Let’s not forget that Google assesses the quality and relevance of a website based on user behavior, considering indicators like time spent on the site and the bounce rate.

(Source: Wordstream)

Structural Links vs Contextual Links

Within the same website, there are two types of internal links:

Structural links are integrated into the page’s layout, appearing in the menu, header, footer, sidebar, or breadcrumb trail. These links are consistently displayed across most pages of the site.

Contextual links are embedded within the textual content of a page, such as within a sentence or title. These links provide additional information by directing users to another page related to or similar in theme, offering supplementary insights

The Weight of Interlinking in SEO

Internal links play a pivotal role. Indexing robots use them to explore numerous pages and gain a better understanding of their content. It’s through internal linking that Google discovers new pages on your site and can index them.

(Source: Semrush)

That’s not all, as they serve another option: these links contribute to the distribution of internal page popularity. This is referred to as internal PageRank, contrasting with the external PageRank used for inbound links. Essentially, the more links a page receives, the more it gains in popularity—bearing in mind that the degree of popularity also depends on the authority of the page where the link is placed. This diagram will help you better understand how PageRank is transmitted internally:

(Source: Wordstream)

As we can see, the distributed popularity is proportional to the number of links displayed on the original page, akin to interconnected vessels. Therefore, a page marked with one star and containing two links will pass on half a star to each of these two pages. The takeaway: it’s better to avoid creating too many links on a single page to prevent diluting its popularity.

Are Internet Users «Reasonable Surfers»?

At first glance, the internet user browsing a page might seem like a «random surfer»: they have an equal chance of clicking on any of the links available on that page. This implies that, logically, all the links on a single page should hold the same SEO weight.

However, in practice, it doesn’t work that way. Experience shows that the internet user is more likely to click on links based on their positioning within the page. Hence, in the context of PageRank, Google adopts the model of the «reasonable surfer». In this model, not all links on a page carry the same weight in SEO: a link placed at the top of the page or within the textual content will have more SEO significance than a link inserted in the footer or sidebar. Therefore, in your SEO efforts, it’s essential to consider the internet user as a «reasonable surfer» too!

How to Build Your Site’s Interlinking

The structuring of interlinking serves to orient users and direct crawler robots. Here are three key principles to effectively link the pages of your website:

Use links to organize your site, choosing the model that best suits your needs (see below).

Identify the most critical pages and ensure numerous links point to them, enhancing their chances to rank higher in the SERP due to PageRank distribution.

Contextualize the links using terms and expressions understandable to both users and robots. This helps in figuring out the targeted pages’ content. For optimal efficiency, it’s advisable to avoid link anchors like «click here» or «learn more» when redirecting to significant pages.

What Structure for Your Interlinking

The Silo Structure. This SEO technique, born in the early 2000s, remains highly relevant. It involves creating content silos, segregating pages that address similar themes, and interlinking them. For instance, a franchise website for fitness centers could be structured into three main silos:

Fitness Centers by City.

Group Exercise Classes.

Personal Trainers accessible to members.

Each silo then presents associated content, as depicted in the graph below: Une image contenant texte, diagramme, capture d’écran, Police Description générée automatiquement

(Source: Ahrefs)

Links are created considering this structure: within the same silo, they connect pages at the same level and across different levels (vertical linking).

This compartmentalization follows a user-friendly logic. If a user navigates to the TV section of an e-commerce site, it’s unlikely they’d want to be redirected to the vacuum cleaner section. Similarly, on a bank or broker’s website, if a user is browsing content related to home loans, it’s beneficial for the webmaster to keep them within that section rather than redirecting them to life insurance. However, the (somewhat relative) restriction on creating links between distinct silos leads to occasional criticism of this technique in SEO.

The pyramid structure. This is the most popular model and it involves placing the most important content at the top of the pyramid, followed by the second most important, then the third, and so on. In terms of interlinking, this model offers a significant advantage: the ability to create links between pages in different sections when it’s relevant. This structure allows for seizing linking opportunities that make sense for crawler robots and users.

(Source: Ahrefs)

Topic clusters. «Content clusters» operate as hubs dedicated to specific themes, following a similar model to silos. However, with a unique aspect: there are no restrictions on creating as many links as desired between different clusters in this model, as they are not isolated. It’s an excellent way to streamline blog articles by organizing them according to themes or to create practical guides that interlink with each other.

(Source: HubSpot)

Interlinking: Four Mistakes to Avoid!

Hunt down broken internal links: Indexing robots won’t spend time searching for proper gateways. This also sends a negative signal due to degraded user experience. Be cautious of temporary links that may end up leading to a 404 error.

Avoid lengthy redirect loops, which prompt users to leave the site.

Beware of orphaned pages lacking any inbound links. From an SEO perspective, they are not useful because indexing robots cannot access them. Pay special attention to blog articles, which should be linked to other relevant articles and/or static pages on the site.

Eliminate hidden links, deemed misleading by Google. These links are «hidden» within the textual content of pages and activate only when hovering over the keyword.

Key Takeaways

Interlinking guides users and search engine crawlers through various pages of your website.

In SEO, interlinking allows the distributing of PageRank: pages frequently linked internally are deemed more important by Google.

Your site’s linking structure also depends on its overall organization. Plan your site’s hierarchy before establishing its internal links!

Factor No. 8: Creating Redirects

Web redirects are akin to changes in postal addresses: in the event of relocating a page, the goal is to allow users to continue their navigation seamlessly and inform indexing robots of this modification. The mechanism of redirects is therefore intended to maintain access to content that has been moved or redirected to a close or similar resource when a page has been deleted. It’s also a critical SEO issue because it involves both:

Ensuring access to various contents for users and preventing them from landing on an error page (which would interrupt their navigation, impacting UX negatively). This factor is invisible: users are unaware that they are redirected to another URL.

Informing search engines of the location of the new content, as well as the nature of the change (whether it’s temporary or permanent) and allowing them to index the relevant pages. This ensures the transfer of PageRank from the initial page to the new URL.

Key Redirects to Know About

Redirects are also a complex SEO component, best handled with caution. They are commonly divided into two groups: server-side redirects (preferred by Google as they are processed immediately after crawling the initial URLs) and client-side redirects, which are more obscure for beginners. For simplicity, we’ll focus on the most used SEO redirects:

Redirects 301 are the most common. They permanently redirect to new URLs. Search engines replace old URLs with new ones, transferring the PageRank.

(Source: Blue Frog)

Redirects 302 point to new URLs temporarily. Search engines retain the old URLs. If these redirects persist for some time, search engines will eventually include the new URLs in their index. The PageRank is transferred [28].

(Source: Blue Frog)

Redirects 303 point users to resources similar to the ones they requested. They are used in specific cases, such as retaining already filled fields in a form when a user clicks the «back» button on their browser. These are temporary redirects that hold no particular SEO benefit and are treated by search engines as redirects 302.

Redirects 307 and 308 correspond to redirects 301 and 302, respectively, with the difference that they maintain the original HTTP request method.

When to Implement Redirects

During a website redesign or when changing the domain name. In such cases, it’s necessary to redirect all pages to the new domain.

When multiple pages have been merged into one, each original page needs to redirect to the final, unified page.

When transitioning to the HTTPS protocol, equivalent to a domain change.

When modifying a URL, such as making it more SEO-friendly.

After removing a page: it’s important to redirect to another page, preferably one close in theme or with a similar role in the site’s architecture, to avoid displaying an error 404, which signifies a dead end (unless customizing the 404 page, see box).

To guide users to a temporary page (e.g., a limited-time promotional offer).

Redirects, Yes, But in Moderation!

It’s tempting to rely on redirects to solve all issues related to the successive existence of multiple versions of the same web page: just redirect the robots whenever there’s a change, and problem solved. However, in SEO, it’s essential to avoid what’s known as «redirect chains»: long sequences of error 301 or 302. It’s important to understand that each redirected URL consumes a bit of the crawl budget: excessively long chains may lead the robots to give up before reaching the destination page, resulting in non-indexation [29]. Ideally, minimizing the number of redirects between two versions of the same page is the best approach.

How to Create a Redirect

Creating a redirect can be somewhat technical. Configuration is done at the .htaccess file [30] level by writing code. If your site has only a few pages, you can manually insert a piece of code at the beginning of each moved or deleted page. However, the simplest solution is to use a plugin like Redirection for WordPress, which meets most needs.

Displaying a Custom 404 Page

An error 404 occurs when a requested URL doesn’t exist anymore, perhaps due to modifications, page deletion, or a typing mistake in the browser address. This page is considered a dead-end because the user cannot proceed further. Fortunately, it’s possible to customize it to offer users solutions to continue their navigation.

Start by checking which page your website displays in case of a 404 error. You can do this by intentionally mistyping a term in the URL while keeping the correct domain, for example: www.example.com/seo-optimizatiion/.

Most WordPress themes have a default 404 page. If not, you’ll need to manually create it by copying the content of the page.php file into a new page named 404.php.

Next, use a WordPress plugin (such as Redirection, 404 Solution, or Colorlib 404 Customizer) to modify the content of your 404 page. Structure it similarly to your other pages, with access to the navigation menu, and craft a message indicating that the page isn’t available (maintaining your brand/company’s tone of voice). You can also suggest other pages for users to visit, such as displaying a button leading back to the homepage, as shown in the example below.

Key Takeaways

Redirects play a crucial role in SEO as they direct users and search engine crawlers to valid pages.

Typically, you’ll primarily use redirects 301 and 302.

Think about personalizing the «Error 404» page to enhance its user-friendliness.

Factor No. 9: Structured Data Setup

Structured data (also known as «markup schema») refers to a specific code type used to ease page exploration and indexing, and to display content by search engines. It’s employed to show crawler robots the purpose of certain elements on a page. For instance, that a name signifies a brand, a series of numbers represents a phone number, or that the rating given to a product should be displayed in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The essence of this data lies in its invisibility on the webpage while being used in search results to provide key insights to users. Therefore, even though this might be the most technical factor you’ll encounter here, it’s worth spending a little time on it.

What’s the Purpose of Structured Data?

This technical factor is now a standard as it caters to both users and search engines.

The structured data provides additional information about your pages to search engine crawlers, which you highlight using specific tags integrated into your content. These details enable the crawlers to better understand some components of your pages.

This deeper understanding reflects how your data is displayed in the SERPs, benefiting the users. Structured data helps search engines complete the information displayed on the results page. For instance, under a recipe link, you can insert the rating given by users, the number of reviews published, and the time required to prepare a particular recipe.

These pieces of information, available within the SERP, are known as «rich snippets». They capture users’ attention, leading to increased click-through rates, while also lowering bounce rates (because users get a clearer idea of what they will find on the page if they click the link). The cooking recipe is just one example; there are markup schemas for various page types and situations—product pages, blog articles, archive pages, events, company organization, and more—totaling approximately six hundred on the schema.org platform (see below).

Another example of structured data usage is the integration of information into the Knowledge Graph. This occurs notably with tags like «Organization» (information about the company) and «Person» (details about a public figure, company executive, etc.).

In short, the use of structured data establishes a direct line of communication with Google, allowing you to incorporate additional information on your pages for the benefit of users.

12.29% of queries display rich snippets in their results [31].

Rich snippets come with a hidden benefit: they expand the response size, allowing it to claim more space in the results, slightly encroaching on the visibility of other links. A smart approach to leverage this is by showcasing a list of questions in the SERP through the creation of an FAQ page, accurately marked using structured data. This tactic secures some valuable additional height in pixels!

