What is SEO & how does it work? (2024)

What is SEO?

SEO is the acronym for “Search Engine Optimization.”

SEO consists of applying specific optimizations to web pages in order to target specific queries on search engines.

SEO is a simple concept.

The aim is to appear higher in search results compared to competitors for specific queries.

By appearing higher in the search results, you will get more clicks and therefore more customers.

In the context of website optimization, SEO is based on three main pillars, which are:

1. On-page SEO
2. Technical SEO
3. Off-page SEO

I'm going to cover all three of these concepts in this step-by-step guide.

First, let's dig a bit deeper into the process of appearing a web page in a search engine to see it more clearly.

History of SEO

The history of SEO dates back to the early days of the Internet, when search engines began to index web pages and make them searchable.

In the 1990s, the first search engines, such as Archie, Veronica, and Jughead, were used to index files stored on FTP servers. As the web grew in popularity, new search engines such as Yahoo and Lycos were created, and in the late 1990s, Google was founded.

Google's search algorithm was much more advanced than that of its predecessors, and it quickly became the most popular search engine. In recent years, SEO has become increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, with a focus on technical SEO, local SEO, and mobile optimization.

With the rise of voice search and the increasing use ofartificial intelligence especially with the revolution GPT chat, SEO is becoming more and more dynamic, and it is expected that this field will continue to evolve in the future.

What are the different types of SEO?

1. On-Page SEO

Definition of on-page SEO

On-page SEO targets specific keywords mentioned in the content of a web page.

To perform an On-Page SEO, insert your target keyword:

• In the title of your article,
• In the body of your article
• And in your subtitles.

With the help of SEMrush, you can assess the volume of searches that the keyword generates per month.

The aim is to insert keywords into your content that have a good search volume and low competition.

Take a look at the example below that shows how the combined impact of SEO and blog posts on your revenue.

‍

Profitability of On-Page SEO

If you took the example of infographics and created 10 articles, you could potentially generate 4,080 euros in revenue per month.

But it's not that simple: you need to have the same ranking position, for the same search volume and the same average CTR for all your articles.

It's not realistic to rank first for all of your target keywords with poor quality articles.

Don't produce tons of low-quality items for indexing: it won't work and you'll have wasted more time than anything else. This worked in the past, but Google's algorithm is constantly evolving to make way in the top positions of its search engine for pages that bring the most value to Internet users.

The only way to be successful is to produce quality articles, publish them regularly, and select keywords that have good search volume and low competition.

“To multiply online revenue, multiply the quality and quantity of your blog posts.”

Don't make the mistake of targeting the most searched keywords where the competition is too tough. To assess the level of competition, use keyword competition metrics from SEMrush.

The difficulty of the keywords is evaluated on a scale of 1 to 100.

In my experience, aiming for a score between 40 and 59% keyword difficulty is the best solution.

Here is a breakdown of the difficulty levels of keywords, for example for the term “growth hacking”.

You need to have some competition, but not too much, to increase your chances of ranking well in search engines.

This step is essential and SEMrush will be able to help you choose the right search keywords for free.

Use 100% free SEMRUSH now

As I said, there are three levels of SEO. Now let's look at technical SEO and off-page SEO.

2. Off-page SEO

Definition of off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to any action taken outside of your website to increase your rankings in search results.

Off-page SEO is mainly related to link building efforts (backlinks).

Link building

Link creation or “link building” is the basis for increasing the authority of your site. It's about strategically getting mentions from your authoritative sites in your niche. There are several ways to do the creating links.

Your site will never appear high in search results if more popular sites don't link to your site.

Inserting a link to more popular sites in your niche is a way for Google to see that these sites vouch for your expertise in your respective field.

Now that I've covered all three levels, you need to understand what specific search characteristics appear in Google search results.

I'm going to dive into each search function that pops up when specific search queries are entered.

I'm going to explain each of them so you can learn how to position yourself to appear in these search functions and beat your competitors in searches.

Diversity of links

Link diversity refers to the variety of different types of backlinks pointing to a website.

This may include links from blogs, forums, social networks, and directories, as well as a mix of dofollow and nofollow links.

This shows search engines that a website is popular and respected by various sources, and that it is acquired naturally and not through manipulative tactics. This can improve visibility and rankings in search results.

Social networks

Social networks are platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, for communicating with others, sharing content, and promoting your brand, products, or services.

They can be an effective tool for reaching new audiences, building relationships, and driving traffic to your website.

