Search engine optimisation – SEO

On-site SEO

On-site SEO means that the content and structure of the website are made in accordance with search engine guidelines.
Before we start optimising a website, we determine the keywords that users will use to find us on the Google search engine. We do this based on data about the most searched terms on search engines and the level of competition per search query. Then we can start with the on-site SEO process.

The basic elements of on-site SEO that we need to pay attention to are:

• text length and content
• titles and content hierarchy
• meta tags
• photographs and their tags
• site maps
• website URL
• website structure
• internal links
• txt file
• redirections

We primarily focus on the organisation of HTML elements – everything from page title, headings and subheadings, meta tags, structuring of all tags, to links within the site and how the content is written.

Technical optimisation

A condition for having the highest ranking in more demanding industries is a very well-designed website that loads very quickly. It is also essential that the website is displayed correctly on a variety of devices, especially on smartphones, as these currently account for the majority of website traffic. As an increasing share of website traffic is generated by mobile devices, Google assigns higher value to websites with a good mobile version when ranking websites.

When developing websites, we must also pay attention to the following things:

• server requests (DNS, SSL, etc.)
• CSS templates and reducing the size of code files
• reducing the size of photos
• file compression
• asynchronous loading
• application of data URI schemes
• if applicable, application of CDN networks
• caching

Off-site SEO

The term off-site or off-page SEO simply means getting high-quality backlinks from other websites. These are links from a website that is popular but not controversial – controversial websites are those that use one of the methods that Google penalises, websites with a large number of external links from low-quality pages, etc.

It is also important that the backlink uses the keyword for which we want to be ranked higher in Google search engine results. However, the keyword must be related to the content of our website so as not to mislead users. If a user is misled in this manner, increasing traffic to our site, they will most likely leave the site in a few seconds, which is very bad for optimisation.

The basis of Google’s swift success was its search algorithm, which primarily considered the criterion of the number of high-quality links to a website, as it considered each such link as a favourable reference for the website. You can read the original scientific article from 1998, The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine, at the Stanford University website. We highly recommend it, as it is an interesting read for true Internet geeks.

At the Ideaz Web Agency, we are advocates of so-called “white hat” methods, i.e. a fair way of improving search engine ranking. We do not use “black hat” methods such as hidden texts and links, as Google may penalise you and remove your site from the top results.

We help our clients prepare quality content that reputable portals and media like to publish, thus ensuring an organic development of ranking and ultimately brand growth.

Our services:

Assistance with content – articles, videos, graphics
Digital PR – identifying and liaising with opinion leaders
Traditional PR – contacts with journalists and media houses and sending to media lists
Social media presence management

Local SEO

A discipline of online optimisation that is becoming extremely important, especially for smaller companies and companies with many branches, is so-called local SEO.

The way we use the Internet has changed dramatically in recent years. In most cases, we switched from computers to smartphones. This is especially true when we are looking for a product or service at the last minute – e.g. a restaurant or tow truck.

Google has adapted to this trend by trying to provide the most relevant results to each user. In many cases, such as when searching for restaurants, Google includes in its search results a mixture of organic and local results (depending on the user’s location). Local results have become particularly competitive, as Google only displays the first three results.

Google considers the following when determining the order of local results:

• information from Google My Business
• references in external sources
• location signals
• connections from trustworthy sources, based on location
• connections from trustworthy sources, based on the industry
• photographs of establishment or business
• user opinions and ratings
• user behaviour (clicks, calls, etc.)

What Google is trying to achieve is to help the user find the service they needs at that moment, in the right location and from a high-quality and trustworthy provider. Using local SEO tools, we can help Google in determining relevance through a correct and structured display of geographical or location data, services offered and assurances for their quality.

How to start?

As in website development, we also follow the tried-and-tested methodological work process in optimisation, thus ensuring a high level of services provided without deviations in results.

Framework work process:

1. SITUATION ANALYSIS 
In the first step, we do a thorough review of your website – from analysing on-site elements and performing a technical analysis to reviewing the status of backlinks and finally preparing a list of keywords.

2. STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
After analysing the website, we develop a plan of priorities according to the status of elements. The most problematic elements need to be corrected first; then we can work on other elements as well.

3. CHANGES
Website optimisation is not something that can be done with one-time website corrections, as this is only the initial stage of optimisation. Website elements need to be corrected, while technical corrections need to be made to the website back-end. Only then can continuous optimisation begin…

4. CONTINUOUS OPTIMISATION
After the initial corrections on the website, you can see an obvious difference in search engine ranking. However, you may not notice much progress – especially with websites that already have a fairly good on-site optimisation. This is where continuous optimisation of the website comes in – with interesting and relevant articles and content aligned with the website subject. With continuous optimisation, we also gather publications and links to our website from trustworthy websites.