Structured Data to Integrate into Your Website

Google provides around thirty different structured data in its gallery to improve your site’s understanding by robots. Here are a few examples among the most common ones:

«Application»: features of a digital product and user ratings (various types exist such as «SoftwareApplication», «WebApplication», «MobileApplication» etc.).

«Article»: the possibility to display content in the SERP with a title and thumbnail.

«BreadcrumbList»: displaying the breadcrumb trail in Google search.

«LocalBusiness»: generating a business listing associated with a query.

«Organization»: details about a company (physical address, website URL, social accounts, description…) that may appear in the Knowledge Graph.

«Person»: information about an individual (date and place of birth, occupation, etc.).

«Product»: product details (price, availability) and user ratings.

«Recipe»: distinct elements (ingredients, preparation time, nutritional information…) and user ratings.

«Location»: the position of a business, a specific action, or an event. A relevant microdata for local SEO.

How to Implement Structured Data?

This is where things get a bit more complex. Implementing structured data involves using a specific language—a form of computer code. This language was standardized by major search engines in 2011 to develop the schema.org project, allowing webmasters to find the vocabulary needed for integrating structured data [32]. Schema.org lists the codes to use for each type of data, which can be copied and pasted into the desired location—ensuring to modify the information to suit your requirements. As an example, here’s what the site offers for the «Organization» data by selecting the JSON-LD markup format (recommended by Google):

This schema can be manually implemented into your site’s HTML code. However, it’s a delicate process; having technical skills, specifically understanding PHP language, is preferable. If that’s not the case and to avoid any harm to your site, it’s better to opt for one of the other two available options:

Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper [33]. This tool significantly simplifies the process. You just need to select the desired data type, enter the URL of the page, and click on the elements to be marked, selecting the appropriate markup type each time. The HTML code is automatically generated at the end of the process. You will only need to add it to your site (in the source code of the relevant page). The benefit lies in the tool’s independence from your CMS, hosting provider, or the products/services you offer.

Use a CMS extension like Schema & Structured Data for WP or Schema App Structured Data for WordPress. This is the simplest solution as it avoids tinkering with the page source code and enables schema markup generation for the entire site while also allowing manual markup modifications.

When considering configuring your structured data, another tool that becomes essential is Google’s Rich Results Test Tool [34]. It allows you to test your page in public mode, visualizing the structured data capable of generating enriched results.

Structured Data: Worth the Effort?

Structured data represents one of the most intricate technical factors for a webmaster who hasn’t yet mastered the nuances of web development and/or SEO. Implementing them requires a basic understanding of coding and dedicating time to markup your website. However, if you aim to position your site prominently in the digital landscape, the effort is worthwhile—even with the assistance of a web developer or agency if necessary.

[1] The log is a file used to store events occurring on a server: it functions as a logbook where everything happening on the site is meticulously noted. Log analysis is commonly used by SEO professionals but requires in-depth technical knowledge.

[2] Refer to Part III.

[3] Independently from the blog, which constitutes a separate section of the website.

[4] Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide

[5] Note that, for Google, a page B or C easily accessible from the homepage is considered to have more «weight» than others.

[6] If you navigate regularly on the web, you’ll notice that menu labels and their presentation are often the same; this convention simplifies site navigation. It’s best to adhere to them to avoid losing users.

[7] Refer to Part II.

[8] Implementing breadcrumbs via Yoast has a dedicated guide on the publisher’s site: https://yoast.com/help/implement-wordpress-seo-breadcrumbs/

[9] Let’s provide a nuance: while all web addresses take the form of a URL, not all URLs are web addresses. For example, an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) service also has a URL. This is where the protocol (http, https, ftp, etc.) plays a role: it tells the browser how to communicate with the server or application.

[10] Source: https://backlinko.com/search-engine-ranking

The results of this study should be considered in perspective for two reasons: firstly, an optimized URL is not necessarily the shortest possible and secondly, the SEO weight of this characteristic is, at best, extremely light.

[11] Google can handle URLs displaying more than 2,000 characters; length is not an issue for robots. However, it is a significant obstacle in terms of user experience, as a shorter URL is easier to read and share than a very long one.

[12] Refer to Factor #8.

[13] In web marketing, it’s termed «reassurance»: taking actions to reinforce users’ trust and encourage actions on a website.

[14] HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol): exchange protocol for web information.

[15] In practice, the SSL protocol has been replaced by the more secure TLS protocol. However, in common language, the term «SSL certificate» is still used to refer to this type of digital certificate enabling HTTPS activation.

[16] General Data Protection Regulation, a European legal text that regulates the processing of users’ personal data in EU member countries.

[17] The site httpvshttps.com tests the display speed of a page in both versions.

[18] Source: https://neilpatel.com/blog/loading-time/

Unbounce adds that nearly 70% of consumers are likely to change their minds if the e-commerce site they visit is too slow to load. Source: https://unbounce.com/page-speed-report/

[19] The bounce rate increases by 32% when the page loading time increases from one to three seconds and by 106% when it goes up to six seconds. Source: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/app-and-mobile/page-load-time-statistics/

[20] Google emphasized this in 2018 with the launch of the Speed Update, which focused on mobile results, recalling that this parameter had already been applied to desktop versions of pages since 2010. Source: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2018/01/using-page-speed-in-mobile-search?hl=en

[21] This is the principle of caching: your browser stores data when viewing a web page to display it more quickly during your next visit.

[22] Source: https://ahrefs.com/blog/core-web-vitals-study/

[23] In SEO, pagination is a double-edged factor: its implementation requires caution!

[24] The weight of an image is proportional to its quality: the larger it is and the more detail it displays, the longer it takes to load. For a website, it’s best to prioritize the JPEG format, which reduces quality slightly but significantly reduces weight. For images containing text, choose PNG format, heavier but of higher quality—without overusing it!

[25] On the URL: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly?hl=EN

[26] AMP format pages are only accessible from Google’s SERP and compatible services (like Twitter/X). The value of this format is debated among SEO communities, especially as it has no impact on the mobile-first index. However, it’s an excellent way to improve user experience with ultra-fast pages and to satisfy Google!

[27] Backlinks are indeed one of the main off-page SEO factors. Refer to Part III.

[28] However, this transfer of popularity occurs in a somewhat «inverted» manner. Instead of the PageRank being transferred from the old URL to the new one (in the case of a redirect 301), it is transferred from the new URL to the old one, as the latter is the one retained in the index. At least, until the potential replacement of the old URL by the new one.

[29] In its official guidelines, Google highlights that its robots can follow up to a maximum of ten redirects before displaying an error in the indexing report. This number varies depending on the user-agent.

[30] The .htaccess file allows the creation rules that act on the server’s configuration and apply to an entire folder or subfolder. But be careful: .htaccess is a sensitive file, and every modification made must be rigorously controlled. Seeking assistance from a web developer is highly recommended in this context.

[31] Source: https://ahrefs.com/blog/featured-snippets-study/

[32] Alternative formats exist, such as Microdata or RDFa, but schema.org remains the most relevant since it was formalized by the most used search engines globally: Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Yandex.

[33] On the URL: https://www.google.com/webmasters/markup-helper/

[34] On the URL: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results?hl=en

V. SEO ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS

So far, we’ve explored the SEO basics. This approach has allowed us to distill crucial yet rather generic knowledge not entirely suited for specific cases. So, the question you’re probably asking is: How do I apply these guidelines to my specific case to my business or brand? Whether you manage a local shop, a multinational operating in five countries, an e-commerce platform, or a news website, SEO tools and techniques cannot be implemented in the same way. There are more disparities than similarities between the corner pizzeria, a retail chain, and a giant like Amazon when it comes to SEO strategy.

Now, it’s important to take a closer look and understand precisely how the general rules outlined in this book can be adapted to specific cases. It’s time to discover the SEO tactics that address your specific needs.

The Specifics of SEO

Local Business SEO

International Business SEO

E-commerce Website SEO

News Website SEO

SEO as an Online Reputation Tool

Local Business SEO

We can legitimately address the following criticism towards SEO: it seems to inherently favor well-established players in their market, specifically large companies, renowned brands, and long-standing institutions. In short, it appears to benefit organizations that already have a certain level of nationwide (or international) recognition and can rely on highly established web platforms in the digital landscape. Indeed, it seems easier to occupy top positions in the SERP when you’re named Apple, Amazon, Nike, or Starbucks, or when you possess the authority of a recognized ministry or university.

But what about small businesses? Local brands? Craftsmen? Neighborhood stores? How can an independent sandwich seller hope to secure a place on Google against fast-food giants, or a family-owned hardware store against major DIY chains?

This leads to a significant SEO branch: Local SEO. This encompasses all strategies aimed at ranking pages within local SERP. By combining a generalized strategy based on the three essential pillars of natural SEO with geolocation efforts, a business can target localized queries from internet users and virtually compete with major players in its field. This makes it one of the most democratic facets of SEO, enabling local Davids to challenge their local and national Goliaths by emphasizing their quality of service, expertise, and proximity to customers.

What’s the Best Croissant? A Concrete Illustration of Local SEO Principles

Your bakery offers the finest croissants in Vierzon, even across the entire Cher department (France). How do you let potential customers know through Google?

If they search for «best croissants» on the search engine, users will encounter results tailored to their town or region. This is because the search engine recognizes that the query implies a local intent (people are likely seeking the best croissants to taste, not just for information), hence considering the user’s location. To address such a query, it’s crucial to display geographically relevant results. For instance, if the user conducting this search resides in Paris, here’s what Google displays:

However, if the user is in Vierzon, Google will suggest results associated with their location. The same applies to any user conducting this search by appending the name of the city they’re interested in «best croissants in Vierzon». For instance, if someone is planning to spend a night in the town and wants to plan their breakfast, Google will tailor the results accordingly.

You’ve just discovered Google’s Local Pack. The competition at the local level remains tough, but now you have the chance to showcase to the locals that you genuinely offer the best croissants in Vierzon!

The Significance of Local Searches on Google

Google kicked off local SEO in 2014 with the rollout of the Pigeon update [1], dedicated to local search results. Since then, the engine has incorporated location parameters into its algorithm, enabling it to display organic links in the SERP whose relevance is based in part on the joint geographical location of the company and the person who performed the search.

How is this possible? When a user queries Google on a locally relevant topic (regarding a product, service, brand, etc.), the engine takes a few things into account:

The IP address of the device used or the user’s Google account.

Geolocation services (on the computer or smartphone used for the search).

The location associated with the query, such as the inclusion of a city name (for example, «best croissants in Vierzon», as seen in the box).

For the user, this type of search holds significant value since it provides access to relevant information for their query. Consequently, they can take actions suggested by their search intent: contacting a professional, visiting a store, making an appointment, calling someone, and more.

As a result, the integration of local data has gradually transformed Google into an extensive and powerful directory. This directory can be updated in real time by adding new businesses or modifying information about already indexed entities. Who hasn’t used the search engine to find a store’s address, check a restaurant’s hours, or get a craftsman’s phone number? Users take advantage of this feature, as the number of localized queries continues to rise: Google found that searches for «where to buy» and «near me» increased by 200% between 2017 and 2019!

(Source: Google)

The Invasion of Smartphones: A Launchpad for Local SEO

Undoubtedly, the surge in local SEO owes much to the increasing prevalence of mobile phones in consumer habits. In France, 95% of the population owns a mobile phone, with 77% using a smartphone. This statistic skyrockets among the younger demographic, with 94% of 15 to 29-year-olds owning a smartphone (in contrast to 36% of those over 75) [2].

