The main SEO techniques distinguish between approaches that enhance positioning and those that lead to penalties. How to implement SEO techniques correctly to optimize a website? The first thing to consider is the functioning of Google's algorithm and its constant modifications, which can significantly impact positioning factors.
In the process of indexing web pages, Google's spiders or bots play a fundamental role. These automated agents explore the internet through links, scanning and recording connections between pages so that a page can appear in search results. When encountering a new page or revisiting an existing one, spiders read, extract, and archive the indexed content of pages. Indexing involves saving the information present on pages in a vast database.
This process ensures that Google maintains updated information by continually examining websites. Spiders read, analyze, and index every page, archiving only new information or changes. This constant activity is essential to monitor page changes and ensure updated responses to user searches.
The actions of spiders can be summarized in five steps: exploration, reading and interpretation, indexing, classification and scoring, and the creation of the information index.
A new page rarely positions itself immediately among the top results because spiders still need to analyze, influencing visits and orders. Positioning on Google is not immediate and depends on the techniques used and the competition. Continuous research and study are essential because techniques, algorithms, and competitive dynamics evolve.
Google's algorithm is a complex set of mathematical formulas that assess the quality of website content. This system aims to position millions of web pages worldwide to provide precise answers to user searches. When a search is conducted on Google, the algorithm identifies user questions and converts the sought-after answers into links from the most relevant websites. Experts have studied Google's algorithm to understand its functioning, but the search engine undergoes constant changes, more than 500 times a year. These updates aim to improve the quality of search results to fully satisfy users. Changes can be imperceptible or generate significant shifts in the ranking of results, influencing web pages in terms of rewards or penalties. Google makes regular changes to prevent the abuse of deceptive SEO practices and persuade people to use the paid advertising service, Google AdWords. Over the years, changes have been directed towards enhancing the user experience and maintaining a balance between organic results and paid advertising.
The success of a website in search engines is closely tied to its ability to reach and maintain a prominent position in search results. For this reason, search engine optimization practices are adopted to improve the site's positioning. Google, aware of this, provides guidelines and educates users on the use of effective and correct strategies.
Google emphasizes that SEO changes, even if seemingly minor, can have a significant impact on user experience and organic search ranking. However, there is no secret formula to automatically reach the top position on Google; by following best practices and adhering to guidelines, it becomes easier for search engines to index and understand the site's content.
Positioning strategies include ethically sound techniques, defined as white hat SEO, which adhere to search engine guidelines. In contrast, black hat SEO employs unethical practices.
White hat SEO Strategies
White hat strategies focus on producing high-quality content, technical optimization of the website, and promotion using legitimate approaches that adhere to the rules established by search engines.
Below are the most common techniques you need to be aware of to maintain a competitive position.
Keywords:
1. Keyword research: identifying relevant keywords is crucial. Tools like Keyword Tool and Keyword Planner help identify the best keywords to describe the content of the site.
2. Title and meta description optimization: page titles should contain crucial keywords. Meta descriptions are HTML elements that provide a brief description of a web page's content. This description appears in search engine results under the link title, giving users an idea of what they can expect to find on the web page; although not directly influencing ranking, they are important for attracting visitors.
3. Keywords in page text: introduce keywords into the page text naturally. Consider density, frequency, prominence, proximity, and consistency of keywords to optimize content.
Link Building: to achieve success online, it is essential to attract traffic to your website. The key practice for doing this is link building, which involves placing your site's URL on various platforms. This allows visitors to click on hyperlinks from other sites, increasing the site's authority in the eyes of Google.
The quantity and quality of sites linking to yours are crucial and quality is often assessed through a parameter known as Page Rank. Initially focusing on quantity may be advised, with the expectation that quality improves over time. Google tracks every click on inbound links, recognizing the site as more popular as the links increase.
Blog: contrary to common perception, a blog is a powerful strategy to improve SEO positioning. Regularly publishing on the blog allows you to address a wide range of topics creatively, integrating photos, videos, and links. Additionally, it's ideal for leveraging long-tail keywords.
The blog enables user interaction through comments, a aspect positively evaluated by Google's algorithm. Blogs are also excellent tools for link building, allowing the integration of content from other sites.
Image optimization: images enhance the user experience and the aesthetic appearance of the site. It is essential to include the ALT TAG in HTML language to provide textual descriptions for images.
The relationship between the surrounding text and images is relevant for Google's interpretation of the image's meaning. Additionally, reducing image sizes is important to avoid slowdowns in site speed. Image optimization significantly contributes to overall advantages from a positioning perspective.
Black hat SEO - Penalties
Google provides guidelines for good SEO practices, and violating these rules can lead to penalties and disadvantages. Penalties may result from on-page infractions, the use of "toxic" links, or spam mentions. There are two types of penalties:
1. Manual penalty: applied directly by Google's Webspam Team. It assesses whether the site complies with search guidelines, and if not, it can penalize the site by removing it from Google's index, reducing its visibility.
2. Algorithmic penalty: depends on Google's algorithm updates. It detects improper techniques and penalizes the site by pushing it down in the rankings.
In both cases, the consequence is a loss of positions in the search results ranking, which can have a significant impact on site traffic and performance. The loss of positioning can be temporary or permanent, at the search engine's discretion based on the severity of the action taken by the site.
Techniques leading to these penalties are associated with black hat SEO, unethical practices aiming to achieve better positioning quickly.
The use of the following tactics can result in a loss of rankings, and in severe cases, Google may notify the webmaster of the penalty and suggest improvements to avoid exclusion from search results:
1. Keyword stuffing: this technique involves the unnatural repetition of the same keyword in a site's text to optimize the web page. However, Google's algorithm detects keyword manipulation and penalizes this practice as it makes the text unreadable and disregards the user experience.
2. Hidden text: involves writing the site's text with transparent color or the same color in the background, making it invisible to users but visible to search engines. This practice is strongly discouraged after Google's algorithm updates.
3. Duplicate content: having the same or very similar content on different pages of the site is considered deceptive and harmful to the user experience, leading to penalties.
4. Content from other sites: copying content from other sites violates copyright and anti-plagiarism regulations, resulting in penalties. Google negatively evaluates sites presenting non-original content.
5. Non-functioning or low-quality links: including non-functioning links on the site or linking to non-authoritative pages can harm the user experience.
6. Cloaking: involves presenting different content to search engines than to users. Google penalizes this practice because it creates a misleading experience for users.
7. Negative SEO: aims to harm competitors through harmful actions such as negative comments or low-quality links. This practice is unethical and can lead to position losses in search results. Black Hat SEO techniques defy Google's norms, damaging navigation, user experience, and violating SEO rules. Although frowned upon, they are not illegal, but using such practices can result in penalties and damage online reputation.
Climbing in rankings takes time and dedication. Initially, a site may be buried deep in search results, but with consistency, commitment, and the application of appropriate White Hat SEO techniques, it can rise in the rankings over time.