How to do SEO for website step by step
This article contains complete detailed instructions on website optimization with examples of using SEO tools. With it, you can optimize your sites yourself.
Website optimization can be divided into:
1. On-page SEO
On-page website optimization includes:
1.0 Before submitting a website to Google
The site must be adapted (for mobile devices) and use the HTTPS protocol!
Checklist before adding a site to Google (source):
- Does your site's content meet quality standards?
- Does Google have information about your company?
- Does the content of the site load quickly enough on various devices?
- Is your site safe for users?
1.1 SEO audit
SEO tools for website analysis allow you to simplify the internal optimization of the site as much as possible.
Site audit consists of:
- Indexing (sitemap, canonical, robots.txt, meta robots)
- Checking meta tags (presence, length, content, relevancy, duplicates)
- Content analysis (spelling, uniqueness, duplicates, thin content)
- Link checking (broken links, redirects, server errors, transfered weight)
- Image checking (broken images, not compressed)
- Checking page loading speed
Use our free site audit tool (for sites up to 10,000 pages).
1.1.1 Indexing (sitemap, canonical, robots.txt, meta robots)
The presence of a sitemap that is up-to-date and does not contain errors (links to non-existent pages, redirects, non-canonical pages, closed in robots.txt) is an important signal to the search engine.
It also helps to speed up the indexing of important pages.
The canonical meta tag helps the search engine eliminate duplicates.
If there are pages with the same content but different links, you must specify in the canonical tag a link to the page that should be indexed.
If the page url differs from the canonical url, the page will not be indexed and should not be included in the sitemap.
Pages with generated content (for example, site search results pages) - should be blocked from indexing in the robots.txt file or using the robots meta tag.
1.1.2 Checking meta tags (presence, length, content, relevancy, duplicates)
All important pages of the site that should be indexed must contain meta tags.
Pages with a missing tite or description that is too short will not be included in the search index.
The words contained in tite and description help the search engine understand what queries to rank the page in the search results for. Therefore, these tags should not be too short.
The words used in tite and description (or their synonyms) must be present in the page content. Otherwise, the page may not be included in the search index.
Each page must have a unique tite and description. Pages of duplicates or almost duplicates for these tags can be glued together and only one of the pages will appear in the index (cannibalization).
1.1.3 Content analysis (spelling, uniqueness, duplicates, thin content)
Eliminate spelling errors.
Find low content pages and refine them.
Find duplicate pages or pages with similar content and merge them (or include a link to the best version in the canonical tag).
All pages must be unique both within the site itself and on the Internet.
If a search engine finds the same or very similar content on other pages on the internet, it may not rank your page.
1.1.4 Link checking (broken links, redirects, server errors, transfered weight)
Fix all links leading to non-existent pages, pages with redirects.
If there are 5xx server errors then fix them. The presence of such errors, as well as a large number of links to missing pages - is a signal to the search engine that the site is not supported.
Redistribute links so that the most important pages get the most weight (amount of links).
1.1.5 Image checker (broken images, not compressed)
Find broken images. Broken images on the pages of the site can adversely affect behavioral factors.
Find pages containing uncompressed images. Too much image weight slows down page loading, which can increase bounce rate.
1.1.6 Checking page loading speed
Find pages that take a long time to load and optimize loading speed. Loading speed directly affects the bounce rate as well.
Slow pages are lowered in search results.
1.2 Keywords research
All answers to questions on the topic read here.
And in order to simplify the work of compiling the keyword research for the site pages as much as possible, a tool was developed that allows you to quickly find all queries - Keyword research
1.3 Content writing
When writing content, use words from the keyword research. Don't use the same word over and over, use synonyms.
Try to answer all the questions that users ask in search queries. Use as many unique words from your search terms as possible, but don't use misspelled words.
This will allow the search engine algorithms to more accurately recognize the subject matter of the content and include it in the index. Since pages for which it is not possible to accurately determine the topic may not be included in the search index.
Check content for spelling errors.
Use images and videos to complement the content.
Link to authoritative, quality, relevant content instead of duplicating it, these links will also improve your site's rankings.
You can check whether all keywords from the keyword research are present in the page content with this tool.
1.4 Usability check
All important pages of the website should be available in 1-2 clicks from the main page.
Buttons and links should be clickable on mobile devices (> 40*40px).
The font size is easy to read on any device.
Contacts, shopping cart, delivery method - easy to find on the page.
2. Off-page website optimization
Off-page website optimization includes:
2.1 Link building
Quality content does not need artificial link building. Also action may be taken for this from Google.
In order for your content to be linked, it must be the best content on the web. When users find interesting unique material, they themselves will want to share it.
Natural links carry the most weight. And confirm the credibility and quality of the content.
2.2 Analysis of behavioral factors and improvement of user engagement
Install Google Analytics on your website. Study user behavior and improve site structure.
Find pages with a high bounce rate - improve them, and add links to related materials that may be of interest to the user to reduce the bounce rate.
Analyze the exit pages - these should be the pages where the user made a conversion or received all the necessary information.
If it's an intermediate page, design the navigation so that users find the content they need.
Find pages with low watch time - improve content until watch time increases. Or delete the page and direct users to better content.
2.3 Brand promotion
Search queries that include your brand name are an indicator of the authority of the site.
No one will take traffic from you and will not force you out of the first positions for your branded queries.
Therefore, the creation of a brand (the creation of new queries that will be 100% answered by your site and receive the maximum CTR) is an important external factor.
Run branded ad campaigns so that users search your site for branded queries. This will strengthen the position of the site not only for brand queries, but also for all queries associated with the brand name.
How it works? For example: frequent use of the phrase "SEO site audit Site-Submit" in the search will raise the position of the site for the query "SEO site audit".
It's all for today. But the content is constantly updated. So be sure to bookmark this page.
PS: Content updates - allows the page to stay in the top and does not allow competitors to take a leading position. Therefore, keep all materials up to date.