With smartphones in hand, most internet users instinctively turn to them to browse the internet and seek information about nearby businesses. According to Google, 30% of mobile searches involve geographical locations [3]. The geolocation service enables the search engine to pinpoint users’ locations and suggest relevant results accordingly.

This synergy between local SEO and mobile optimization is why they often go hand in hand: users are inclined to visit the website of a business that appears in response to their query. For a local business, it’s crucial to have web pages that load quickly and display fully on mobile screens [4].

SEO Local vs SEO National

(Source: Eskimoz)

Local Results in the SERP

How are local results displayed on Google?

Local links (organic or paid).

Local Pack associated with a Google Maps map (limited to three results).

Local Finder: an extended list of results accessible from the Local Pack by clicking on the «Maps» tab on Google or on the «More places» (or similar) indication in the SERP.

Google Business Profile displayed in the universal search [5].

Who Benefits from Local SEO?

Local SEO primarily benefits businesses and professionals operating within a well-defined geographic area: region, department, city, district, neighborhood, etc. It aims to promote local entities whose clients are primarily local:

Retailers (restaurants, cafes, bars, supermarkets, bakeries, etc.).

Craftsman (plumbers, electricians, builders, etc.).

Healthcare professionals (doctors, pharmacies, labs, etc.).

Freelancers (accountants, lawyers, notaries, architects, etc.).

Service-based businesses (IT, real estate, tourism, etc.).

Institutions and local authorities (public institutions, municipalities, museums, departments, regions, etc.).

National chains with local branches, such as restaurant chains, franchises, supermarkets, or real estate agencies, are also involved.

The Benefits of a Local Online Presence

Increased Visibility: The Local Pack is prominently displayed in the SERP, appearing above organic links but below paid ones. It showcases the three most relevant results for Google, significantly boosting click-through rates for displayed links. In fact, when the Local Pack is featured in the SERP, 44% of clicks are directed towards its results, with each link receiving between 15 to 18% of clicks, resulting in a 500% average conversion boost compared to regular links [6].

More Relevant Answers: Relevance is crucial for Google, aiming to provide users with responses that closely match their queries. For instance, when someone searches «pizza near me» with the clear intention of having pizza within minutes or hours, the search engine aims to suggest options capable of satisfying that craving. The results deemed «relevant» are those that highlight businesses that:

Offer pizzas.

Are located near the user conducting the search.

Provide essential contact information (directions, phone numbers for reservations or delivery).

Receive positive ratings from users.

The Local Pack precisely addresses these needs, which is why Google considers it an essential part of its offering.

Increased Conversions: The more relevant a SERP result, the more likely a user is to act. This is why local searches often result in concrete actions: 76% of users conducting local searches on their smartphones visit a business within the day, and 28% of these searches lead to a purchase [3]. This effect amplifies when positive reviews are displayed: there’s a 190% increase in conversions for lower-priced products and a 380% increase for higher-priced products [7].

Finally, this local SEO approach effectively fits into a multichannel strategy [8], especially in a Web-to-Store process: the act of users identifying products online before purchasing them in a physical store. This practice involves nearly two-thirds of consumers: 70% of them visit a store after conducting an online search, according to Fevad [9].

(Source: Fevad)

Quick Outcomes: Compared to traditional organic SEO, local SEO has the advantage of producing quicker outcomes. Google Business Profile alone serves as a highly effective tool, swiftly displaying a business in the Local Pack and generating clicks (as well as visits to the website or physical store). As a result, it’s a cost-effective strategy for small businesses operating on limited marketing budgets.

A Differentiation Tool: The local craftsman around the corner might seem powerless against national competitors dominating the SERP. However, local SEO offers an opportunity to regain control over digital visibility within a confined area, bypassing competition from major brands and standing out from local rivals.

What Makes a Good Local Page for Google?

To choose the pages to highlight in local searches, Google relies on three parameters: relevance, distance, and prominence.

Relevance: The match between the local business profile and the user’s query. In other words, the alignment between the entity and the information sought by the user. To leverage this, it’s essential to add as much information as possible about your business. This enables Google to understand your business nature and associate your pages with relevant searches.

Distance: The proximity between the user and the displayed entity. User location is detected through geolocation, using geographic terms in the query, or leveraging Google’s knowledge of their location. Therefore, you need to enter your business postal address in your sheet (see below) and directories.

Prominence: The reputation of the business, i.e., its real-world «IRL» popularity [10]. Google assesses it based on online elements (links, articles, customer reviews, directories, etc.) and the entity’s positions in the SERP. Hence, it’s crucial to combine a global SEO strategy with a local one. Under this criterion, well-known places such as popular museums, highly regarded hotels, or highly rated restaurants tend to stand out in local search results. This is a way for the search engine to transfer a business’s real-world reputation to the SERP, giving more weight to businesses with a robust market presence.

Local Ranking Criteria

(Source: Whitespark)

These criteria differ depending on whether you aim to rank in organic local links or in dedicated sections (Local Pack and Local Finder).

Google Business Profile signals [11] consider the information provided in the profile: business category, proximity to the user, use of keywords in the name or description, and more (see below).

On-page signals mainly involve localized keywords placed within website pages (and inserted into HTML tags). They also consider the domain’s authority.

Customer review signals focus on comments left by users, whether «first-party» (displayed on the company’s website without manipulation by its owner) or «third-party» (collected on third-party platforms like Google or TripAdvisor, independent of the company). While the quality of these reviews is crucial, it’s not the only factor; the engine also assesses their quantity and frequency.

Signals from inbound links refer to backlinks pointing to the company’s domain. Google considers similar parameters as in the context of link-building [12]: the authority of sites publishing the links, the quantity and quality of links, the anchor texts, etc.

Behavioral signals refer to interactions between users and the relevant results/pages. Google relies on the click-through rate for organic links and action buttons (such as the «Call» button on the business profile), the time spent on a given page before returning to the SERP (dwell time), etc.

Signals associated with NAP citations [13] consider information like the quality and quantity of mentions, as well as the accuracy of geographical details.

Personalization refers to user-specific information: location, search history, device used to enter the query, etc.

Local SEO: 4 Golden Rules to Follow

Most Important: Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business [14], stands as a significant local SEO tool for businesses. This profile appears in the SERP in two scenarios: when a search includes the company’s name and when a user clicks on a result from the Local Pack or Local Finder.

Google Business Profile is interesting for several reasons. Firstly, it has significant visibility by occupying half of the search results page, appearing as a panel on the right side of the organic links.

Secondly, it acts as a true digital identity card, displaying various practical details about the business, making it an essential discovery tool. Users find a wealth of relevant information as part of their buying journey: name, sector of activity, services offered, physical address, opening hours, phone number, website, and visuals posted by the profile owner and/or users themselves.

Lastly, it serves as a complete contact tool, allowing users to access the company’s website, plan a route (from their desired starting point), directly call from their smartphone using a dedicated button, or even schedule an appointment. It also displays a point of interest on Google Maps.

Every organization can create its own profile on the search engine or claim it if it has been previously set up. The good news is that this service is entirely free.

Creating a Google Business Profile

Google offers several methods to add a business profile.

Log in to Google Business and click on «Manage».

Enter the postal address on Google Maps, and in the left panel, click on «Add your business».

Click on the desired location on Google Maps and select «Add your business».

Still on Google Maps, click on the menu at the top left (the three parallel bars) and choose «Add your business».

Simply follow the instructions, fill in the necessary fields, and confirm that you are the owner of the business by selecting one of the options provided (code sent by postal mail or phone, or validation via Search Console).

Claiming an Existing Google Business Profile

Your business profile might already exist, especially if you have taken over or acquired a business. In such cases, you’ll need to claim ownership of the profile to modify and optimize it.

From Google Maps, enter the name of the business in the search bar.

Click on the desired name and, under the profile, choose «Claim this business».

Select a validation option.

You can manage a Google Business Profile without owning the business by having the current owner transfer ownership to you.

Leveraging a Google Business Profile to Its Full Potential:

Complete all available information in the profile: industry, address, phone number, website, opening hours…

Add photos to help potential customers identify your business (include visuals of the storefront) and show what your store offers.

Publish content to highlight your business news, promote your offers, and events.

Respond to customer reviews to gain user trust.

Address frequently asked questions or proactively provide useful information.

Engage with prospects and clients through an integrated messaging system.

Simplify the experience for future clients: display your restaurant menu, outline various purchase and delivery options, offer online quote requests or appointment scheduling, etc.

Analyze the performance of your Business Profile to understand how users discover you, what keywords they use to find your profile and their preferred method of contact.

The Most Relevant: Localized Keywords

For local SEO, Google pays close attention to on-page signals. In this regard, using relevant keywords that associate your business with its location plays a crucial role in local SEO. To optimize, integrate localized keywords into the main pages of your website:

Homepage.

Service and offer pages (e.g., by type of product sold).

Contact page.

For example, for a company specializing in interior renovation, operating in the Hauts-de-Seine department, you might have:

On the homepage, the primary keyword «renovation company 92».

A core service page for the keyword «interior renovation 92».

Service pages by city within your target area: «renovation in Colombes», «renovation in Nanterre», «renovation in Neuilly-sur-Seine», etc.

On the contact page, the keyword «renovation quote 92».

Using localized keywords assists Google and users in better understanding your page’s intent and helps position your links within the organic results of the SERP, complementing your business profile.

Keywords in URLs?

The question of the relevance of keywords in URLs becomes more acute, especially concerning local SEO. Indeed, isn’t it relevant to create a URL dedicated to a geographical area for maximum impact? For instance:

www.company-renovation.com/interior-renovation-colombes-92/

Keywords in URLs do have an impact on SEO. However, quantifying this impact precisely can be challenging. Google encourages webmasters and SEO specialists to craft URLs that are as readable and understandable as possible. The key is integrating relevant geographical cues into HTML tags like title and meta description. Additionally, the search engine recommends using localized terms in URLs within its SEO guidelines when it makes sense.

Logic should prevail here. If your page focuses on a specifically localized service, it’s advisable to incorporate the geographic term in the URL. This assists Google in understanding the page’s intent, enabling users to immediately grasp its value. In the end, it’s a win-win for everyone involved!

The Most Valuable for Users: Managing Customer Reviews

Reviews created by users represent a crucial factor in gaining popularity according to Google. It’s logical that a well-rated business gets more visibility compared to businesses with less favorable consumer feedback. Overall, 79% of French consumers trust customer reviews, and 87% of them consult these reviews before making a purchasing decision [15]. Hence, local SEO also involves managing customer reviews, a topic we’ve previously covered [16].

Remember, you can collect and manage customer reviews through your Google Business Profile and respond to them, not just when they’re negative! Doing so adds authenticity to your business.

Remember that your popularity profile should maintain consistency. Google pays attention not only to the quantity of reviews published but also to their diversity across platforms (on your business profile, on third-party platforms, etc.) and their publication frequency. The sudden appearance of numerous positive reviews followed by a quiet period might seem suspicious to the search engine, so it’s important to avoid «review stuffing»!

Consistency is key: a consistent online presence

Google considers two factors: the business popularity signaled by its extensive online presence and the consistency of information across different platforms.

Optimize your online presence across multiple channels: professional website, business profile, review platforms, social media, institutional websites (such as the city hall’s site), and directories for NAP citations.

Ensure that essential information remains consistent across all platforms: on your contact page, site header/footer, directories, Google profile, social media accounts, etc. If updates are made, verify that all channels have been appropriately updated.

