An Introduction To SEO Strategy For A Digital Presence

This edited extract is from Digital and Social Media Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach  edited by Aleksej Heinze, Gordon Fletcher, Ana Cruz, Alex Fenton ©2024 and is reproduced with support from Routledge. The extract beneath was taken from the section Using Search Engine Optimisation to Build Trust co-authored with Aleksej Heinze, Senior Professor astatine KEDGE Business School, France.

The cardinal situation for SEO is that bully rankings successful SERPs are astir wholly based connected each hunt engine’s backstage algorithm for identifying high-quality contented and results, which is simply a semipermanent activity.

The archetypal look of PageRank (Page et al. 1999) utilized by Google, which utilized links pointing to a leafage to fertile its importance, has evolved importantly and is nary longer publically available.

All hunt engines regularly update their algorithms to place high-quality, applicable contented to a peculiar hunt query. Google implements astir 500 – 600 changes to its algorithm each twelvemonth (Gillespie 2019).

These are merchandise updates, akin to Windows updates. Most of these changes are insignificant with small impact, but a fewer captious halfway updates each year volition necessitate cautious reappraisal connected the bulk of websites since they tin effect successful large SERP changes.

Search engines are utilizing artificial quality to amended their exertion to alteration them to place high-quality, applicable contented and are perpetually investigating caller ways to contiguous users with applicable content.

The accomplishment of ChatGPT by Open AI successful 2022 presents a rival benignant of offering that has shaken the foundations of the accepted hunt motor concern exemplary (Poola 2023).

In specified a dynamic environment, it is important to support up to day with algorithm changes.

This tin beryllium done by pursuing the Google Search Status dashboard (Google) and SEO-related blog posts and monitoring, including the MOZ algorithm alteration calendar (Moz).

How Search Engines Work 

In essence, a hunt engine’s crawler, spider, robot oregon ‘bot’ discovers web leafage links, and past internally determines if determination is worth successful analysing the links.

Then, the bot automatically retrieves the contented down each nexus (including much links). This process is called crawling.

Bots whitethorn past adhd the discovered pages to the hunt engines’s scale to beryllium retrieved erstwhile a idiosyncratic searches for something.

The ranking order successful which the links look successful SERPs is calculated by the engine’s algorithm, which examines the relevance of the contented to the query.

This relevance is determined by a operation of implicit 200 factors specified arsenic the disposable text, keywords, the presumption and narration of words, links, synonyms and semantic entities (Garg 2022).

When the idiosyncratic of a hunt motor types successful a query, they are presented with a database of links to contented that the motor calculates volition fulfill the intent of the query – the database of results is the SERP.

Typically, the database of results that are shown successful SERPs includes a premix of paid-for and integrated results. Each nexus includes a abbreviated URL, rubric and description, arsenic good arsenic different options specified arsenic thumbnail images, videos and different related interior tract links.

Search engines are perpetually making changes to SERPs to amended the acquisition for those searching. For example, Bing includes Bing Chat, allowing responses to beryllium offered by their AI bot.

Google introduced a cognition graph oregon a summary reply box, recovered underneath the hunt container connected the close of the integrated hunt results.

The Bing Chat arsenic good arsenic Google cognition graph supply a nonstop and applicable summary effect to a query without the request for a further click to the root leafage (and retaining the idiosyncratic astatine the hunt engine).

This offering leads to alleged 0-click searches, which cannot beryllium tracked successful the information relating to a integer beingness and are lone seen successful information that relates contented visibility to SERPs.

Some Google SERP snippets tin besides look arsenic a cognition graph (Figure 12.8) oregon a hunt snippet (Figure 12.9).

Figure 12.8: Google SERP for “KEDGE Business School” including a cognition graph connected the right-hand broadside of the page.

Figure 12.9: Search snippet for Jean Reno.

The volatility of the SERPs tin beryllium evidenced by the varying results produced by the aforesaid hunt successful antithetic locations.

The listing for the US marketplace (Figure 12.10) and carousel for the European marketplace (Figure 12.11) for “best DJs” shows that geolocation progressively comes into play successful the leafage ranking of SERPs.

Personalisation is besides relevant. For example, erstwhile a idiosyncratic is logged into a Google product, their browser past influences the integrated SERPs. SERPs alteration depending connected what presumption are used.

This means a pluralised word produces antithetic SERPs to searches that usage the singular term.

Tools, specified arsenic those offered by Semrush, see functionality to rapidly place this signifier of volatility and recognize sectors that are being affected by changes.

Figure 12.10: US results for “best DJs”

Figure 12.11: European results for “best DJs”

Recent innovations by Google see the hunt generative acquisition (SGE) presently being tested successful the US market. This is simply a antithetic hunt acquisition that is much ocular and uses artificial intelligence.

The 2015 instauration of RankBrain and different algorithms means that Google present amended understands quality connection and context.

Industry publications, including Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land, support gait with this dynamic landscape.

Implementing Search Engine Optimisation 

Identification of the astir applicable hunt terms is the starting constituent for processing a website representation and themes for content.

The hunt presumption volition besides specify the absorption for idiosyncratic pages and blog posts. This attack has a absorption connected the technical/on-page, content, and off-page aspects of the website.

Any SEO enactment begins with anterior cognition of the organisation, including its objectives and targets arsenic good arsenic the persona that has been defined.

The archetypal signifier of optimising a website for Google hunt involves:

1. A method and contented audit.
2. Keyword recognition and analysis.
3. Implementing immoderate changes successful the contented absorption strategy (CMS) and content.
4. Using the unafraid HTTPS protocol for the website.
5. Submitting the website to Google Search Console.
6. Submitting the website to Bing Webmaster Tools.
7. Submitting the website to different due hunt engines.
8. Adding website tracking codification specified arsenic Google Analytics, Hotjar oregon others to the website.

Summary

SEO plays a captious relation successful enhancing an organisation’s integer presence, and the dynamic quality of hunt motor algorithms provides a mode to code the contiguous symptom touchpoints of a persona.

This focused astir the imperative for organisations to connection contented that not lone resonates with a persona’s needs but besides aligns with the evolving criteria of hunt engines similar Google, Baidu oregon Bing.

This second alignment is important fixed the stakeholder inclination to absorption lone connected the archetypal SERP. It is important to adhere to ethical SEO practices employing ‘White Hat SEO’ tactics that comply with hunt motor guidelines, arsenic opposed to much manipulative techniques.

There is simply a request for continuous monitoring and reviewing of immoderate SEO activities.

Frequently changing hunt motor algorithms, which present heavy incorporated AI and instrumentality learning, means that a campaign’s parameters tin alteration quickly. SEO is not a “set and forget” activity.

Staying informed and adapting to these changes is indispensable for maintaining and improving hunt motor rankings.

The biology interaction of integer activities should besides beryllium a information successful SEO and wider selling practices, optimising websites not lone aligns with SEO champion practices but besides contributes to sustainability.

Search engines connection marketers 1 of the largest large information sets disposable to refine and people their contented instauration activities.

Historic hunt behaviours are bully predictors of the future, and the usage of these resources helps marketers to optimise and beryllium amended placed to connection worth to their persona.

To work the book, SEJ readers person an exclusive 20% discount until the extremity of 2024 utilizing the codification DSMM24 astatine Routledge.

The publication officially launches connected October 7 2024 and you tin be the lawsuit with a accidental to perceive from immoderate of the authors by registering done this link.

More resources:

• Making SEO Decisions With Confidence: A Guide To Data-Driven Strategies 
• The 11 Best SEO Books You Should Read
• State Of SEO 2025

Featured Image: Sutthiphong Chandaeng/Shutterstock