What is SEO?
In the search engines will come out a lot of information (mostly advertising). Some resources, responding to this question, cite each other, some give their definition of SEO, but not that much explanation about it.
What’s especially interesting: some resources even not write “SEO” in English and “SEO,” introducing some confusion in the understanding of the issue. This abbreviation does not decrypt because it is writing the Cyrillic letters in English, respectively typed any sense she is not responsible.
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Wikipedia gives the following definition of SEO:
Search engine optimization (Engl. search engine optimization, SEO) is a set of measures for internal and external optimization for uplifting site positions in search engines results for specific needs. As well (or “intending to”) increase traffic (information resources) and potential customers (economic resources) and then monetizing that traffic.
I agree with this definition. But for a beginner information from Wikipedia might seem a bit complicated and confusing.
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Here is an example that provides to my clients:
SEO is any action aimed at the conclusion of your site or any other of your site in search engines top positions for attracting visitors.
Here I extend the concept of SEO. It’s not just the direct promotion of your site, but also indirect attracting visitors to your site by placing their materials on other websites.
So, I highlight two types of SEO:
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Direct SEO is directly promoting your site when search engine produces results on request visitor link on this site.
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Indirect SEO is the promotion of your company by posting their materials on other websites to attract visitors to your site. The result of the search, in this case, does not lead to your site, and the stranger, and customers, if they are interested in the information, can come out at you.
If something like running a direct SEO, understandably enough — about it write lead themselves search engines direct SEO services offer a variety of specialists and company regarding indirect SEO need additional explanation.
How does indirect SEO work?
You post information article (it is information, not advertising) that associated with a product your activities on any relevant website (Forum community, Online Edition).
Your article can go in the top positions of search results for specific queries.
The user enters this site, reads your article.
If visitors are interested in your information and you may become a visitor of your website (follow the link from the article on your site, if the intern share lets you place links, either by company name or by name and surname).
Without the history of nowhere!
To better understand what SEO is and how the present situation, we need to dive into the history of the subject. When search engines were (they were from Russia’s Rambler, Mail, Yandex), impact sites on extradition was great, because the sites themselves were not so much as it is now, and the search engines themselves were still not as developed.
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What was this time? It was a time of experimentation. Internet access (in the modern understanding) then being created. Accordingly, many practices have not yet developed. Search engines then were one of the sources of information. They were not so much developed and not yet dictated market conditions.
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I even found a time when sites called the rumor, or direct links and their titles are injected directly into the address bar. Today, even if the site title is known, it is usually still injected into the search engine. Some even today do not know what the address bar is, and almost all browsers it is not just the address and search.
As happened earlier ranking SERPs? Search engines take into account the following information:
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Page structure (so-called meta tags, headers, keywords);
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The number of links leading to the site.
The more links to your site and bicycles than correct from a technical point of view framed page is the more likely the site was in top SERPs.
Why did this be of paramount importance? Search engines have not had such capacity as it is now and not invented such a sophisticated ranking algorithms. For example, Yandex search at the 98-year worked only on three computers.
Search engines somehow had to “trust” the creators of websites.
And that’s it then started speculation and manipulation of the search engine. There were various “gray” and “black” promotion methods (Exchange links and different tools for meta-tags, etc.), It was possible to buy thousands of links to thousands of sites and be in top SERPs.
Then the search engines began to develop. And now these search engines ranking algorithms have been improved so that it can say that the number of links and page structure relevant to them not like before.
Google and Yandex, in its recommendations, saying that you do not need too much worry about internal site structure and order page looks like for search engines, you need to, first of all, think about how she read customers. Search engines have begun looking at sites regarding visitors and increasingly approaching a human understanding of the content.
Want to clarify a few points. What is the structure of the page now is not as important for search engines, does not mean that you do not need to fill in titles, descriptions? It is a must-do, but not regarding search engine, and from the visitor. Search engines display search results as it is the names of the sites and meta descriptions, so they should appear on each page.
Also, want to draw attention to one more nuance. Yes, meta tags are now not so important for search engines, but should not be confused with the meta tags description of other information. In addition to the text on the page, there are a variety of elements: images, video, etc. This more complex formats for indexing. Search engines can not calculate until that contained in a video or photo. They can calculate it, only if we create a text description to this type of content. Therefore, such reports added to the site (using alt-text). It helps the search engines better understand what images and videos on your site, which in turn increases their likelihood of image search results and video.
In the same way as the structure of the page and the number of links to search engines no matter what engine website. Some sources claim that the platform on which the site (whether it is a CMS or platform Designer) — “SEO friendly.” Of course, this marketing gimmicks and CMS developers themselves, who say that search engines will have better rank a site created on their basis than websites written in other systems. It’s not that. Web site engine almost has no effect on the promotion of the site. Why? Because the search engine doesn’t care what’s written the site, it may not even be aware of this.