The Significance of «Citation Building»

«Citation building» involves building a consistent profile of references across the web. It’s a form of local SEO dedicated to creating NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) citations to highlight your business on third-party sites that Google values.

The impact of citations is heightened when your business appears on localized websites (such as city or county websites) or on pages within a directory dedicated to a specific geographical area (local news on a national or regional media outlet, dedicated pages on a tourism platform, etc.). Acquiring citations also helps reach a broader audience by expanding your online presence. It serves as a tool for building reputation. Just imagine what a mention on the city’s website could have on your local business…

International SEO

Throughout this book, you may have noticed a crucial question that hasn’t been addressed yet: language. Indeed, all the advice you’ve read so far applies exclusively to a French-speaking audience. That’s quite normal, as this book is intended for entrepreneurs whose business is predominantly based in France. But what about businesses whose interests extend beyond borders? What about those catering to English, Spanish, Chinese, or Qatari clients? Or companies with subsidiaries in one or multiple other countries? How does one create and optimize a website that meets needs beyond the borders of France?

This is the focus of a separate section of SEO: what’s known as international SEO. Translating content into desired languages isn’t enough to rank well abroad. It’s imperative to consider the specificities of each market, optimize each linguistic iteration, and structure the website to display the right page, in the right language, to the right person.

The Three Faces of an International Website

To establish an international site, there are three scenarios based on the targeted market(s):

Your site is multilingual, available in several languages without specific geographical targeting. For instance, a Swiss site offering three different languages: one for French-speaking visitors, another for German-speaking visitors, and a third for Italian-speaking visitors.

Your site is multiregional because it provides a distinct version for each country: an English version for the UK and another for the US, a Spanish version for Spain and another for Argentina, and so forth.

Your site is both multilingual and multiregional, offering different versions based on both language and country.

In all cases, it’s crucial to employ various tactics to inform Google about the regional and/or linguistic nuances of your site. To achieve this, we use «geotargeting signals».

Geotargeting Signals: Indicating Multiregional and/or Multilingual Pages to Google

Country Domains vs Subdomains and Directories

How do you inform Google that your website has distinct versions for different countries and/or languages? There are two solutions:

Create separate websites for each country using country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) like .fr, .es, .uk, etc. This is Amazon’s choice. Separate domains offer independence as each site is managed autonomously. However, this independence extends to SEO (including link-building), requiring a specific strategy for each domain. Additionally, you need to ensure the availability of the desired ccTLD domain.

Create a single domain using subdirectories (/fr, /en) or subdomains (www.fr.example.com). This is the most accessible and straightforward SEO approach. It’s also the most flexible, allowing the creation of as many linguistic and regional versions as desired [17].

Additionally, use the Search Console to inform Google which domain, subdomain, or directory is associated with which country.

Distance to the Server: A Factor Affecting Loading Speed

The internet is a global tool, meaning a website hosted on a French server is accessible to someone in Japan or New Zealand. However, the distance between the visitor and the server tends to increase the page loading time, a significant issue for internet users [18]. Additionally, Google uses the server’s IP address to assess the target audience of a web page: if the server is in Germany, the search engine might assume the page primarily targets German users [19].

To enhance the performance of an international site, it’s preferable (when feasible) to choose hosting within the targeted country or, at least, within each major geographic area targeted, Europe, Asia, North or South America, and Africa. Another less complex solution involves implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN). This method essentially involves relaying specific elements of the page through servers distributed worldwide, achieved by caching these elements.

Using the hreflang Tag

The SEO of an international site involves three major objectives:

Inform Google about the site’s location, subdomain, or directory.

Display content in the appropriate language based on the user’s location.

Avoid cases where Google might mistake two nearly identical contents (for instance: one in French for France, another in the same language for Belgium but with linguistic nuances) and identify it as duplicate content.

To address these three challenges with a single action, the hreflang tag is employed. It can be placed:

Between the <head> tags,

In the HTTPS header of the page,

Or within the sitemap.

Google uses the rel=«alternate» hreflang=«x» markup to serve the right language and/or URL to relevant users, based on their geographic information or the language in which the search was conducted. This establishes connections between content intended for the same audience, helping the search engine better understand the architecture of the international site and distribute content more effectively.

For instance, in the case of an e-commerce site selling shoes:

<link rel=«alternate» href=«https://www.example.com/fr-fr/shoes/» hreflang=«fr-fr»/>

This markup is made up of three parts:

link rel=«alternate»: Indicates to Google that it’s an alternative version of the page.

href=«https://www.example.com/fr-fr/shoes/: Provides Google with the URL of the alternative page.

hreflang=«fr-fr»: Specifies to Google the language and region (here: France/French).

When multiple versions of the same page exist with different geographic targets and/or languages, it’s also necessary to specify to Google which version is the default:

<link rel=«alternate» href=«https://www.example.com/fr-fr/shoes/» hreflang=«x-default»/>

(Source: Magefan)

Note that there are free hreflang tag generators like Geo Targetly available. Use them generously to create your tags!

Translation and Content Optimization

When targeting different language zones, your website’s content should be translated for each specific area. Here are two important things to keep in mind:

Every element of a page must be translated: text blocks, header, footer, and every page on the site without exception (home, services/offers, categories, contact, legal notices, terms, and conditions of sale, etc.).

The quality of translations is crucial. Remember, Google pays special attention to content quality regardless of the language. Also, your site’s goal is to attract visitors, provide them with desired information, and convert them which implies offering relevant and high-value content. It’s preferable to entrust this task to seasoned translators or, better yet, native writers who understand the subtleties of the local language.

Of course, each linguistic version of the same site requires an adapted SEO strategy with its own keyword lists. Fortunately, most keyword research tools provide results in multiple languages, enabling the relevant optimization of each domain, subdomain, or directory—without relying solely on Google Translate!

For example, if you’re looking for lists of queries to work on based on the main keyword ‘interior renovation’ in three languages (French, English, Spanish), it looks like this:

No Digital Tower of Babel!

It’s an SEO international golden rule: content in different languages should be published on separate URLs. In other words, displaying the same content in multiple languages on a single page creates confusion with Google. In short, your international site should never resemble a digital Tower of Babel.

The Postal Address Format and Currency

Google assesses the geographical and linguistic relevance of a website (or subdomain/directory) by considering weak yet crucial geo-targeting signals: the currency used and the employed address format. For instance, a company with international premises (subsidiaries or retail outlets) benefits greatly from clearly specifying each location’s postal address on the relevant site version. To Google, which interprets the presentation format based on aspects like postal code structure or information order, this serves as a notable geographic signal.

If your products or services cater to foreign users, automatically adjusting the currency or suggesting this option to users is advantageous. It signals to Google and streamlines the purchasing decision, avoiding the need for the prospect to perform manual conversions.

Lastly, don’t hesitate to create a business profile for each physical location and link it to the local version of your website. This can bolster your ranking in local search results.

A Multilingual and Comprehensive SEO Strategy

Beyond the specific «multilingual» elements of international SEO, your website (or its various versions) can only achieve SERP ranking by combining these local factors with an overarching SEO strategy. This strategy should incorporate the usual components of SEO:

Content quality

On-page optimization

Backlinks

Page loading speed

User-friendly navigation

Mobile compatibility

Who Benefits from International SEO?

Many businesses can benefit from international SEO, not just those explicitly targeting customers abroad or with outlets outside of the country. Due to the numerous logistical solutions available to sellers, the absence of customs barriers, and the existence of a single currency, it’s very easy to target internet users across all European Union countries. Thus, any European user can purchase on a French website from their home country using their credit card or a PayPal account.

E-commerce Website SEO

An e-commerce website serves as a dedicated platform for online sales: a user typically visits it with the intent to purchase a product or service and to find all the necessary information to make their choice. The process of optimizing an online store encompasses the key elements discussed throughout the pages: working on the site’s structure, technical improvements (page loading speed, mobile display, data security), internal linking to streamline navigation, and a link-building strategy to enhance visibility.

98% of consumers make purchases of products or services online [20].

However, there’s a particular aspect to consider for an online merchant: optimizing product sheets. This approach enables the ranking of items in Google’s SERP on two levels: in the universal search and the Shopping tab. Crafting and optimizing a product sheet is a meticulous process, so take the time to thoroughly read what follows before diving in.

Who Are You, Google Shopping?

Google has its own price comparison tool: Shopping. You might know it by one of its previous names: Froogle when it launched in 2004, then Google Product Search in 2007. In 2012, the tool transformed into its current identity and became a paid service, seamlessly integrated with the advertising service AdWords (now Google Ads [21]). Since 2020 and the Covid pandemic, Google has made some Shopping features free for advertisers, encouraging them to list their products on the platform (thus competing with Amazon). As a result, both the Shopping tab and the universal search display products from both organic search results and sponsored ads.

For an e-commerce site, Google Shopping is THE go-to platform for gaining visibility on the search engine, displaying product sheets, and enticing users to make purchases. Through the Shopping tab in the SERP (highlighted in red in the image below), users who search with transactional intent access a comparison tool for physical products sold in their geographic area. Results are displayed based on the search terms used: paid ads first (highlighted in blue in the image), followed by organic sheets (highlighted in green in the image).

One of the advantages of Shopping lies in result geolocation: users conducting searches with local intent see products offered by physical sellers near their location. This is particularly interesting considering that 70% of consumers visit a store after finding information about products they are interested in online [9], engaging in a Web-to-Store approach [22]. For e-merchants and omnichannel retailers [23], Google Shopping allows for increasing online touchpoints and boosting sales. It’s also a means to reach new consumers among users who perform daily transactional searches on the engine.

The Product Sheet: The Most Important Content in E-commerce

The product sheet is the most crucial content for an e-commerce site: users land on it, find the information they seek, and make a purchase decision. Consequently, for a product page to be effective, it should…

Appear in the SERP (both in the universal search and in Google’s Shopping tab – see box).

Provide all essential information to users about the searched product to users.

Encourage users to make a purchase.

Purely from an SEO perspective, it’s just one aspect of the issue since an e-commerce site aims to generate sales: it’s essential to attract, engage, and convert. Optimization work should address these three needs.

On an e-commerce platform, each product sheet should be treated as a standalone landing page since a user might access it at any time from external sources (search engines, social media, emails, etc.). Consequently, you need to equip each page with all the characteristics of a landing page in terms of design and call-to-action.

Even more crucially, these pages need to remain continuously available to retain their visit history a vital aspect for Google. This continuity is also more effective in advertising terms: if you’ve integrated Google Ads tracking code or a Facebook pixel, for instance, the longevity of the content could result in a higher Quality Score and lower CPC (cost per click), while also making your retargeting campaigns more efficient.

Optimizing a Product Page for SEO

In the example below, the product sheet dedicated the Ball String Lights, published on the AliExpress website, secures its position both in the universal search (first page of the SERP) and prominently in the Shopping tab. It has been optimized to meet the primary requirement: visibility on Google.

(Source: AliExpress.com)

(Google Universal Search)

(Google Shopping)

To achieve such a result, it’s crucial to identify relevant keywords and strategically place them within the HTML tags, a process of utmost importance in this context.

Keywords

Keywords used in web content should always align with what users are searching for. In the case of e-commerce queries, they signify a transactional search intent. For instance, someone entering the exact product reference (such as «Sony WH-XB910N») in the search bar clearly intends to purchase that specific product.

The Fnac product sheet showcased earlier is optimized for the product reference: Sony WH-XB910N headphones, highlighted within the title and meta description.

