Key areas in implementing an effective SEO strategy. Why do SEO specialists have different opinions on this subject?

Probably everyone who at least once decided to hire an SEO agency started by sending a request for proposal to several businesses or by organizing a tender. The conclusion that could come out of such proposals is that the activities offered by agencies vary – both in terms of budget and the range of activities proposed or selected. It turns out that even within the same team, there may be different answers to the question of which areas in SEO are vital. Why is this so?

This is because not all strategies are created equal, and what works for one client may not necessarily work for another. SEO specialists have their own ways of delivering the best possible results for their clients and very often doing things differently doesn’t mean doing them in a worse or better way. It simply means differently. So what are the key areas identified by SEO specialists? We’ve asked specialists from the Insightland team, responsible for both technical optimization efforts and SEO content creation, to give us their answers.

SEO is a multifaceted concept that encompasses two areas – the on-site aspect and the off-site aspect. These may be understood or interpreted differently by professionals, depending on which elements are most important to them, given their competences and experience. On-site areas are those located directly on the website, related to the content or technical aspects, whereas off-site areas comprise all activities performed outside the parent website, but which have a significant impact on its positioning in search results.

SEO, as a whole, refers to activities aimed at increasing the positioning of a website, and thus increasing organic traffic it attracts. For this to happen, content should match user queries as closely as possible (on-site), and there should be good quality links leading to the website from other domains (off-site). This is because the links referring to a given website are an indication for search engines that this is the place where valuable content may be found. Valuable, in this context, means that a given website is recommended and shared by others.

On-site activities are those that take place on our website. These include aspects such as optimizing the website and its technical parameters, as well as optimizing the content posted on the website. On-site activities include, for example, measures to increase the page load speed, but also work on the correct hierarchy of headings.

The off-site category, on the other hand, includes things done outside the website. The difficulty here is that we usually do not have complete control over them. Why? That’s because Google’s algorithm relies on a great number of factors when assigning values to websites and determining their position, such as links to the website. And while there was a time when quantity was the most important criterion, today Google’s algorithms focus on quality. The process of acquiring such quality links is called link building.

What is important when establishing and planning an SEO strategy is that on-site optimization requires technical expertise, sometimes programming expertise, and the ability to create content that is optimized for key phrases. Off-site, on the other hand, requires a strictly strategic approach, analysis of the site’s visibility in search results, analysis of competition and current trends or user needs. This does not mean that differently means worse.

There are numerous ranking factors and elements that affect the positioning of a website. I usually recommend focusing first on those that will allow you to see the effects of your SEO efforts as quickly as possible.

So, we start by analyzing the website structure and keywords. The next step should be to create content for subpages with titles and descriptions that are attractive for both SEO and your visitors. At the same time, you should also work on improving the technical aspects of the website. In the process of technical optimization of the website, you should also take into account issues related to elimination of possible errors that may appear in the Google Search Console tool, analyzing the correct implementation of structural data, or – if there are none – drawing up guidelines for their implementation. It will also be important to analyze the so-called internal Page Rank in order to obtain the most beneficial “power” flow from an SEO point of view. It is only when the website is prepared in this way that we can – or rather should – start acquiring external links of the proper quality.

The most important thing for the whole process related to SEO activities is to understand the client’s business and develop a tailor-made strategy. Matching phrases to business objectives may involve focusing not necessarily on the phrases with the highest potential (number of searches per month), but on those that generate converting traffic. It is also essential to tailor texts, metadata, graphics and all activities on the website to the relevant target group.

SEO delivers the best results when it is a combination of on-site and off-site activities: technicalities, saturation of the website with relevant phrases, blogging and linkbuilding. The latter, when the website and its content are of poor quality, will not yield the expected results. Of course, this goes both ways – a good website without external links and referring domains has no chance of being ranked among the TOP searches. 

