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The essence of optimization, or SEO, is to carry out work that helps improve the site's position in search results for certain key queries. With the help of promotion, you can bring in conditionally free organic traffic if the resource occupies leading positions in search. An SEO specialist works with semantics, content, technical factors, and external parameters.
In this article, we will tell you what SEO is, talk about why it is needed, what parameters affect positions, and also show you what to do. Read about this in our new material from the series "Marketing, SEO and Advertising".
Contents
1. What is SEO
2. How does a search engine work?
2.1. Ranking factors
2.2. PS filters
3. Types of SEO promotion
3.1. On-page (internal optimization)
3.2. External optimization
3.3. Black and white SEO promotion
4. How to check SEO effectiveness
5. How Bots Can "Sink" SEO
SEO (search engine optimization) is a search engine promotion of a website, that is, its internal and external optimization according to the factors that are used by search engines to rank resources in search results. The higher the rating according to certain parameters, the better the resource looks in the eyes of the search engine and the higher its positions.
Before search engine optimization, specialists also used other terms: search engine placement (that is, placement), search engine positioning (positioning, places), search engine ranking (ranking), search engine registration (visibility, search engine indexing), search engine submission (same as registration), website promotion (promotion).
Here is an example of Yandex search results for a high-frequency and highly competitive query "buy an apartment in Moscow" (yes, Moscow in this case is written with a lowercase letter, since this is a query form). The top of the results (highlighted in red) is occupied by advertisements, usually from three to five or six places. Further (highlighted in green) are already organic places. The sites took "top" positions due to SEO optimization, as well as rating and weight.
SEO promotion has one important advantage for business over other promotion channels: services are paid for once, for example, an optimized article is posted on a blog, and traffic comes for free from organic search results for a long time (until the search conditions change or competitors reach the TOP). The company will not have to pay for each click on a link in the search results, as is the case with contextual advertising.
— Internal factors in SEO
The internal content of the site, its popularity among users, relevance to requests, ease of interaction, authority and reliability are assessed. This includes behavioral factors, text, commercial, technical, host.
— External factors in SEO
External factors related to the site are assessed. First of all, links from other resources, their quantity and quality, relevance of topics, anchor ratio, etc. This also includes article placement, content marketing, personal pages on social networks, etc.
About the search intention
It is great if the site is optimized for different user search intentions. These include navigational queries (official site), commercial (buy, price, download), informational (what? where? when?), vital (Adidas) and general.
About Zero-Click Search (AEO)
AEO (answer engine optimization) is the optimization of content so that the user can get detailed information immediately from the search results, when the transition to the site is eliminated by itself. These can be lists, tables and excerpts from neural networks. If the resource has reached the TOP for this search and successfully answers user questions, then this gives a plus to the ranking.
It is important to monitor all these parameters, analyze the quality of their optimization and make the necessary adjustments in a timely manner.
For example, PS has filters for link "explosion", non-unique content, over-optimization, co-citation, adult filter for posting adult content, etc. Some of them have their own names: Panda, Minusinsk, Penguin, "Baden-Baden". Filters have a negative impact on SEO work.
If you are under a filter, the site will be excluded from it the next time the search results are updated. It is difficult to get out from under filters, it takes a long time, and most importantly, it will take time (and money) to find the reason. PS do not like cheaters.
Increasing the external link mass within reasonable limits, as a rule, refers to gray methods of website promotion. However, if it is done correctly, it can only benefit the resource.
For black SEO methods, the site can fly into the ban and lose its positions. It is advisable not to resort to such methods.
Fraudsters use bots for DDoS attacks, profile building with subsequent boosting of indicators (primarily behavioral), click fraud on ads, etc. If your site becomes a victim of such “building”, then all efforts on SEO promotion can go down the drain along with search positions.
You can get banned by the PS and think: "Why me?". The culprit may be such artificial boosts that your competitors could use.