However, users’ searches aren’t always as accurate. Thus, it’s essential to anticipate a broader spectrum of keywords related to the product’s category. The aim is to increase the chances of users encountering your product in a generic Google search. That’s why prioritizing long-tail keywords, and incorporating detailed product information, such as «Bluetooth noise-canceling black audio headphones», is valuable. This approach helps users find either the dedicated product page or at least the corresponding category.

Working on both «category» and «product» queries is essential to cover as many search results as possible. Semantic clustering or semantic cocooning provides a straightforward and effective method that can be expanded infinitely following this model:

«Cat food» (category)

o      «Kitten cat food» (subcategory)

§ «Purina One kitten cat food» (product page)

           § «Royal Canin kitten cat food» (product page)

o      «Adult cat food» (subcategory)

§ «Fresh fish adult cat food» (product page)

§ «Tuna adult cat food» (product page)

§ «Chicken and rice adult cat food» (product page)

o      «Sterilized cat food» (subcategory)

§ «Fresh chicken grain-free sterilized cat food» (product page)

§ «Sterilized or overweight cat food» (product page)

Note that the keyword list can be developed using suggestions from tools like Google’s keyword planning tool or derived from existing references you have in stock to define relevant terms.

Additionally, don’t overlook the significance of branded keywords in transactional searches. Including the brand name associated with the product in your optimized query enhances the chances of your page appearing in searches that integrate that specific brand (as in the case of the Sony headphones example).

Marketplaces as Keyword Generators

If you’re not using a keyword research tool, don’t worry! An excellent alternative is to explore suggestions from search engine marketplaces!

Let’s say you’re looking for keywords related to «Bluetooth headphones». Log in to Amazon and type these terms into the search bar.

Using the auto-suggest feature, the platform provides a range of phrases that extend your query. These suggestions stem from the most frequently typed user queries, giving you an insight into the products users prioritize. All you need to do is repeat this process as many times as necessary and then copy and paste all these suggestions into a table.

Placing Keywords in HTML Tags

Like any other content, optimizing a product page requires filling HTML tags with identified keywords. Here’s a selection of simple rules to follow:

In the <title> tag: include the complete primary keyword at least once.

In the <meta description> tag: include the complete primary keyword at least once and provide additional information (such as free home delivery or in-store pickup, two-year warranty, etc.).

In the URL: include the complete primary keyword at least once.

Within the page content: place the primary keyword and secondary keywords in Hn tags (headings) and within the body text (introduction, conclusion, and intermediate paragraphs).

In the alt attribute of images: include the complete primary keyword at least once.

Writing Product Sheet Content

Keep in mind one thing: online shoppers can’t touch or test products. Only the content on the page can answer their questions and persuade them to make a purchase. Therefore, creating content here plays a crucial role, even more than in the typical case of reading a blog article. Everything your potential customer seeks to know should be accessible from one place so they’re convinced they can safely add the product to their cart.

To this end, three elements must be considered:

Material description of the product. Provide consumers with maximum information about the item: its general and specific characteristics, and available choices (sizes, dimensions, colors, materials, etc.). Also, offer concrete data regarding the purchasing process itself: payment methods, delivery options, etc.

(Source: wee-bot.com)

The story behind the product. An item is much more than tangible features: it’s an article that meets a need and/or a desire at that moment. Therefore, the content of a product page should tell a story about the item, «set the stage» for it, aiming to evoke positive emotions. Opt for short content blocks [24], well-written and attractive, using language and a tone in line with your audience.

(Source: wee-bot.com)

Product placement. Most online stores (especially marketplaces) provide strict guidelines for product illustration visuals. There’s an important lesson here: the image accounts for 95% of a consumer’s decision-making process. And not just any image: it should place the product in context, such as showing how it’s worn (for clothing or accessories) or used (for an electronic device, sports item, etc.). Integrating a video into the product page is a big plus.

(Source: ninebot.com)

Put yourself in the consumer’s shoes: what descriptive elements would you like to find in a product page? What tone of voice would likely appeal to you? Finally, what visuals would convince you that this product precisely matches your expectations?

The «Product Return», a Plague of E-commerce

Well-optimized, the content of a product sheet also helps combat this modern scourge from the e-commerce perspective the «return to sender». In France, 39% of internet users have already returned at least one item ordered online during the year and the trend is on the rise, notably among our European neighbors: this rate climbs to 51% in Switzerland and Germany.

(Source: Statista)

However, many returns are often the result of misinterpretation of the product itself: in 42% of cases, buyers return an item because it doesn’t suit them, and in 13% of cases because they feel the product doesn’t match the description [25].

In essence, the richer the description of the item, providing more useful information to the user, the less likely they are to return it. This holds true right from the search stage: the item presented in the product sheet must precisely match the description displayed in the SERP.

Pushing the User to Make a Purchase

Once the user is convinced that the product meets their needs, the hardest part begins: convincing them to make the purchase. To achieve this, a set of persuasion and reassurance mechanisms should be in place, starting even before the user visits the product page right from the stage of search engine results in the SERP.

Use structured data to display important product information as rich results, using «Product», «Offer», and «Rating» data from Schema.org markup [26]. Price details, availability, and customer ratings are convincing triggers early in the decision process, streamlining the buying process once the user reaches the product page.

Incorporate reviews into the page so that users can read feedback from previous customers. Social proof is a critical persuasion tool in e-commerce. Additionally, users often provide feedback that highlights specific advantages, lesser-known features, or unique uses of the product.

Provide a product-related FAQ where users can find answers to their questions. Compile a list of common queries received by your customer service and include them on the product page with detailed responses to preempt objections and address concerns. Furthermore, this significantly optimizes content when these FAQs cover the «People also ask» section in the SERP and include relevant keywords.

Activate reassurance factors; these are critical due to the risks consumers face when ordering online and sharing their banking information. Explicitly state delivery and return conditions, offer secure payment features, provide access to your terms of service (link in the footer), and highlight any certifications or qualifications that establish your credibility as a professional seller.

1 out of 2 consumers have abandoned an online purchase at the payment stage due to doubts about transaction security (88%) [27].

Each product page on an e-commerce site should stand out as unique. This uniqueness doesn’t just apply to the content (title, description, visuals) but also to its URL. It’s crucial to generate distinct URLs to differentiate between the pages, incorporating specific product elements such as color, size, material, and so on. For instance, for two identical dresses with different colors and sizes:

/summer-dress-red-size-38 and /summer-dress-blue-size-40

News Websites SEO

Optimizing news articles is quite a unique case in SEO. The good news is that Google reserves a special place for «hot» content, both in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and on a dedicated platform: Google News. This service is unanimously praised at a time when the surge of sources and the rise of fake news make accessing quality information increasingly challenging. For users, Google News’ curation saves time in their search while ensuring access to high-quality content adhering to journalistic ethics. For webmasters, this service is a potent lever for visibility and credibility that should not be overlooked, even though getting listed is far from simple.

Google News, a Tool for News Content

Google News, launched in 2002 across about 20 countries and in 2009 in France, aggregates news content independently of the traditional search engine algorithm. However, it functions similarly, exclusively collecting and categorizing press articles into eight sections: country-specific, international, local news, economics, science and technology, entertainment, sports, and health.

To populate its service, Google’s indexing robots scour content from over 50,000 diverse information sources worldwide. Googlebot assesses content relevance, source credibility, and responsiveness to current events (considering the time and date of publication). Subsequently, it compares it with other content on the same topic. The featured information is available for a maximum of 30 days before being replaced by newer content.

Since its inception, the service has undergone minimal changes, primarily in interface and design. In 2018, Google introduced content personalization (the «For You» tab on Google News), allowing users to indicate their preferences. Additionally, the engine incorporated AMP technology to enhance page loading speed on mobile devices. In 2022, Google launched a new feature called News Showcase on their news platform. This feature highlights selected content by publishers for users to view.

The selected content appears in three distinct areas:

● The Google News platform.

● The News tab in the SERP.

● The «Top Stories» section in the universal search.

Why Is Ranking on Google News Important?

For a news website, having access to Google News is akin to a Holy Grail in terms of visibility and credibility. There are at least three significant advantages to being listed on Google News:

Generate High Volumes of Traffic in a Short Time. This is the goal of any news site: to capture public attention and drive significant traffic in the hours following content publication. By curating a specific section for news content, Google News focuses user attention on news articles of interest, resulting in a notable surge in traffic. What’s more intriguing is that this traffic is inherently qualified. Users are naturally drawn to the source that enlightens them about relevant information. Additionally, geographic proximity to highlighted news content due to localization criteria further qualifies the traffic.

Google News draws more than 1 billion visitors to ranked sites weekly (6 billion if typical queries are considered) [28].

Google News results generate 24 million clicks per month on publisher links [29].

Improve Reputation. Beyond traffic volume, increased reputation is another interesting goal for news sites. Enhanced prominence translates to more trust, more authority in the eyes of Google, and ultimately, better rankings. Google is perceived as an extremely reliable source of information due to its rigorous selection process among publishers. Consequently, being listed on Google News inherently boosts credibility and, subsequently, reputation.

Enhance Overall Website SEO: While working on optimizing pages for Google News, you simultaneously optimize the overall SEO of your website. This occurs because many indexing criteria apply to both news articles and regular content, albeit with a few notable exceptions (see below). Efforts to optimize «hot» content yield results that benefit the entire website.

Placing Content on Google News: A Practical Guide

Google News prioritizes major media outlets and press groups, whether national, international, or local. News websites, whether online versions of print media or pure players like Mediapart or Slate, represent the largest share of content featured on this service. They meet all the criteria set by Google: publishing frequently and consistently, being highly reactive, providing verified information, attracting numerous comments and shares, and being deemed trustworthy. Consequently, they enjoy a high «Source Rank» [30].

Does this mean it’s impossible to compete with them? Admittedly, ranking content against major media brands is challenging. However, Google News isn’t exclusively reserved for sources with high Source Ranks; there’s always room for new players. Theoretically, any website can reference articles on this service by leveraging natural strategies, provided it delivers high-quality, relevant, and unique content consistently while meeting specific criteria.

A Website or a Section of a Website Focused on Current Events

To qualify for inclusion on Google News, content must be published on a site exclusively dedicated to news or, if not, on a specific section of the website covering recent topics. A common example is a company or e-commerce platform with a «News» section linked to a blog, offering news articles related to recent events while remaining within the site’s theme. These contents may then be featured on Google if they correspond to news.

Note: This section must be regularly updated. It’s estimated that publishing a minimum of three articles per day is necessary for Google to consider the site seriously as a news source.

An Article Structure to be Respected

Some rules common to all SEO content apply to Google News, such as the need to place relevant keywords in HTML tags and structure the page using Hn headings. Other factors are specific to this service:

The H1 title must exactly match the <title> tag, as in the example below.

The article should display the date and time of publication.

The content density (number of words) does not impact ranking: an article can be 200 words as long as it is relevant and ‘fresh’.

A Tool for Submitting Content to Google

Google might stumble upon your news content during its crawl. However, you can proactively submit your publication using the Publisher Center [31] to get ahead of Googlebot.

Using this tool offers several advantages: you can customize your publication, monetize your content through the ‘Subscribe with Google’ feature [32], and have your article featured in the ‘News Showcase’ tab of the platform.

Editorial Guidelines Specific to News

Google has established specific ethical guidelines for news content:

Content should not aim to deceive readers or Google’s indexing algorithms.