In terms of SEO, social media can help get backlinks and increase brand awareness. It is important to choose the platforms that are relevant to your niche and target, to optimize your profiles and posts with relevant keywords and hashtags, and to include links to your website.

Guest blogging

The Guest blogging consists of writing and publishing content on other sites or blogs, usually in your niche.

This makes it possible to get backlinks, reach new audiences, and increase brand awareness. By publishing a guest post on another site, you can introduce yourself to a new audience and get a link to your own site, which can improve your visibility and ranking in search results.

It's important to choose sites that are reputable and relevant to your niche, as publishing on low-quality sites can damage your reputation and SEO.

In summary, guest blogging is an effective strategy for getting backlinks, reaching new audiences, and becoming an authority in your niche.

Watch your backlinks

Monitoring your backlinks consists of monitoring the links that point to your website, to identify poor quality links or spam and to remove them.

This is important for SEO because backlinks play a crucial role in the visibility and ranking of a website in search engine results. There are tools like Ahrefs, Majestic, and SEMrush to monitor backlinks, identifying poor quality links and monitoring your competitors' backlinks to identify new link building opportunities.

Backlink monitoring is crucial to improving the overall quality of your backlink profile and avoiding search engine penalties.

Raising awareness among influencers

The goal of influencer outreach is to collaborate with these people to promote your brand, products or services, and content. By using the reach and credibility of an influencer, you can expose your brand to a new, larger audience, increase your online visibility, and ultimately generate more traffic and conversions on your website.

It's important to choose influencers that are relevant to your niche and to personalize your message to offer mutually beneficial collaboration. You can ask them to share your content, create sponsored posts, reviews, or even create content together.

Influencer outreach is an effective way to gain visibility, build relationships, and get backlinks to your website. It's important to remember that this should be part of an overall marketing strategy, not the sole objective.

Link quality

Link quality refers to the relevance and authority of the sites that link to your site.

High-quality backlinks from reputable sites can signal to search engines that your site is valuable and relevant, which can improve your visibility and ranking in search results. Poor quality or spam links can hurt your rankings.

To get quality links, you can contact sites in your niche, create quality content, participate in online communities and forums, or focus on links from sites with high domain authority.

It's important to remember that the quality of a link is more important than its quantity. The best links come from sites that are reputable, relevant, and with high domain authority in your niche.

Brand mentions

Brand mentions refer to any instance where your brand or site is mentioned on another site or social media platform.

These mentions may take the form of texts, quotations or links. While they don't convey link value like backlinks do, they can improve your brand's visibility and reputation. Tracking brand mentions allows you to identify sites that talk about your brand, even if they don't link.

By contacting these sites, you can ask them to include a link to your site, improving your visibility and ranking in search results. There are tools like Google Alerts, Ahrefs, and SEMrush to track brand mentions across different platforms.

Submission to directories

Directory submission is the process of submitting your website to online directories to improve its visibility and search engine rankings. It is important to ensure that directories are relevant to your niche and reputable, and to provide accurate and complete information about your site, with a link back to it.

Keep an eye on your competitors

Monitoring your competitors involves tracking and analyzing your competitors' strategies, tactics, and performance to understand the strategies that work for them and identify opportunities to improve your own strategies.

Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz can be used to track their backlinks, keywords, and search engine rankings.

It is important not to copy the strategies of your competitors, but rather to be inspired by their successes and to keep up to date with the latest trends and updates in your niche to adapt your strategy accordingly.

Try 100% free SEMRUSH now

3. Technical SEO

Definition of Technical SEO

Technical SEO focuses on increasing the loading speed of your pages, creating a Robots.txt file, controlling broken links, and much more.

Don't worry if you don't have technical knowledge. Numerous free and paid plugins can do most, if not all, of the work for you.

Technical SEO is needed to make it clear to search engines how they should crawl and index your site.

READ MORE: Learn how to carry out a technical SEO audit in 9 steps

Essential aspects of technical SEO

In general, it's best to address seven critical areas with technical SEO.

1. Make sure you're using HTTPS
2. Verify and correct duplicate content
3. Submit a Robots.txt file to the Google Search Console
4. Improving site speed
5. Fix broken links
6. Create mobile-friendly web pages
7. Add schema.org markup (I'll tell you more about this later in the guide).

If you're not familiar with the items I've listed, let's go through each of them.

HTTPS

HTTPS is the abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is used to secure communications and access to websites on the Internet.

If this message appears:

Your site needs HTTPS.

