Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a way of designing websites to make them search engine friendly, so that the search engines can interpret the content and index it, in the database, accordingly for the users. The better the SEO strategies used, the more the chances of indexation and good ranks on the first SERP.
Since billions of people use search engines every day, it is important for you to design a SEO friendly website to earn high traffic and high ranking on the results page. For designing a website, it is important to know the details. Here is a guide on the basics of SEO to help you start with optimization of your website for the search engines:
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization includes strategies that are controlled by you, the website owner. These strategies play a crucial role in ranking your website in search engines, while also maintaining the designing and other features important to the online reputation and ranking of the website in the online world.
On-page optimization techniques include:
Conducting a keyword research, selecting the right keywords, and using them in appropriate density;
Using title, headers, and meta description tags correctly, with the right number of words and description;
Creating a URL structure that is acceptable by the search engines and easy for the users to remember;
Creating an internal link system and an information architecture that makes the website to appear high in the search engines;
Using a relevant, interesting, creative content, based on the visuals and texts , that is of value to the users;
Using a site map to help you find glitches before you launch the website for the search engines to crawl;
Off-Page Optimization
Off-page optimization refers to the process that defines the overall publishing and running of the website across the internet. While you cannot control this absolutely, there are certain techniques that can help you to work off the page. The set of techniques are the detrimental tools to determine your website ranking.
Some of the off-page techniques that you can use include:
Using keyword-rich anchor text
Obtaining in-bound links from websites that are deemed good by the search engines
Using contextual reference for your inbound links
Using strategies that gradually help you with deep linking and building good quality links
Doing keyword research in order to find how you can use them effectively for your campaigns
White Hat and Black Hat SEO
The SEO techniques can be divided in two categories; the White Hat techniques, those that are acceptable by the search engines and are the recommended ways of improving rankings; the Black Hat techniques, those which are deceptive and result in penalties by the search engines.
All the techniques mentioned above, are the white hat techniques. If you use these to design your website, then not only will you gain high the high search engine rankings, but you will also see low bounce rates. Using the Black Hat techniques will cause your site to be penalized by the search engines, marked as spam, and removed from the database.
Below are a few of the widely-used wrong Black Hat techniques:
Link farming
Hidden content and links
Keyword spamming
Cloaking
Use of the gateways and the mirror pages
Duplicate content
Use of duplicate URLs
Hiding inbound links
Using irrelevant keywords and content
These Black Hat techniques were widely used in the past to achieve high rankings in less time. However, the search engines have now updated their algorithms to detect such techniques. The search engines easily identify these and the website is thus, then, marked as spam.
SEO services are aimed at making the websites search engine-friendly, which greatly helps businesses achieve their online marketing objectives, along with increasing their website followers.
Source: https://tech.co/how-to-design-website-seo-friendly-2014-12