Content must not violate the engine’s editorial rules: no dangerous or violent content, incitement of hate, harassment, contradiction of scientific or medical consensus, explicit sexual content, etc.

Content should prominently display: the author’s signature, date, and time of publication, author, and publisher information, as well as their contact details. Essentially, Google expects complete transparency about the origin of the published content.

Adherence to these rules is particularly crucial amid the proliferation of misleading information. Since the engine lacks fact-checking tools and Google News remains a simple aggregator, it heavily relies on the credibility of publishers to fulfill its commitment to providing reliable information to the public.

The 10 Commandments of Google News

Content exclusively dedicated to news.

«Hot» content (results displayed by date and time of publication).

Well-written, legible, and clear content: impeccable spelling and grammar.

Content that adheres to Google’s ethical guidelines.

Original and unique content that cites its sources [33].

A dedicated page for each article (a single non-duplicated URL).

Valid optimization tactics (no techniques aimed at manipulating the algorithm).

Content that ensures reader comfort (no intrusive advertising).

A responsible site that highlights the authors’ biographies and demonstrates the reality of their journalistic activities.

A secure site (HTTPS protocol).

SEO as an Online Reputation Tool

Using SEO to enhance one’s online reputation might seem absurd. Nevertheless, SEO strategies serve as powerful safeguards concerning the notoriety of an entity (company, brand, institution, association…) or a public figure (artist, politician, athlete, executive…). It can be argued that it stands as one of the primary bulwarks against reputational pitfalls on the web. How does this work, exactly?

The Digital Image: A Precarious Structure

The digital image is arguably the primary identity carrier of the nascent twenty-first century. Almost every individual now defines themselves through their digital existence. Our daily activities have largely transitioned into the digital sphere, including our communications, leisure, purchases, and work methods. This exponential use of digital tools leads to a «digital image», over which we only (at best) have partial control, due to the traces we leave behind (voluntarily or not) and the vast amount of third-party content published by users.

The same holds true for companies, brands, and public figures, now significantly reliant on their online reputation. In the web era, a mere mouse click can create a mountain: all it takes is a bad buzz to tip the scales. A poorly crafted tweet, an unfortunate public appearance captured on video, the disclosure of confidential information online—years of effort can vanish in the blink of an eye [34]. Decades ago, Warren Buffet said: «It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it». What’s surprising is the relevance of this statement in the web era. Fortunately, it is possible to control (partially) this digital image, notably by leveraging SEO strategies.

Online Reputation: How It Is Formed, Risks It Poses, and the Levers to Protect It

«Online Reputation» refers to the digital image an entity (or a product/service) holds in the eyes of the public. This identity has a significant weight as the public relies on information found on the web, and their interest varies based on what the reputation of the entity reveals.

How is Online Reputation Formed?

Online reputation is an aggregation of all available information on the web, made of three core elements:

Digital Footprint: This comprises the cumulative traces left during navigation and voluntarily transmitted data. For instance, a person’s digital footprint arises from both active contributions (conducting a search, filling a form, sending an email, making an online purchase…) and passive accumulation (via cookies and other devices collecting information during browsing).

Brand Image: This represents how the entity portrays itself through distinct elements (logo, graphic design, tone of voice…) and via communication actions (marketing campaigns, media interventions, press releases, etc.).

User-Generated Content: This refers to third-party publications from the public, media, partners, or competitors. It encompasses all content published by individuals without a direct link to the entity, across various platforms (professional sites, blogs, news sites, social media, forums, rating platforms, etc.). This aspect is the most intricate as online speech is unconditionally free: anyone can express their opinions anonymously or not.

Therefore, online reputation is built upon two distinct elements: the digital footprint which is controlled by the entity to a certain extent, and the brand image which is shaped by user-generated content. It’s crucial to differentiate between what the entity asserts about itself and what others say about it. Naturally, third-party content is the most challenging to control—by definition, it’s not directly administered by the entity or its affiliates. If you manage a business and have encountered unfair or counterfeit reviews, you understand the complexity and significance of this issue.

The Risks Associated with Online Reputation

A poor digital reputation can seriously impact a business. The primary risk is allowing a negative image to develop, influencing consumer choices. Consumers may decide to turn away from a company or brand in favor of competitors. According to an Ifop survey, 47% of French respondents have abstained from purchasing a product or service from a brand due to damage to its reputation (and this figure jumps to 59% among those aged 18-24) [35].

Another major risk is crisis management—a complex facet of corporate communication. This risk stems from the «snowball effect» magnified by the internet: negative information about a company becomes public, then gets shared and commented on by a growing number of internet users, potentially leading to a significant crisis or even an uncontrollable scandal [36]. 80% of marketing executives and business decision-makers fear such a communication crisis in their organizations, with 82% considering the anticipation of such an event a major strategic concern [37].

Are you familiar with the concept of a «digital fortress»? As the name suggests, it involves constructing a strong online presence around your entity (company, brand, personality) to better defend against potential attacks targeting your online reputation. This includes creating a large quantity of branding content, aiming to fill search engine result pages with positive articles right from the start.

This is especially critical for an entity entering the market without any existing favorable content. In such cases, any negative article could potentially be highlighted in the SERPs and occupy a place in the Top 3… Simply because it would be the only one online! Thus, it’s essential to anticipate and proactively build a digital fortress.

How to Use SEO to Manage Your Online Reputation

This leads us directly to SEO, a true bulwark against online reputation concerns. To understand this, it’s essential to recognize that an entity’s digital reputation is significantly assessed based on search engine results, which are powerful aggregators. Since people find information on Google, it becomes possible to use SEO tactics to counteract negative perceptions. Here’s how:

Control what’s being said about you online. Start by evaluating your online reputation. What’s being said about your business, brand, or personal name? Conduct a Google search focused on your entity and review the top ten search results. Consider setting up rigorous monitoring, like Google alerts [38], or using dedicated tools.

Manage customer reviews posted online. User feedback significantly impacts your online reputation and influences other consumers’ behavior [39]. Managing these reviews is crucial: respond, especially to negative reviews, maintaining a polite and measured tone. Encourage satisfied customers to share positive experiences to outweigh negative reviews proportionally, and actively address fraudulent comments.

The DGCCRF estimates a 35% non-compliance rate for online customer reviews [40].

Remove problematic content. If you notice illegitimate, false, or misleading content, you have the right to request its removal. Individuals can claim their «right to be forgotten» through national authorities (such as CNIL in France). Corporations can request inappropriate content delisting by contacting Google directly or site owners.

Generate positive content to «bury» negative content. This is a primary SEO lever for online reputation: if the first SERP page displays three negative results out of ten, the aim is to position as much positive content as possible to «push» problematic pages out of sight (bearing in mind the second SERP page generates only 0.78% of clicks [41]). This requires significant work in content creation and optimization within an adapted SEO strategy.

Imagine your company facing both negative (an unfortunate tweet from your CFO) and positive news (implementing a CSR policy). Through SEO, it’s possible to «bury» negative results (the CFO’s tweet and its repercussions) by highlighting the newly established CSR initiative via news articles, blog content, and social media posts. This won’t erase the controversy but will help move it away from the spotlight until things settle.

Online Reputation: Best Practices for Anticipation

Regain control over your digital footprint: Strive to leave minimal traces during your internet browsing sessions, starting with refusing non-essential cookies.

Segment your activities for better control; for instance, create a Google business profile or a Facebook page for each point of sale. This significantly simplifies content management, review moderation, and specific monitoring setup.

Raise awareness among your team about the importance of online reputation, encouraging employees to adapt their behavior, especially when representing the company online.

Secure your professional data to mitigate the risks of theft, leaks, or loss, which could have catastrophic consequences for your reputation.

[1] Unlike the most frequently mentioned updates (Penguin, Panda…), Pigeon is not a penalizing algorithmic evolution: it did not contribute to downgrading pages in the SERP. It’s rather an optimization tool that highlights the pages that are best optimized locally.

[2] Source: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6036909

[3] Source: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/app-and-mobile/mobile-search-trends-consumers-to-stores/

[4] Refer to Part IV, Factor #5.

[5] Displaying the business profile details is not specific to a local search.

[6] Source: https://www.businessdit.com/google-local-pack-statistics/

[7] Source: https://spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu/how-online-reviews-influence-sales/

[8] «Multichannel» refers to a strategy that involves diversifying contact channels while using them complementarily. For instance: a physical point of sale with an accompanying website.

[9] Source: https://www.fevad.com/le-shopper-post-pandemie-est-un-shopper-hybride/

[10] In Real Life, or «in the real world», using a slang expression specific to the web.

[11] Formerly known as «Google My Business» (GMB). In English, it’s referred to as «Google Business Profile» (GBP).

[12] Refer to Part III.

[13] NAP citations refer to mentions made across various web platforms: local directories, listings, apps, or social networks. Refer to Part III.

[14] Or by one of its older names: Google Plus Local or Google Places.

[15] Ifop/Opinion System survey, source: https://www.ifop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Les-r%C3%A9sultats.pdf

[16] Refer to Part III, Pillar #3.

[17] Note that the codes used to designate languages (ISO 639-1) and countries (ISO 3166-1) are standardized.

[18] Refer to Part IV, Factor #4.

[19] This is explained by Matt Cutts in a video on the Google Search Central YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keIzr3eWK8I&ab_channel=GoogleSearchCentral

[20] Source: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/app-and-mobile/global-consumers-search-statistics/

[21] This means that keywords associated with advertisements on Shopping are accessible through Google Ads’ bidding system.

[22] Literally: the act of searching for a product online and then going to a physical store to collect it.

[23] Describes merchants who offer their products both online and in physical stores.

[24] In terms of length, a product sheet does not have the same requirements as standard content. Aim for a minimum of 300 words per sheet but not more than 500 or 600 words.

[25] Source: https://www.ecommerce-nation.fr/retours-ecommerce/

[26] The topic of structured data was covered earlier in this work. Refer to Part IV, Factor #9.

[27] Source: OpinionWay e-commerce 2022 study.

[28] Source: https://larevuetech.fr/google-actualites-discover-google-publisher/

[29] Source: https://searchengineland.com/google-news-optimization-boost-content-visibility-traffic-395031

[30] The equivalent of Google’s PageRank but for news websites.

[31] At this URL: https://publishercenter.google.com/

[32] This feature allows publishers to establish a «paywall» on their site: users must then subscribe to Google to access their content. Source: https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/introducing-subscribe-google/

[33] If you still wish to reuse or compile existing articles, it’s recommended to separate them from your other content listed on Google News by blocking access via the robots.txt file.

[34] Recent history is full of examples of bad buzz whose consequences were amplified by the web: the Cambridge Analytica scandal for Facebook, Volkswagen circumventing emission regulations to obtain certifications for its cars, explosive batteries in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 phones, and so on.

[35] Source: https://www.ifop.com/publication/e-reputation-des-entreprises/

[36] A good example: in 2016, after the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders (then Senator for Vermont) tweeted against the pharmaceutical company Ariad to highlight the sharp and exponential price increase of a leukemia-treating drug. In three hours, Ariad’s stock fell by 15% on the stock market, equivalent to $350 million in losses for shareholders. It took a month for the stock to return to its initial level. Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/14/bernie-sanders-tweet-sends-shares-of-ariad-pharmaceuticals-down-11.html

[37] Source: https://blog.digimind.com/fr/insight-driven-marketing/crises-reputation-chiffres-statistiques

[38] It’s possible to set up an alert on Google to be informed when new results appear in the SERP for a given topic.

[39] Refer to Part III, Pillar #3.