How to implement HTTPS

To implement the HTTPS protocol, which is a ranking factor. You will need a hosting provider.

I recommend Bluehost as a hosting provider to any new blogger or future site owner that is really easy to use.

You can also consult my list of the best hosts for your website.

Once you've accessed the control panel, you'll be able to enable HTTPS by clicking on a button called SSL, which stands for Socket Security Layer.

If you use CMS like Webflow, you won't need to set up HTTPS. Indeed, the SSL option is present on all of their monthly offers:

If you are on Linux and manage your hosting yourself, Let's Encrypt is a great free solution for you.

This is the solution that I myself use for my various VPS servers where I host my Scraping (Scrapebox) or automation (n8n) tools.

Here is a simple tutorial if you are also concerned: Installing Let's Encrypt on Linux Ubuntu

Duplicate content

Duplicate content is content that appears on more than one web page.

Ideally, unique content should exist on each web page. Having duplicate content confuses search engines when it comes to choosing which article to index.

How to check for duplicate content

To check for duplicate content, download a free program called Screaming Frog.

Step-by-step method:

• Click on “Configurations” > Content
• Then click on “Duplicates” in the top navigation.
• A new tab will appear called “content” to show all duplicates on your site.

This is a paid feature of the tool, but I highly recommend this tool for SEO in general. The free options are just as useful for SEO.

Once you've identified pages with duplicate content, you have 3 options for correcting duplicates.

1. Set up a no-index tag in your robot txt file for duplicate content.
2. Set up a 301 redirect from the “duplicated” page to the original content.
3. Apply a canonical rel tag

In most cases, I recommend deploying a canonical tag as the first option and a 301 as the second option.

In my opinion, the non-indexing solution comes in 3rd place.

Tag: rel canonical

A canonical rel tag tells search engines that a particular URL is the most important version to reference.

By using the all-in-one SEO pack plugin, you can easily define canonical tags without any code.

robot.txt file

The Robots.txt file is a file that contains rules for search engine crawlers.

It specifies how to guide web robots (search engines) as to what should or should not be browsed.

Setting up and submitting a robot.txt file

To set up and submit a Robot.txt file to Google and perform the other actions I've listed above, use the all-in-one SEO pack plugin for WordPress.

You can create it in a few clicks. I recommend the paid plan for the additional features that will help you significantly with SEO.

If you are looking for a free tool, here is a utility that will help you: Robots.txt generator

If you use Webflow, the submission of your Robots.txt will be automatic, however it is still possible to simply configure the file:

Page load speed

To improve the loading speed of your pages, use theGoogle Page Speed tool and ask your developer to implement all of the suggestions listed.

Page load speed is a ranking factor.

Another great tool that I personally use is GTmetrix.

Together with Google Page Speed, this tool gives you lots of good information to clearly improve the speed of your website.

If you follow my Growth Hacks, you'll see that I regularly use it in tips to improve website performance.

Correcting broken links

Before correcting your broken links you would surely like to know whether or not you have them on your website?

A great tool for that is Ahref Broken Link Checker (https://ahrefs.com/broken-link-checker), to do this simply enter the address of your website:

And get the result in a few seconds (thanks to this article that allowed me to correct them 👍):

To fix 404 links, you can either remove links that point to 404 errors, or apply a 301 redirect that can be managed by a WordPress plugin for example.

If you use Wordpress, the tool called 404 to 301 will allow you to set up redirections automatically for you.

Learn to create a website on Wordpress or create a site on Wix. If you are not sure which option to choose, I advise you to read this comparison: Wordpress vs Wix.

Mobile experience

To ensure that you are following best practices for a mobile experience, be sure to use themobile test tool from Google.

If you need to implement something that is not within your remit, turn to Fiverr.com to get the services of a professional freelancer who won't break your budget.

Schema.org markup

Later in this guide, I'll explain what schema markup is and why it's essential for SEO. But in short, this markup schema helps your site stand out in search results.

The best way to implement schema markup is to use the Schema Pro plugin for WordPress. It does not require any code. We'll get to that later, but for now, let's move on to off-page SEO.

What is Schema.org?

Schema markup is a semantic language that search engines read to give additional context to web pages.

Schema markup code includes several specific types of markup that may appear in search results, such as how-to guides, recipes, and reviews.

Here are three visual examples from Google Search Central of what specific search results that contain types of schema markup look like.

I highly recommend using the Schema Pro plugin if you use Wordpress.

