Our Search Engine Optimization page explains what SEO is and how it can be used to increase the online visibility of your business, but this practice has numerous layers, some of which change due to the evolutionary nature of the internet.
Like we’ve stated before, the goal of SEO is to provide Google or another search engine with the best possible content to match the search. The optimized content improves the chances that a website will turn up in the results (preferably in the top spot on the first page) in order to offer the person searching for these results with the website that most closely matches their search query.
But what parts of a website come into play when Google sends its crawlers out to browse the web in a search to match the most relevant sites with particular search terms?
All SEO experts and some web-savvy business owners are aware that content, information architecture, the platform/content management system (CMS) and infrastructure are the main ingredients of a successful site, but it’s also important to have links, SEM (search engine marketing) and social media.
How do search engines determine the relevancy of a site to a user’s search?
There are four main factors at play when a search engine is deciding whether or not a website appropriately relates to a search:
The first is content, meaning the text on the pages as well as the titles and descriptions. Do you include relevant keywords without stuffing your content with them? Be sure to include the various words and phrases people may use while searching for the product or service you offer.
Does your site run efficiently, or is it slow and clunky? Search engines won’t choose to include a site that doesn’t work correctly in the search results, so site performance is essential.
Is the content on your site organized and well written with an authoritative tone? In other words, make sure the content is reliable. Make sure to cite information where necessary and take a quick browse online to see if any other websites are using your site as a reference. The more authority your site has, the more likely it is that Google will find your site attractive.
And finally, everyone wants a visually stunning site, but it’s more important for the site to be user-friendly. Make sure your business contact information is in a prominent spot, the longer people have to search for information they want, they harder it is to keep them on your site.
Now you hopefully have a better idea of what makes a website attractive to search engines. Have any questions? Contact Liquori Co here.