[40] Source: https://www.lesechos.fr/idees-debats/cercle/avis-clients-sur-le-web-la-dgccrf-tire-la-sonnette-dalarme-1009904

[41] Source: https://www.blogdumoderateur.com/etude-taux-de-clics-et-les-performances-des-liens-selon-la-position-dans-les-serps/

APPENDIX 1: SEO TOOLS

SEO strategies rely on SaaS [1] tools that cover all the needs and practices of the discipline. Some of these tools specialize in specific SEO factors (identifying relevant keywords, analyzing the quality of backlinks, providing metrics…), while others offer a variety of features to address optimization issues comprehensively. Some even «mimic» the functioning of search engine robots to show what they «see» during crawling and suggest improvements to streamline page exploration.

As they offer data that’s unattainable through alternative methods, these services are essential, even for beginners [2]. Thus, we’ve selected the main tools available in the market, considering the relative importance of each solution in the SEO landscape. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the quick evolution of the digital ecosystem might render some of these tools obsolete and bring others (currently unknown) into the spotlight. Therefore, this list is neither exhaustive nor fixed: the names included may well be different tomorrow, in six months, or in a year.

Note: We’ve opted for an alphabetical order to eliminate any prioritization of services. For each tool, we provide a concise presentation and specify if its use is free, paid, or a mix of both a freemium access, basic, supported by a premium subscription offering more advanced features.

AHREFS BACKLINK CHECKER

Since its emergence in 2011, Ahrefs has become a cornerstone in SEO practice, particularly in its primary «off-page» factor: backlinks. The Backlink Checker tool focuses on tracking and controlling inbound links, whose influence on page ranking remains significant. The number and quality of existing links undergo thorough analysis aimed at generating recommendations to optimize one’s link-building strategy. To achieve this, Ahrefs relies on the most substantial web database (after Google): 400 billion indexed pages, 216 million referenced domains, 27 trillion internal backlinks, and 3.6 trillion external backlinks. These indexes are updated every fifteen minutes.

Ahrefs offers other more general SEO features: auditing, keyword research, tracking ranking against competition, managing the referencing strategy, identifying popular content on social networks, etc. However, it’s primarily the analysis of backlinks that sets this solution apart.

The Backlink Checker can be tested with a free version, which is quite limited in its features. To delve deeper, a subscription is required: several versions exist based on usage (starting from €100 per month).

GOOGLE ANALYTICS

Undoubtedly, THE classic among SEO tools, Google Analytics is one of the most widely used web analytics instruments for studying audience behavior. Based on an application developed by Urchin and acquired by Google in 2005 [3], Google Analytics provides a large amount of statistical data related to site visits, how users navigate pages, and the paths they take to conduct their searches. These data cover various issues such as the number of visits recorded on a website, the most viewed pages by users, time spent on the site per session, traffic sources (SEO, SEA, social networks, emails), the type of device used for browsing (computer, smartphone, or tablet), the geographical origin of users, and many more.

Compared to its competitors, Google Analytics has two major advantages: it is mostly free and is accessible enough for anyone with an online presence to extract relevant information. Creating a Google account enables access to the service, although its setup requires some technical knowledge (fortunately, the web is filled with tutorials that explain things clearly).

The free version of Google Analytics largely covers the needs of most users. For businesses aiming to go further, a paid version grants access to advanced and customizable functionalities (Google Analytics 360)… at an annual cost in the six figures!

Google Analytics in Turmoil in Europe

On the Old Continent, Google’s analytics tool has drawn the ire of authorities due to its non-compliance with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation, enforced in 2018), particularly regarding insufficient anonymization of data in accordance with European requirements. In February 2022, the CNIL (France’s authority for digital services control) officially recommended that companies stop using this tool in favor of GDPR-compliant alternatives [4], such as Abla Analytics and Plausible. Subsequently, Google began making necessary modifications: in July 2023, Google Analytics version 4 [5] definitively replaced its previous iterations, putting an end to the Universal Analytics ownership, which had been under scrutiny.

On July 10, 2023, the European Commission announced a decision acknowledging that data transfers between the EU and the United States uphold an equivalent level of protection to that of the European Union, following modifications made by U.S. authorities. This decision formalized the legitimacy of data exchanges between European organizations and U.S. companies, provided these companies adhere to «data protection framework» [6]. It seems that the feud between the authorities of the two continents has been settled… until the next crisis emerges.

GOOGLE KEYWORD PLANNER

How to find keywords to optimize content and achieve a better ranking in the SERP? This question lies at the heart of SEO strategies. Considering Google’s importance in the SEO ecosystem, it’s no surprise that its own query suggestion service is among the most used by professionals.

Keyword Planner is indeed linked to the search engine’s advertising platform (Google Ads), which requires having an Ads account to access it. However, its keyword planning tool is more broadly used by a significant portion of the SEO community for building related strategies. By entering a query, it displays lists of associated terms with various features (search volume, difficulty in ranking, estimated bid costs, etc.). The richness of results can make interpretation challenging, but an average user can simply target keywords based on their popularity, leaving aside more complex data. The major advantage lies in the high reliability of results, directly sourced from user searches.

Using Keyword Planner is free but requires having an active Google Ads account.

GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE

Google’s Search Console is a comprehensive SEO toolkit that assists webmasters in resolving technical issues related to optimizing their pages [7]. The service’s scope spans across three dimensions:

Site indexing by search engines (verifying site acknowledgment by robots, adjusting crawl frequency, submitting a sitemap, generating a robots.txt file, displaying a page as seen by the Googlebot, requesting URL removal from the index, etc.).

Monitoring SEO performance and maintaining site visibility in search results (list of pages containing backlinks, site’s frequency in SERP, search results displaying site pages, click-through rates, etc.).

Page optimization (suggestions for improvements, error reports, identification of mobile usability issues or technical hurdles, etc.).

Additionally, Search Console features a function allowing the disavowal of inbound links that don’t comply with Google’s guidelines (which could result in penalties).

The Google Search Console service is entirely free.

PAGESPEED INSIGHTS

This performance testing tool, provided by Google, specifically focuses on a technical aspect: page loading speed. By entering a URL in the dedicated field, an automatic report is generated based on real user data collected by Lighthouse [8].

The assessed page receives a score ranging from 1 to 100, represented by an intuitive color code: green for good performance, orange for pages needing improvement, and red indicating issues. Recommendations are provided to optimize the page loading speed by targeting problematic areas such as heavy images or lengthy Java scripts. The color-coded system applied to the various analyzed points makes it easy to identify which criteria to prioritize for optimization.

The tool tests both the desktop and mobile versions of the page. This is crucial as Google prioritizes the mobile version for indexing (if available) since the implementation of mobile-first indexing.

PageSpeed Insights service is entirely free.

SCREAMING FROG

Screaming Frog is a «crawler», allowing users to scan a URL (or a series of URLs) to gather a vast amount of information, mimicking the method used by indexing robots. Once initiated, the software reviews the data of the explored site, generating a comprehensive table containing the necessary information for each URL: word count on the page, HTML tag content, internal links, link response codes, image sizes, technical errors, duplicate content, and more. These indications help webmasters or SEO consultants compile a list of corrections and improvements to enhance the site’s ranking. Advanced features, like a sitemap generator and structured data analysis tool, are available for experts.

The free version of Screaming Frog has limitations (such as 500 URLs). The paid version, around €250 per year for a single license, provides access to all features.

SEMRUSH

SEMrush is akin to a Swiss Army knife in the SEO ecosystem. With its user-friendly and intuitive interface, diverse features ranging from simple to complex, and acute attention to detail, it’s arguably the most comprehensive and accessible tool in the market. It offers a wealth of critical information to develop and optimize an SEO strategy comprehensively: keyword identification, backlinks, content audit, technical audit, search engine ranking tracking, local SEO, and more. Its diverse data provides a 360° view of a website’s organic performance and ways to enhance it, offering maximum details on every aspect of the strategy.

Initially focused on SEO, SEMrush has gradually expanded to offer extended features. The tool can conduct in-depth analyses of paid search, social media strategy, and competitor monitoring.

SEMrush’s paid version starts at €110 per month, with optional features for local SEO and competitive analysis.

YOAST SEO

A relentless ally of WordPress, Yoast SEO is the most popular SEO plugin on this CMS. This analysis tool significantly simplifies managing natural referencing by adding multiple configuration levers and optimization fields (HTML tags, keywords, etc.) to WordPress’s back end. This virtual assistant highlights areas for improvement, lists best practices to enhance SEO, and offers a few more technical features (sitemap creation, breadcrumb setup, adding a canonical tag to prevent content duplication, etc.).

The free version of Yoast SEO caters to the needs of «small» websites. Access to advanced features (multiple keyword integration, broken link identification, access to the Yoast Academy, etc.) requires switching to the paid version at €99 per year.

[1] SaaS stands for Software as a Service: it refers to tools accessible via a web browser, without needing installation on a physical machine.

[2] At the very least, to identify keywords to work on within one’s strategy: a critical foundation for optimizing a website.

[3] On this subject, see the first part of this book devoted to SEO and how search engines work.

[4] At the time, the CNIL determined that the transfer of user data outside of the European Union was in violation of Articles 44 and subsequent articles of the GDPR. The body didn’t outright prohibit the use of this service in France but recommended that those who couldn’t do without it should modify its settings to make it more compliant with European provisions on personal data protection. In 2022, Austria and the Netherlands adopted similar stances.

[5] For an overview of this new version:

https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4?hl=en

[6] Refer to CNIL’s website:

https://www.cnil.fr/fr/transferts-de-donnees-vers-les-etats-unis-la-commission-europeenne-adopte-une-nouvelle-decision

[7] Its former name is more straightforward: Google Webmaster Tools.

[8] Lighthouse is an open-source auditing tool developed by Google and offered as a Chrome extension.

APPENDIX 2: SEO GLOSSARY

Algorithm: In the context of a search engine, an algorithm refers to a set of instructions designed to index, rank, and position the most relevant web pages for a given keyword. Over time, search engine algorithms have gained in performance and complexity, evolving to learn on their own through the integration of AI-based technologies like machine learning.

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): A publishing format aimed at improving the user experience on mobile devices, specifically by optimizing page loading speed. This technology was launched in 2015 by Google as an open-source initiative.

Answer Box: A feature enabling Google to provide a direct response to a user query, displayed in a dedicated box at the top of the SERP.

Anchor Text: The visible portion of text to which a clickable link is attached. The anchor text serves various marketing purposes: it can be optimized or natural (for SEO), encourage clicks by containing an action verb, display a term semantically related to the main keyword, etc.

Backlink: An SEO term referring to a hypertext link pointing to another domain. Also known as an «inbound link» or «incoming link». Backlinks form the basis of off-site SEO and the functioning of the PageRank algorithm.

<meta> Tags: Positioned in the first part of a web page between <head> tags, these tags provide information to crawler robots. They are essential components of a page’s HTML structure.

Black Hat SEO: SEO tactics that exploit search engine algorithm vulnerabilities to manipulate the SERP and artificially position pages. These methods, not in compliance with search engine requirements, are severely penalized, potentially leading to the de-indexing of a website. Conversely, SEO best practices are termed «White Hat» : more challenging and time-consuming to implement, they yield more robust and enduring results.

Branding: A term denoting a marketing approach focused on a brand and its public recognition rather than lead generation or direct sales. Branding aims to position a brand in consumers’ minds to enhance visibility, increase popularity, and build a vibrant community around it.