If this is not the case, the tool of Google Markup Helper is here to help you find the best possible configuration for your markup.

How do I test if my schema markup is good?

Again, Google gives you every means to help you validate that your schema markup is consistent.

To test your schema markup, Google Search Central gives you access to 2 tools :

1. The Google tool : for testing enriched results
2. The Schema.org tool : for Schema markup validation

As we will see, few companies know what schema markup is and even fewer companies implement it, this is an opportunity for you.

What percentage of search results include schema.org?

A study conducted by Ahrefs showed that 30.9% of top positions in Google contain featured snippets.

The data is pretty clear. If you don't implement schema markup, you'll lose traffic to your site.

Once you've implemented the schema, I recommend setting up the Google Search Console to monitor how many rich results appear in Google.

Other SEO features

Google Images

If you've entered specific search terms into Google Search, you may see a collection of images that look similar to the example below.

Google displays a collection of images related to the search query entered.

Showing images in organic results is just as important as text-based search results.

The images are captivating and can encourage users to click at a higher rate. In addition, it is believed that image search represents 27% of all queries generated.

How to appear in Google Images organic results

1. Add alt text to your images
2. Compress file sizes
3. Download an image site map
4. Use the image format jpeg

Image Alt Text

Alt text means alternative text.

By default, numbers appear for image file names.

A good SEO practice is to replace these numbers with a specific name for what the image represents in your alt text (and ideally a name with the target keywords on your web page).

Image file compression

Google wants to index images, but only if they are properly optimized.

Most image files can benefit from compression. By compressing images, you reduce the size of the image file.

You'll also increase page load time by reducing the time it takes for Google to display images.

Google said that the Page load time is a ranking factor.

Use the tool ILoveIMG to compress your images simpler in a few seconds (or the WPSMush plugin for Wordpress users)

Another best practice is to use the lazy-loading attribute for your images: this means that only the images visible on the page are loaded. For example, if all the images in this article were loaded when the page was loaded, they would take a very (very) long time to load.

Image sitemaps

Many webmasters are unaware of the existence of image sitemaps, which greatly increase the chances of your images appearing in Google.

Image sitemaps differ from standard XML sitemaps by focusing exclusively on images on your site.

An image site map gives Google a guideline for exploring the images to be referenced for inclusion in the organic image pack results and in the Google Image results.

To create an image site map, you can use a free online tool. (alternative: Angel Digital Marketing)

Once the generation is complete, you need to connect to the Google Search Console and submit your image sitemap.

What is the best image file extension to use for SEO?

The Jpeg image file extension is one of the best file extensions from an SEO perspective.

Jpegs allow for greater compression, which reduces the time it takes to load the page to display images.

To check which images are indexed on your site, go to the Google Search Console, go to the “Performance” section, and set the search type to “Image.”

WebP is also a new image standard that is great for SEO.

Numerous WordPress plugins can help you convert Jpeg and Png files to the new Webp standard.

If you don't use Wordpress, the site Convertio will help you do it easily.

Google Videos

Video search results will only gain in importance over time, as YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.

Since YouTube is not owned by anyone other than Google, it's a safe bet that the trend will only increase.

Take a look at these statistics provided by Oberlo.

62% of businesses use YouTube as a channel to broadcast video content 90% of people say they discover new brands or new products on YouTube.

Given these parameters, it is therefore time to make videos. Take a look at the video search results that show up in Google search results.

Videos are indexed using the video object markup schema. When creating videos, you can also produce a video sitemap which will be crawled by Google to consider indexing in search results.

Once you've created the video sitemap, go to the Google Search Console and add it so that it can be recognized and browsed by Google.

To better reference your videos, try to get backlinks from other sites to your web pages where the videos are embedded.

Also, before downloading your video sitemap, be sure to follow the best practices for optimizing videos by following the procedure below/

Video SEO best practices

1. Include your target keyword in the title tag of your video.
2. Create eye-catching video thumbnails to increase your click rate (Use the tool Canva)
3. Find the tags your competitors are using and include them in your videos.
4. Research the keywords that your competitors are targeting and follow them.
5. Download a transcript to rank for keywords that are in a text format.

Google Knowledge Graph

I'm sure you've seen the following function appear in the search results at least once, right?

What you're seeing is the Knowledge Graph in action. It is also called a “Google carousel.”

How about a search result that looks like this.

What you see here is the Google Knowledge Panel.

What is the Google Knowledge Graph?