For me personally, it is vital to keep an eye on phrases and indicators in Google Analytics. Doing so allows us to quickly respond to changes, thus adapting to declines and directing efforts to minimize these negative effects as much as possible. I am an advocate of quick and agile changes in strategy when I see that the one I have chosen is not working as I intended. I am not waiting counting on it to “kick-start”. I also believe that good SEO means constant analysis of external activities and the condition of the website. It is also important to constantly monitor and analyze competitors who are performing better for particular phrases. The aim is, of course, to quickly draw conclusions and improve optimization through better phrase saturation, the use of better tailored texts and more external links from valuable domains.

The first aspect is the technical optimization of the website, i.e. the elimination of errors that could make it difficult for search engine robots to “read” it. Neglecting this step can make it significantly harder to build visibility in organic results. Technical optimization should involve a number of aspects such as the proper website architecture and internal linking flow, correct H-header hierarchy, optimization of graphics (especially in the case of e-commerce websites), correct html code and ruling out any errors visible in the console. In addition, you need to look at URL indexing, page load speed or any issues with the mobile version. Technical optimization obviously goes far beyond the aspects listed above and should be determined individually for each website.

Another key aspect is the content on the website.  It is not only the content dedicated to the potential user, but also the main source of information for search engine robots. Its proper length, form, and keyword saturation is, in my opinion, a key element of any SEO strategy aimed at building visibility in search results.

In order for the content on the website to both meet the expectations of a potential user and enable search engine robots to classify the website to a given topic, it should be created based on matters of interest to a given target group, keywords with high search potential, both the popular ones and the so-called long tail phrases, keywords in the form of questions that will increase the chance of visibility in voice search results, as well as keywords and seasonal topics corresponding to current search trends in a given area. However, we must not forget the intended role of the content on the website. Its purpose is to provide the user with the information he or she is looking for, so the priority should be to create content that satisfies this hunger for knowledge and makes it unnecessary for the reader to leave the website and continue searching for information elsewhere.

The third area of SEO that complements the strategy of building visibility in search results is link building. The aim of link building is to acquire links directing to the website, thus making it possible to rank higher for important keywords and to gain traffic from other websites. A properly executed link building campaign is based on websites that are valuable from the point of view of search engine robots and an appropriate matching of topics, which will increase the credibility of the website to which the links lead in the eyes of search engines. The principle of “quality over quantity” is of great importance in this case, so it is worth meticulously preparing for a link building campaign in order to get the most benefit from it without any potential damage to the website.

The basic element is to cooperate closely in the selection of phrases.Developing and implementing an effective content-based SEO strategy always involves planning good cooperation in the area of content+SEO. The SEO specialist searches for keywords, verifies their potentials and then recommends the best ones. The content specialist, on the other hand, must ensure that the phrases received fit well with the strategy of the website, are interesting for the user and encourage further exploration of the site.

In SEO efforts, it’s important to keep track of and review the content activity on the site. When it comes to SEO results, we always need to consider a longer time frame if we want to get measurable results. However, the content specialist should keep an eye on what has been implemented on the website and consult any uncertainties with the SEO specialist, who – with the help of tools – has a deeper insight into what is currently happening on the website in terms of traffic.

It would seem that since we have to wait for a long time to see the results of SEO activities, we are unable to introduce changes and improvements immediately, on an ad hoc basis. I certainly do not share this approach. I believe that as long as we have the most up-to-date data, we can successfully implement small changes to the strategy planned in advance in order to obtain optimal results as soon as possible.

When a team of specialists works on a proposal of SEO activities for a given brand or client, the chance for their optimal selection increases significantly. Different approaches stemming from competence and experience turn out to be a very effective way of building an SEO strategy that meets both the client’s needs and market expectations, as well as the requirements of the constantly changing reality.

There can be many paths to success in SEO, and it is important to choose the one that is the shortest and yet produces the best results. A different perspective on a single problem by several members of the team responsible for different aspects of SEO activities is always an advantage for the client and ensures maximum elimination of risk as early as at the planning stage.