Buyer Persona: In marketing, this expression refers to the ideal target customer. The buyer persona, or simply persona, consists of a detailed (and fictional) profile of a prospect, including their needs, desires, habits, interests, sociodemographic characteristics, etc.

Citation Flow: Derived from the Majestic SEO tool, it’s an indicator used to assess the quantity of backlinks received by a page or website. It complements Trust Flow.

NAP Citations: Local citations used to provide search engines with information related to a business. NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. These citations are used in local SEO.

Semantic Cocoon: An SEO tool that involves optimizing a site’s architecture and its internal linking by organizing content into semantic silos.

Duplicate Content: Content that is comparable to another, published on the same site or on a third-party site. This practice can lead to a loss of visibility in the SERP.

Cloaking: A technique that displays content to indexing robots while remaining invisible to users. Essentially, on the same URL, indexing crawlers and users see two significantly different pages. Considered deceptive (as it aims to manipulate the algorithm), this technique is prohibited by search engines, and its use can lead to penalties.

Crawler (Crawler Robot): A program used by search engines to explore the web and index pages. For example, Googlebot is the name of the crawler used by Google. By extension, the term also refers to an analysis tool that emulates the search engine exploration process to provide information for use in an SEO strategy. It’s also known as an indexing robot.

Dofollow: Attribute given to a link to instruct indexing robots to follow it and consider it for SEO. A dofollow link transmits PageRank. See also nofollow.

Referring Domain: Name of the site that contains a link pointing to another page. The quality and diversity of referring domains are considered by search engines to assess a site’s authority.

Structured Data: Lines of code integrated into web pages to display useful information in the SERP (rich snippets).

User Experience (UX): How a website is perceived by its users. A good user experience combines ease of navigation with high technical performance.

Rich Snippets: Description displayed in the SERP below the clickable link to ease users’ understanding of the content. This additional information may include ratings, images, prices, etc. Displaying these snippets is made possible through structured data.

BreadCrumbs: Navigational aids on a website, presented as a series of clickable links. Through this tool, users can choose at any time to return to previously viewed pages.

Googlebot: Name given to the indexing robot of Google search engine. It’s a generic term: there are several Googlebots to address different needs of the algorithm (one for desktop pages, another for mobile pages, one for images, and another for videos, etc.).

SEO Juice (Link Juice): In SEO, «juice» refers to the authority that a hyperlink transmits to the page it points to, allowing it to benefit from an SEO boost. Link juice is distributed among different outbound links, following the principle of Communicating Vessels.

Keyword Stuffing: SEO over-optimization technique penalized by search engines. the act of overloading content with keywords to manipulate the search engine’s algorithm.

Knowledge Graph: Google feature that displays encyclopedic-type data about a person, place, event, country, etc. For individuals, it’s referred to as a Knowledge Panel.

Knowledge Panel. See Knowledge Graph.

Landing Page: Web page designed to prompt the user to take a specific action. Its name comes from the fact that the user «lands» there after clicking a link. The action can take various forms: clicking a button, filling out a form, adding a product to the cart, scheduling an appointment, etc.

Natural Link (Organic Link): Clickable link resulting from SEO. It contrasts with a paid link from advertising (or «sponsored link»).

Sponsored Link (Paid Link): Clickable link resulting from web advertising campaigns. It contrasts with an organic link resulting from SEO.

Toxic Link: Link that does not comply with the official recommendations of search engines. A toxic link could have been bought, exchanged, created by an automated service, integrated into a commercial or paid publication, etc.

Linkbaiting: Link building technique that encourages webmasters and users to publish links pointing to specific pages, usually by offering high-quality content.

Link Building: A technique that aims to obtain high-quality backlinks by using various methods: guest blogging, sponsored article publication, buying or exchanging links, etc.

Long Tail: Specific keywords with low search volumes but represent most searches on search engines. These expressions are often longer than head keywords, of which they are variants or extensions, but not always.

Machine Learning: Operation process of a computer program, typically based on artificial intelligence, relying on a learning program: the machine uses large volumes of data to «learn» and perform its mission more effectively.

Internal Linking: Method of organizing links within the same domain: it involves linking pages together to optimize navigation and streamline the work of indexing robots (which use these links as gateways).

Keywords: In marketing, a keyword refers to an isolated word or group of words that an internet user uses to search on a search engine like Google or on a search bar integrated into a website. The use of keywords is crucial in SEO and SEA strategies.

Negative SEO: Black Hat technique that involves manipulating a competitor’s page rankings in the SERP to damage its credibility on Google.

Build Linking: Strategy focused on developing one’s profile of inbound links (backlinks) to gain prominence and refine and improve this profile. See also Linkbaiting.

Nofollow: Instruction given to indexing robots to ignore a link and not follow it. Consequently, a nofollow link is not considered by robots for SEO purposes and does not transmit PageRank, unlike a dofollow link. Moreover, it’s considered that a natural link profile should integrate a nofollow link rate ranging between 10 and 20%.

Local Pack: Search feature on Google that displays a list of relevant businesses in the context of a localized query. See local SEO.

Satellite Page: Name given to a page exclusively designed for search engines, invisible to users. It’s usually filled with keywords and links to attract crawler robots, which allows it to be well-referenced. When clicked on, the user is redirected to another page. This technique is banned by search engines and can lead to penalties. Also known as a Doorway Page.

PageRank: Algorithm developed by Google to assess the popularity of a web page considering the variety and quality of inbound links (backlinks). There is also an «internal» version of PageRank that assesses the impact of links in the context of internal linking.

Position Zero: Term used to refer to a preferential position on the SERP: a special block displaying an excerpt of the page’s content, appearing between sponsored links and organic links.

Ranking: The position of a web page on a given query in the SERP is referred to as «ranking». It’s one of the most important indicators in SEO.

Organic Search: Expression referring to digital searches resulting from SEO, especially those conducted on search engines. It contrasts with «paid search», which originates from advertising. See also traffic.

Universal Search: Feature enabling Google to display various results, in different formats, on the same page the default page displayed in the SERP. This aims to offer a wide variety of choices to users.

Zero-Click Search: Query for which the answer is directly displayed in the SERP without requiring the user to click on a link. Also known as «search without clicks».

Redirection: Operation by which a user or indexing robot is automatically directed to another page (on the same site or elsewhere on the web). A redirection takes the form of a command integrated into the header of a page or inserted at the server root. There are different forms of redirections, but the most common is the redirection 301.

Natural Referencing: See SEO.

Local SEO: Set of SEO techniques applicable to businesses or retail outlets with geographically restricted catchment areas. This strategy aims to display the business or retail outlet in Google’s Local Pack.

On-site SEO: Set of optimization techniques focusing on elements internal to the website. These techniques encompass technical factors, content, HTML tags, internal linking, etc.

Off-Site SEO: Set of optimization techniques corresponding to work done outside the site to improve its ranking in the SERP. These techniques include link building, user experience, and reputation.

Indexing Robot: See crawler.

Robots.txt: Located at the root of a website, this file sends instructions regarding the exploration and indexing of pages. For instance, it’s possible to instruct robots not to index some pages or directories.

Schema.org: Markup enabling the display of structured data in the SERP. Using Schema microdata, a webmaster can display various information in results, such as ratings given by customers or practical indications (for example, cooking time for a recipe).

Search: Name given, in marketing, to search engines as digital acquisition channels: «Search» refers to the channel where organic traffic comes from, for example. Also refers to strategies and techniques aiming to position offers and content favorably on search engine result pages.

Search Snippet: Brief descriptive text associated with a web page displayed in the SERP. The search snippet consists of the URL, title, and meta description.

SEA (paid referencing): Use of commercial or advertising links on search engines. These links are purchased within an auction system targeting specific keywords and selecting a performance indicator (usually cost-per-click or cost-per-impression).

SEO (natural referencing): Set of techniques used to improve the position of a page or site in search engine results. This discipline encompasses various factors, some focused on on-site optimization and others on site or brand reputation (off-site). SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.

SERP: Acronym for Search Engine Results Page: the results page displayed by a search engine when a user enters a query. It consists of clickable links leading to third-party sites and integrates various content formats (images, videos, infographics) along with comprehensive answers.

Sitemap: XML file indicating to indexing robots the URLs of a site to be indexed, providing additional information to them. It is placed at the root of the site or directory to enhance its referencing. It can also be submitted directly to the search engine (via Google Search Console, for example).

Snack Content (Micro-Content): Short, easily consumable content, usually (but not exclusively) published on social media. Concise and easily digestible content consumed in small amounts throughout the day.

Spamming: Mass and non-targeted sending of commercial messages to users who have not given their consent to receive them. The email addresses used by companies for spamming often come from lists acquired from third-party operators. This practice has been illegal in France since the Digital Economy Trust Law (LCEN) of 2004. The term comes from «spam», denoting an unwanted message received by a user.

Stopwords: Common terms that do not contribute value in understanding a text, particularly for crawler robots.

Overoptimization: Strategy aimed at pushing SEO factors to extremes for quicker improved ranking. These excessive optimizations primarily target indexing robots and can lead to a loss of position or even penalties from search engines. Some over-optimization techniques overlap with Black Hat SEO practices.

SXO (Search Experience Optimization): Set of strategies aiming to optimize the entire user journey: appearance on search engines, user experience on the site, and traffic conversion.

Anchor Text: See link anchor.

Traffic: Number of visitors received by a website over a given period. It is one of the most used indicators in digital marketing to assess the success of a campaign or the popularity of a site/page. «Organic traffic» refers to visitors from search engines, while «paid traffic» refers to visitors from advertising.

Trust Flow: From Majestic SEO, this indicator assesses the quality of backlinks obtained by a page or site. It complements Citation Flow.

Canonical URL: When two identical pages exist on a website, this tag indicates to search engines the URL of the page to consider for indexing. Its use helps avoid potential duplicate content issues.

User-Agent: Entity authorized to access web content, for example: a specific indexing robot or a human visitor. The type of user-agent is specified in the robots.txt file.

White Hat SEO: See Black Hat SEO.

TABLE OF CONTENT

CONTENTS      4

FOREWORD      1

I. SEO AND SEARCH ENGINES: THE KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING      9

The Wonderful world of Search Engines      12

Google and the Others      18

The Origins of SEO      35

II. OPTIMIZED CONTENT      49

1. Crafting Search Engine Optimized Pages      51

2. Page Structure & HTML Tags      71

3. Keywords and Semantics      100

4. Optimizing Multimedia Content      129

5. Delving Deeper into Optimizing Web Content      137

III. POPULARITY      151

Pillar No.1: Link-Building, The Art of Weaving Links      153

Pillar No.2: User Experience, or How to Satisfy Users to Please Google      185

Pillar No.3: Reputation, or What Users Think (and Say) About Your Site      192

IV. TECHNICAL SEO      201

I. Optimizing Website Navigation      204

Factor No.1: Streamlining Site Navigation      204

Factor No.2: Optimizing URLs      212

Factor No.3: Securing Data on Your Website      219

II. Enhancing a Site’s Technical Performance      224

Factor No.4: Optimizing Page Loading Speed      224

Factor No. 5: Optimizing Pages for Mobile Display      230

III. Facilitating Site Indexing by Robots      236

V. SEO ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS      273

Local Business SEO      274

International SEO      299

E-commerce Website SEO      308

News Websites SEO      328

SEO as an Online Reputation Tool      337

APPENDIX 1: SEO TOOLS      347

APPENDIX 2: SEO GLOSSARY      356

TABLE OF CONTENT      367