The Knowledge Graph is a collection of data queried from authoritative websites. Information is shown above the search results for quick access.

What is the Google Knowledge Panel?

Similar to the Google Knowledge Graph, the Google Knowledge Panel gathers data queried by Google.

The Google Knowledge Panel differs from the Google Knowledge Graph in that it displays dynamic search results to the right of organic search results.

Generally, the Google Knowledge Panel displays information about public figures and large organizations.

How do I appear in the Google Knowledge Graph and the Google Knowledge Panel?

1) Create a page on Wikipedia

wikipedia is considered to be a source with a great deal of authority.

When most search queries are typed into Google, Wikipedia is always one of the top results.

SEO professionals know that the Google Knowledge Graph extracts information generated by users from Wikipedia.

2) Create a page on Wikidata.org

Like Wikipedia, Wikidata.org is open to the public as an open-source project. Wikidata is also considered to be an authoritative resource in the eyes of Google.

3) Create social media profiles

Google shows social media links in Google Knowledge Graph search results.

Create profiles for the following social networks.

• facebook
• LinkedIn
• twitter
• Pinterest

4) Implement Schema markup on your site

Schema markup gives search engines additional context for indexing. It is essential to add the schema in order to provide a guideline for Google to index you in the Google Knowledge Graph and the Google Knowledge Panel.

5) Format your web page

Write for your audience, not for search engines. Include essential information that relates to the target search query you want to appear for.

Be sure to do this:

• Add an explanation of who you are in your “about” page.
• Include links from authoritative web pages
• Integrate images, graphics, and videos

6) Use specific keywords

The Google Knowledge Graph is powered by queries entered into Google. It is therefore essential to include your target keyword.

Be sure to do this:

• Place your target keyword in your URL
• Include your target keyword in your title tag.
• Add your target keyword to your meta description.
• Add your target keyword to your header tags.
• Include an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Don't overuse keywords. The aim is to maintain a delicate balance by mentioning keywords while offering value. Write for humans, not for search engines.

7) Promote your content

Content is useless if you don't promote it. Be sure to use social networks to promote your content.

Google Shopping

The search results that appear for product-specific search queries are advertisements.

To be included in Google Shopping, you need to invest in creating Google Shopping ad campaigns.

When running ads, I recommend that you test a small daily expense before investing a significant amount of money upfront.

I suggest €10 to €20 per day to assess the traffic that allows you to convert for one to two weeks. This will vary greatly depending on your CPC (cost per click) for your keywords.

How to set up a Google Shopping ad campaign

1. Navigate to Google Ads
2. Select “Campaigns” from the page menu
3. Click the plus button, then select “New Campaign.”
4. Choose “Shopping” as the campaign type and then click “Next.”
5. Set your advertising preferences
6. Then, choose the type of ad group you want to create.
7. Press Save,
8. You are done

Google News

One of the most powerful features that can create an influx of traffic to your site is Google Top News.

How to appear in Google's top news

To appear in news article results, enable AMP. The Google developer guide can help you implement AMP.

I recommend hiring a developer to take care of the implementation of AMP on Fiverr.com.

How do I track appearances in Google's news results?

Navigate to the Google Search Console, click on “performance,” then filter the results on the “news” option.

Local SEO

Local search results vary depending on the geographic region you are in. I'm sure you've seen search results that look something like the following:

Here is an example of the results above. I am located in Montreal so your search results won't look like what you see above for the same query.

There are specific ways to improve your rankings for keywords that can trigger local results in the local pack.

To increase your local SEO for your business in the local pack, you'll need to use what SEO professionals call NAP.

What is NAP?

NAP is an abbreviation for Name, Address, and Phone number. It is used to create local information on the web to give Google directions about where your business is located.

A Nap quote mentions your business name, address, and phone number on a relevant local website. When you think of a local website, you more than likely think of Yelp, which is the right way to think about local SEO.

NAPs allow you to have the right format and the right information on the various local websites. If your name, address, and phone number are not maintained consistently, it disrupts search engines.

The most common problem of a local business that negatively affects its local SEO is moving without updating addresses.

Imagine someone doing a search about your business only to be taken to an empty parking lot. Google realized that it needed to help local businesses and so created Google My Business.

Google My Business

The most important place outside of external local websites to make sure your NAPS are up to date is Google my business.

Google My Business was explicitly designed for local businesses to give Google guidelines for accurately indexing your site.