What is the most important platform of the place regarding search engine:
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The speed of the location and the opening pages. The platform should provide high speed of work. The quicker, the better the site opens first of all for the user. And if you have any bulky CMS speeds faster than any rasp Aren framework is no principle has no platform.
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Your website engine must either support the mobile version, either use an Adaptive design.
Turning to the background, bottom line: ranking principles that operated before, are no longer as effective. SEO now should be regarded as part of the marketing strategy. Now, paradoxically, the digital life all closer to reality. If earlier sites had to disclose its content (by using meta-tags, etc.), now the search engines learn to do it yourself. They took a lot of work on myself. That why meta tags are no longer such an important search engines. And if earlier information about themselves placed in the magazine, book, the catalog is now applying to Internet resources is happening the same thing — it is necessary that the content of the site was visually pleasing and informative, as in a real journal. It is part of the marketing strategy.
SEO = search engine
It is important to understand that SEO and search engines are inextricably linked. SEO without search engines just do not exist. You all are doing just to search engines notice your material, understood it, analyzed and issued in the first places its extradition requests of visitors.
How does search work?
Let’s break down, as now organized the search process.
Do search engines there are so-called spiders, which pass through the links on the website of the Inland on each page.
These spiders index the site, i.e. retain all that “read” in the index to my database. And when a visitor enters a query into the search box, the search engine looks for information in the database and not on the sites.
Things you should know: the search engine looking for information in the database.
It follows several conclusions:
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If a search engine spider is not already on your site, it did not save information about your site in their database; it will not issue such a site in the query result visitors.
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Conversely, if the search engine has indexed your site, then it displays search results. What place is another question?
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If, for example, your article that you just posted, the not yet index in a search spider and someone copied it, and his site indexed faster than your — This article for search engines will belong to a site that copied content and not you. As a result, the competitor will be higher in the SERP, and the original can not get into it because the search engine just ignores duplicates. What should I do to protect myself from this is a separate issue, and in this article, we won’t discuss it.
How does a search engine determine what to show a visitors?
There are quite a lot of information about what the ranking algorithm, there are many professionals who write books about how search engine provides information on request but this is just a guesses. Why?
How the search engine displays the information a visitor at his request — it is a commercial secret of each search engine. Nobody knows exactly how going delivery of results.
Google once joked that for page ranking hires pigeons, which randomly chosen page.
Of course, the question is, why do the search engines don’t tell how to create such a page to its search engine is very well understood. It is done to ensure that it was not possible to manipulate the extradition. If users, specialists, Web developers will know how the ranges site search engine works, they will be able to adjust and manage issuance, not for a search engine.
What can we do?
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Firstly, you need to follow to promote the search engine in which you promote. The recommendations in the various search engines are different, but in general, they are similar.
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Secondly, you simply need to create compelling content and create it a lot. As I wrote above, you can create articles, which should meet certain principles (which we’ll discuss below in the section “Legal SEO”)
What we can’t do?
It is not possible to buy a place in the search engine.
I have repeatedly heard about the existence of the mythical acquaintances in the administration of any search engine, or that the company is so fresh and great, that they could buy a seat in the SERP and it’s not the exception.
Methods of website promotion
Traditionally, emit white, gray and black, but I would still be singled out from the rules of search engine advertising methods as follows:
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Legal SEO-promotion methods aimed at matching the resource requirements of search engine and visitor received relevant information
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Illegal SEO methods, which do not conform to the demands of a search engine to search engine manipulation.
Illegal SEO
To illegal SEO regarding search engine refers, for example, the use of doorway pages and cloaking. Doorway pages are Web pages that optimized for individual search queries and redirect users to other sites. It is inconvenient because the first few search results can lead to the same page or resources that are of no interest.The cloaking-the user given a single page easy to read, and the crawler is different, optimized for any queries.
Now actually illegal SEO goes into oblivion because anyone who tries to trick a search engine is easily computed. Besides not asleep competitors who also promoted by SEO. If your competitors find that you are copying content, then they may write a complaint to customer support, and search engine just will reduce you to surrender or will ban altogether.
Illegal promotion techniques that are being actively fighting search engines include SEO and links irrelevant pages. These exchanges abroad, in Russia a few left. They sell links on their websites to attract the so-called referential mass. But what should the advertiser, it is not always necessary to site visitor. In other words, if I drive a search query “SEO,” I want to see information about SEO, rather than services to various companies and professionals.
Search engines are now quite successfully with this struggle because the level of confidence in the quest from visitors falls due to irrelevant to extradition.
Why else would we do not recommend the use of illegal methods of promotion? In the case of disclosures in the use of “black” methods and proper methods of development may go wasted, the site will be a downgrade in the SERP, or does it banned.
Legal SEO
What are all the same there are legal methods of promotion? Let me give you effective methods of practice my and my customers that meet recommendations of Yandex and Google.