To protect your positions and all the SEO work on promotion that you have invested in financially and morally, you can install a special bot blocking system. It will check traffic, block invalid visits and prevent your site from being used as a “pad” for cheating.
In this article, we will tell you what SEO is, talk about why it is needed, what parameters affect positions, and also show you what to do. Read about this in our new material from the series "Marketing, SEO and Advertising".
Contents
1. What is SEO
2. How does a search engine work?
2.1. Ranking factors
2.2. PS filters
3. Types of SEO promotion
3.1. On-page (internal optimization)
3.2. External optimization
3.3. Black and white SEO promotion
4. How to check SEO effectiveness
5. How Bots Can "Sink" SEO
What is SEO
In 2017, SEO turned 20 years old: the official history of search engine optimization (abbreviated PS) began back in 1997. Although some experts argue and believe that it appeared even earlier - at the same time as the Internet.SEO (search engine optimization) is a search engine promotion of a website, that is, its internal and external optimization according to the factors that are used by search engines to rank resources in search results. The higher the rating according to certain parameters, the better the resource looks in the eyes of the search engine and the higher its positions.
Before search engine optimization, specialists also used other terms: search engine placement (that is, placement), search engine positioning (positioning, places), search engine ranking (ranking), search engine registration (visibility, search engine indexing), search engine submission (same as registration), website promotion (promotion).
Here is an example of Yandex search results for a high-frequency and highly competitive query "buy an apartment in Moscow" (yes, Moscow in this case is written with a lowercase letter, since this is a query form). The top of the results (highlighted in red) is occupied by advertisements, usually from three to five or six places. Further (highlighted in green) are already organic places. The sites took "top" positions due to SEO optimization, as well as rating and weight.
SEO promotion has one important advantage for business over other promotion channels: services are paid for once, for example, an optimized article is posted on a blog, and traffic comes for free from organic search results for a long time (until the search conditions change or competitors reach the TOP). The company will not have to pay for each click on a link in the search results, as is the case with contextual advertising.
How does a search engine work?
A search engine is a set of algorithms and programs that perform navigation functions on Internet web resources in response to a user's request to a search engine. It works in three stages: scanning the web space for new sites and pages, indexing them, and ranking them.Ranking factors
Yandex and Google use the following as the main ranking factors:— Internal factors in SEO
The internal content of the site, its popularity among users, relevance to requests, ease of interaction, authority and reliability are assessed. This includes behavioral factors, text, commercial, technical, host.
— External factors in SEO
External factors related to the site are assessed. First of all, links from other resources, their quantity and quality, relevance of topics, anchor ratio, etc. This also includes article placement, content marketing, personal pages on social networks, etc.
About the search intention
It is great if the site is optimized for different user search intentions. These include navigational queries (official site), commercial (buy, price, download), informational (what? where? when?), vital (Adidas) and general.
About Zero-Click Search (AEO)
AEO (answer engine optimization) is the optimization of content so that the user can get detailed information immediately from the search results, when the transition to the site is eliminated by itself. These can be lists, tables and excerpts from neural networks. If the resource has reached the TOP for this search and successfully answers user questions, then this gives a plus to the ranking.
It is important to monitor all these parameters, analyze the quality of their optimization and make the necessary adjustments in a timely manner.
PS filters
If an SEO specialist makes mistakes when promoting a website, for example, spamming the text with key phrases or buying too many external links in a short period of time, etc., then search engines can impose a filter on this resource. This is how they clean the search results from low-quality resources and those who violated optimization rules.For example, PS has filters for link "explosion", non-unique content, over-optimization, co-citation, adult filter for posting adult content, etc. Some of them have their own names: Panda, Minusinsk, Penguin, "Baden-Baden". Filters have a negative impact on SEO work.
If you are under a filter, the site will be excluded from it the next time the search results are updated. It is difficult to get out from under filters, it takes a long time, and most importantly, it will take time (and money) to find the reason. PS do not like cheaters.