Google my business allows you to:

1. Add a description of your business so that it appears in search results.
2. Managing reviews and messages
3. Provide answers to frequently asked questions
4. Giving instructions
5. Add images

And much more, here is an example of a search form Google my business that appears to the right of the organic search results compared to the local pack that appears directly in the search results.

Google offers local businesses a streamlined user experience that allows them to keep their listings up to date.

In general, regularly finding sites to place Nap quotes on is a good local SEO practice.

In addition, there is a scheme for local businesses. Use the schema pro plugin to add local schema markup to your site.

Google Discover

One of the most interesting search functions introduced by Google is Google Discover.

What is Google Discover?

Google Discover shows the topics that interest you based on your search history. Topics are displayed with large images on the home page of Google mobile search applications.

Here's what that looks like:

Google Discover produces high CTR (click rates) thanks to large image formats. A click rate of 11% was reported based on data compiled in a very informative report written by Abby Hamilton.

How to appear in Google Discover

1) Producing high quality content

• Cite reliable sources
• Include data points
• Add semantic keywords (Variations of your target keyword)

2) Use images

• Select high quality images
• Use illustrative graphics (infographics)

3) Producing videos

• Embed YouTube videos
• Transcribing pre-existing videos
• Focus on practical guides and interviews

4) Comply with Google's content policies

Google said that if you have a chance to appear in Google Discover, you should comply with its content rules.

5) Implement AMP

The Accelerated Mobile Page (AMP) will increase your chances of appearing in Google Discover. Remember, this feature was designed for mobile devices.

6) Post trending content

Remember, I said that Google's discovery is based on search history. Google seeks to provide the most current content based on what has been previously viewed.

By providing timely posts/articles, you will increase your chances of appearing in Google Discover.

Tip 2: Look for competitors that are currently appearing in Google Discover. Reverse engineer what they did.

Job offers

These search results are triggered when you type in search queries such as “developer jobs” to feed these results.

If you're a business looking to hire freelancers or full-time employees, implement the schema job post markup type.

Upcoming Google Events

If you type in a search query such as “upcoming soccer matches,” you'll get a search result like the one shown above.

In addition, if you plan toorganize a webinar At a specific date, you can gain ground by adding a type of event schema markup.

Here is a list of best webinar tools and software to get you started.

How do web pages appear in search results?

1. The web page is published on your website.
2. Search engines crawl your web page to understand your topic.
3. An algorithm determines your ranking in search results.
4. Your web page is indexed in search results.
5. A user enters a query that is directly related to your topic.
6. The search engine shows your page in the search results.

Now that you have an understanding of what SEO is and how it works, as well as how web pages appear in search results, let's tackle the issue of publishing a web page - which of course remains a prerequisite for being visible.

To appear in Google search - even though it may seem logical - you need to:

• Create a website (or start a blog)
• Publish content, including blog posts

If you have a website, you can create a blog as a natural extension of your site.

Submit your site to Google search

To report your site to Google so that it indexes your web pages more quickly, you need to do two things.

1. Create an XML sitemap
2. Submit your XML sitemap to Google in the Google Search Console

Creation of the Sitemap in Webflow

If you are using Webflow, a sitemap is generated automatically as soon as your website is published. So you don't need to worry about it.

Creation of the Sitemap in Wordpress

If you are using Wordpress, you can use a WordPress SEO plugin called All in one SEO pack plugin to create a sitemap.

Creating a sitemap does not require code to set it up.

Even if it costs a bit of money, the investment is clearly worth it. I recommend that you pay the one-time annual fee to take advantage of all the additional features that this plugin offers.

If you don't have a budget, you can use the Yoast SEO plugin to generate your sitemap:

Your site map URL should look similar to the following:

Submit the sitemap

Once you have generated the sitemap from the Wordpress plugin or from your CMS, paste the sitemap URL into the Google Search Console.

Later in this guide, I'll explain more about what Google Search Console is and how you can use this tool to help with your SEO efforts.

Understanding the “Zero Position”

Have you ever seen the following search result for a question that you may have already asked in Google?

Zero-click results show the answer to a question without clicking on the search result. So there is no click, hence the name of the result at Zero clicks.

Google designs these results directly to answer questions.

Understanding Featured Snippets in SEO

Based on a search query based on a specific question entered, you will see the following.

These results are presented to help you find an answer to a specific question.

SEO professionals call this the Google response box or featured snippets.
Google featured snippets rely on schema.org markup to appear in search results.

If you don't know what a diagram is, don't worry, I'll explain it to you shortly. But first, let me explain a few details about featured snippets.