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Create unique content. You need to create content that will be useful and interesting to visitors. Articles should carry valuable information for visitors and possess a particular volume. It should not be small and deployed a detailed report at least 7-8 thousands of characters that reveal the truth of the matter as deeply as possible.
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Try to add new content regularly. It does not mean that you need every day to post blog entries, no, let it be once a week (or other frequency), but let it be good quality materials.
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Stay on relevant sites with moderation. Articles should be placed on appropriate resources that cause confidence in the search engines. If I post an article on a technical topic on the forum about cosmetics, whatever good it was, it never will index as well as if I posted on Habrahabr. It needs to be understood.
In the search engines is critical as this is the credibility of the site. Accordingly, if this site has a moderate (as, for example, Habrahabr), the credibility of this site will be much more. Therefore, the material, which will be posting here will be well ranked by search engines.
What promotion methods are questionable
In my experience and the experience of my clients, some development techniques that presented which have questionable benefit.
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Not proven the effect of social networks SEO-promotion.
If you have posted your article to the social network, for example, and bought thousands of likes, it doesn’t boost your page ranking weight. Thousands of people are not equal thousands of links to your site. And search engines for a long time it’s filtered through sophisticated recognition algorithms that negate these manipulations.
I have a client who maintains his blog at Livejournal and Facebook. The client moves through the paid tools, and within social networks, it has some success and producing results, but none of the positions in the search engines for not coming out when targeted queries.
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Placing information about your company (with a link to the site) in various online catalogs and databases do not increase website position in SERP
Often people in the business resort to placing information about your company with a link to your site in the top 100 Internet directories. It does not work, because these webs sites are little trust in search engines, this not relevant information and search engine by just placing links to hundreds of directories, nothing means.
But there is one exception is when you post information on your site the information about the company-client with whom you have worked. It is a critical point. Your site will be people who are looking for your client. For example, if I am working with the company “vector” and wrote a short review in the description of the customer on the site, my site will go in search results when you query the LLC “vector.” It helps increase traffic, albeit indirect. Such a reference would be sufficiently competitive.
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Posting of various types also does not work.
Posting in different forums, communities and social networks is another trend of recent times. Posting is public comment opportunities from different materials on the Internet and posting links in these observations. In fact, copyright is posting on other people’s submissions. Such references likely will not be taken into account when ranking search results.
Advertising against the SEO
Many wondered: advertising vs. SEO (Yandex Direct, Google Adwords vs. SEO). What to choose: contextual advertising or SEO-promotion. I will not recommend any of these species since they both are effective at skilled work. I will only cite what advantages and disadvantages to both the method of promotion are.
Advertisement. Advantages and disadvantages of
Advantages:
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The speed of accommodation you place your ad, it passes moderation, and in the case of approval and availability payment, she immediately goes into the tops of search engines.
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Manageability-you can control the price and decide when and where to advertise.
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Target — search engines provide the opportunity to use settings, such as negative words, region, etc.
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Predictability is that you can say what your ad will appear if the search engine approved your advertisement. You can be sure that the search engine will show a specific number of ads.
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Free content-your ads will appear regardless of the content on your site; you don’t have to change the site to promote it through contextual advertising.
Disadvantages:
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Contextual advertising does not leave footprints — once you stopped paying, no trace of your website in SERP. Some believe that given to advertising promote a site for future SEO-promotion, but this is misleading.
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It is relatively expensive. Some would argue that I have low-frequency queries. But now, fewer and fewer opportunities to move through not right way, because if you work in a competitive market, the same thoughts as you have and your competitors.
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Such advertising is good “cut” various adds, banners. For example, I see almost no publicity, because it only hides my AdBlock.
Advantages and disadvantages of SEO
Advantages:
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Not “cut” AdBlock. No anti-adds blocks cut issuance sites, advanced through SEO. Search engines are always will give such material, and their hide there.
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If you have placed the article, and it came out at the top of the search engine, then the visitor clicking on it, after reading it and clicking on your site will be more predisposed than if he clicks on the advertisement. The guest will be given a higher level of trust to you. It is one thing when I click on advertising and understand that there can write anything at all, and another thing, when I read the article, got valuable information, and the level of credibility of such the site and such information accordingly higher.
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Long-term positions. No one can, of course, guarantee how long your stuff will stay at the top, but it will not disappear without a trace from the SERPs, even if his position to deteriorate.
Disadvantages:
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Poor predictability. No, you cannot guarantee that the article will come out tops SERPs. Of course, you can achieve if you observe some rules, but there are so many that it’s very easy to lose something. Also, the material must be very carefully prepared and placed in the high-quality resources.
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High price. SEO has a price compared to advertising in the Direkte, for example. Good SEO is worth big money. To prepare a good article, good content, you need a lot more time than just post the link in the same Direkte.
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Your site must meet certain requirements. If the location is fiddly, and search engines will not rank it high.
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And of course, these materials do not immediately appear in the SERP. For this to pass the time, there needs to be patience.