Types of SEO promotion
Work on website optimization can be internal (On-page) and external. Internal includes collecting key queries, filling meta tags and forming a semantic core, filling with content (SEO and simple), improving usability, etc. External includes placing external links, publishing useful content on third-party resources with a link to the promoted site, using social networks, etc.On-page (internal optimization)
- Collection of key phrases and semantic core. To search for keys, you can use online services or PC programs. For example, Yandex Wordstat or Key collector. Based on them, the core is subsequently formed and prescribed for all pages of the site.
- Filling in meta tags and headings. Meta tags are fragments of HTML code used by search engines to rank resources in search results. These include title (page title, up to 70-80 characters) and description (description (snippet) of the page, no more than ~160 characters).
- Filling with content. This includes both writing simple texts and SEO copywriting. Quality content plays a primary role: it must be unique, complete and informative.
- Cross-linking. In texts, you can refer to other pages of the site that correspond to the topic and can also be useful to the visitor. These can be links from the text, tags and headings, including pagination (page navigation).
- Technical parameters. It is important to monitor the technical parameters of the site so that it is always accessible to users and search engines and correctly displays the necessary information. Success in SEO also depends on them. These include: robots.txt with directives for indexing the resource by search robots, sitemap.xml with structures, page loading speed, operability of elements, etc.
- Usability and assistance. Usability plays an important role in SEO promotion, which can significantly affect behavioral factors. Poor navigation, non-working buttons, non-clickable elements reduce the viewing depth, increase the bounce rate and worsen the rating.
External optimization
External SEO optimization primarily includes building up external links, as well as advertising your brand, partner collaborations, etc. It is influenced by the number of links and the speed of their growth, traffic on them, the authority of sources and their relevance to the topic.- Link purchase. Posting external links (permanent and rented) indicates that the site is cited by other sites, which means that it is popular. This increases the index and can have a positive effect on SEO promotion if they are posted on high-quality thematic resources.
- Promotion by articles and content marketing. Websites can be promoted by articles, i.e. by posting useful content on third-party sites, thus advertising your brand. These can be business pages, news sections of catalogs, thematic portals.
- Catalogs, maps, promo pages. Help to reach the target audience. In essence, they are branded company pages on third-party resources. You can place a description, products and services, publish news, place links (paid and free), etc.
- Social networks. Use any channels where you can first of all place a link to your site for free. Social networks help expand your audience reach and introduce potential customers to the brand, as well as increase resource citation.
Black and white SEO promotion
"Often the simple seems absurd, black - white, white - black." SEO can be both conscientious (writing high-quality articles, promotion by articles) and dishonest. The second type includes cheating behavioral factors, placing a large number of links, generating traffic (usually bot), cheating reviews, etc.Increasing the external link mass within reasonable limits, as a rule, refers to gray methods of website promotion. However, if it is done correctly, it can only benefit the resource.
For black SEO methods, the site can fly into the ban and lose its positions. It is advisable not to resort to such methods.
How to Check SEO Performance
| Checking the status, backlinks, optimization tips | Checking positions | Visit statistics |
| Yandex Webmaster, Google Search Console | Yandex and Google webmaster tools or special online services (paid and free), such as Arsenkin, Pr-Cy, Pixel Tools, Serphant , etc. | Yandex Metrica, Google Analytics, third-party services |
How Bots Can "Sink" SEO
In 2024, Akamai Technologies conducted a study and found that about 42% of the total Internet traffic comes from parser bots. Artificial traffic is a serious problem for the entire IT industry.Fraudsters use bots for DDoS attacks, profile building with subsequent boosting of indicators (primarily behavioral), click fraud on ads, etc. If your site becomes a victim of such “building”, then all efforts on SEO promotion can go down the drain along with search positions.
You can get banned by the PS and think: "Why me?". The culprit may be such artificial boosts that your competitors could use.
To protect your positions and all the SEO work on promotion that you have invested in financially and morally, you can install a special bot blocking system. It will check traffic, block invalid visits and prevent your site from being used as a “pad” for cheating.