Definition of featured snippets

A featured snippet may appear as a brief response to a query entered in the Google search bar. Featured snippets can also appear as reviews, videos, recipes, and more - depending on the search query entered.

Featured Snippets reference the web pages relevant to the search query entered in order to show the most relevant and structured result possible.

Importance of featured snippets in SEO

Featured Snippets can help increase the click rate on search results for specific queries through structured responses called zero position.

‍

The zero position is a featured snippet of content that directly answers a search query.

The zero position is placed above the first search result and is displayed differently.

As Google explains about featured snippets in searches, “What's different about a featured snippet is that it's highlighted to get the user's attention on the results page.”

Implementation of featured snippets

To be indexed as a featured snippet, you need to implement the schema markup code on your web page.

To implement the schema without code, I recommend using the Schema Pro plugin.

If you don't have Wordpress, you can use this Growth Hack to set it up:

READ MORE: Put on “featured snippets” for your website: the Zero position (Growth Hack)

How to improve SEO on Google through blogging?

It is strongly recommended to create several blog posts that deal with the main subject of your site in order to increase the number of pages indexed in the S.E.R.P (Search Engine Result Pages).

Here is a visual example of how to combine blog themes and their combinations.

Example: On the subject of Growth Hacking, I try to explore all facets of this field through articles like below 👇

• How do you become a growth hacker?
• What is growth hacking?
• Growth Hacker Skills?
• GROWS: Growth hacking process
• ...

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Blog posts extend the reach of your keywords.
They increase your chances of appearing in search results for a variety of keywords related to your main subject. Blogging can lead to a 434% increase in indexed pages.

If you are planning to create an e-commerce site, I recommend that you start a blog as soon as possible, as it is difficult to position yourself for keywords on product pages.

Creating blog topics that you can link internally to product pages is the best way to beat your competitors in search engines.

When a visitor arrives at a blog post, they can click on one of the internal links to take them to a page describing your products.

Once the visitor has landed on your product page, you will have the opportunity to convert them into a paying customer.

READ: Why should every business have a blog?

What is reverse SEO?

Reverse SEO is the practice of reverse engineering search results.

When you implement this practice, your goal is to push results away from the first page of Google.

Why would you want to remove search results from Google?

Reverse SEO is used as a reputation management tactic in most cases.

This practice makes it possible to make the referencing of links that may be harmful to your brand less visible. As a result, fewer people will be able to see negative news about the business, such as negative reviews on Glassdoor, for example.

Theoretically, it's impossible to remove negative comments on Google, but it's possible to give less visibility to websites that post bad reviews about your business.

How to do a reverse SEO

There are three main ways to perform reverse SEO.

1. Request the removal of content from external sites.
2. Create more content around the specific query to rank our competitors.
3. Promote competitors for the targeted search query.

The most ideal choice is option number one, as options two and three can take a long time.

The third option is certainly not ideal, but sometimes it is the most viable option in different scenarios.

The second option generally requires the creation of more authoritative content in order to outperform the negative search result to be effective.

The second option is the most used tactic when it comes to reverse SEO.

Reverse SEO scenario

Let's say a customer wants to have a negative review removed from Glassdoor. To do that, you need to rely on Glassdoor to write positive reviews.

By writing positive reviews on Glassdoor, the negative review will start to be pushed back onto the platform.

Take a look at a typical Glassdoor review and see how it appears in search results.

Review titles are typically shown, so pushing down specific negative reviews will bring up the specific titles you've written.

You might say to yourself, “It won't last long because other people can write negative reviews, right?”

Yes, that's why businesses hire reverse SEO agencies to monitor this stuff.

If you need to implement reverse SEO for any reason, I invite you to be ethical.

Here is a summary of SEO best practices.

Summary - SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing a website or blog to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

To do this, a combination of on-page and off-page techniques is used, such as keyword research, content optimization, link building, and technical SEO. The goal of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of organic traffic to a website or blog, which can lead to better search engine rankings, greater visibility, and ultimately more conversions and revenue.

SEO best practices

Here are a summary of 16 SEO best practices that you can monitor and implement to improve your ranking in the SERPs:

1. Deploy schema.org markup to appear in search results.
2. Add an image sitemap so Google can crawl your site for images.
3. Create a video sitemap to increase the indexability of your video content.
4. Produce trending, high-quality content to be featured in Google's most important articles.
5. Leverage Google search results for related searches to support your content creation.
6. Optimize your images by adding “alt text” and compressing file sizes.
7. Avoid targeting keywords with too much competition and focus on long-tail keywords that have average competition.
8. Remove unwanted results with the no-index tag in your robots.txt file.
9. Produce better quality content than that of your competitors for the targeted keywords.
10. Use wikis to appear on the Google Graph Panel and Google Graph Knowledge
11. Implement open graph metatags.
12. Follow the best practices for on-site SEO
13. Implement best practices for Technical SEO
14. Consistently create high-quality backlinks for off-page SEO.
15. Create NAP citations to influence the local SEO package.
16. Use the Google my business profile to index your site as a local business.

Did you find this step-by-step SEO guide helpful? What is the hardest part of SEO for you?

Be sure to share this article with others who can benefit from it 🙂.

Different SEO guides

• WooCommerce SEO Optimization Guide
• Magento SEO Optimization Guide
• Prestashop SEO Optimization Guide
• Wix SEO Optimization Guide
• Squarespace SEO Optimization Guide
• BigCommerce SEO Optimization Guide
• Shopify SEO Optimization Guide
• Webflow SEO Optimization Guide
• SEO Guide for Startups
• SEO guide for small businesses

FAQ - SEO

How do I delete a Google search result?

There are two scenarios when it comes to deleting Google search results.

Scenario 1

You are in control of what content you want to remove from Google Search. This means that you, or someone in your organization, has the right to do the following.

1. Delete the page that appears in the unwanted search result
2. 301 redirection of the page appearing in the unwanted search result
3. No index the page appearing in the unwanted search result

Of the three options, from the point of view of SEO best practices, you should choose option number 3 if you want the page to disappear from the search results.

How do I remove indexing pages?

To not index a page, simply select “no index” using the All in one SEO pack plugin for WordPress.

Simple, but scenario number two is a bit more complex to solve.

Scenario 2

You don't have control over what content you want to remove from Google Search. This means that the search result you want to remove is published on an external website.

So how do you take away something that doesn't belong to you? The answer is reverse SEO.

What are the SEO metrics to follow?

As the example shows, the Average industry benchmark for e-commerce is 2%.

This conversion rate varies across different vertical sectors.

As indicated in the infographic seen above, the CTR (Click Through Rate) of the number 1 search engine position is 31.7%.

Why such a low percentage?

For some keywords, Google ads rank high in the top positions.

These sponsored inserts are displayed above the organic search results and thus concentrate a good part of Internet users' clicks.

For example for the query:”Learn SEO“, Google displays nearly 5 ads.

Tip: Don't target keywords that have too many Google Ads ads to increase your organic CTR (click through rate).

What is AMP in SEO?

Accelerated Mobile Pages is an open-source project designed to speed up the loading of mobile web pages.

Google created it taking into account that new trends should be immediately accessible.

Once the implementation is complete, I recommend using theAMP test tool to verify compliance with Google Search requirements for AMP.

What are open graph meta tags in SEO?

Google shows Twitter comments. To potentially appear in these results, you will need to implement what are called Open Graph metatags. More specifically, the Twitter Open Graph metatags.

What are Google-related search queries in SEO?

Related queries contain a gold mine of valuable information to flesh out your content. These results are located at the bottom of the search results.

These queries show you what users are looking for related to your target keyword.

Related questions are known as “long-tail queries,” which are more specific to your target keyword and can convert users at a higher rate.

Here is an example:

Long-tail keywords carry user intent and should always be used to add additional context to your messages.

Long-tail keywords are one of the most underused tactics by large companies that mainly focus their efforts on generic and therefore too competitive keywords.

What is the Google Search Console?

The Google Search Console is a free web service offered by Google that allows webmasters to check various factors affecting the indexing of their site in Google.

To set up the Google Search Console, you need to copy and paste a code onto your site. Adding this code does not require any technical skills.

Don't worry if you don't see the improvements dropdown menu in Google Search Console. The improvements will only appear when the schema is implemented on your site.

How to monitor Google rankings

To monitor SEO performance, use the ranking tracking system of SEMrush. You'll want to see how your ranking positions change over time after the scheme is implemented.

Additionally, SEMrush can show you how many featured snippets are shown in Google for your site and competitors.

If you don't like SEMrush, SE Ranking is also a good alternative that allows you to track the position of your keywords on search engines day by day.

How to spy on your competitors

Enter your competitor's domain name into SEMrush, and the tool will show you the number of keywords that produce a schema markup result in Google.