Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Nataša Božinovska Mirkova, Managing Director, Represent Communications, Skopje
When I go back to my beginnings in the digital marketing world, back to 2005, I recall that all the topics related to how the Google’s algorithm indexes pages were some unknown language for me, with an even more alien alphabet that I had to learn. Global product operations, which requires good positioning in organic Google search, have become a great teacher to learn about all the parameters that Google algorithm recognizes and evaluates.
At that time, there were no social networks or today’s platforms for a faster and easier way of presenting products / services. The way to reach goals that Google demanded was difficult and arduous. It was one step at a time, until you reach solid rankings. Google AdWords was a platform to assist the process, however, what was expected of all digital marketers was essential knowledge of other organic search methods. At that time, SEO was a key parameter for product sales. It was important that detailed descriptions in the site code and the keywords be fully optimized, and directly related to the content that was uploaded to a certain page. Likewise, link building was an unavoidable operation we had to carry out, as well as a multitude of other activities.
Since then, there have appeared many different platforms that facilitate the road to faster sales. Many of us focused specifically on these platforms, forgetting the key point, that Google’s algorithm is only becoming more concrete in evaluating a site in order to determine its ranking, and thus it provides long-term accessibility to a more targeted audience. Using paid campaigns helps you reach a certain target audience, but it’s a short-term plan – it lasts as long as the campaign lasts. Today, what we can see from Google trends brings us back to the beginning, where we have to look at the basics of website optimization.
Some key Google messages for good SEO!
- Mobile adaptation of website
Reality today shows that most people use their smart phones to search the Internet. Personal computers are used very rarely in comparison to years behind us. At the very onset of smartphones, the trend that Google followed was that the website should just be mobile friendly in order to have a good ranking in search. But that is no longer the case. Today it’s not enough to make the website look good when it opens on a smartphone. Google requires the site to be “responsive” and compatible across devices (personal computer, mobile phone, tablet, etc.).
From today’s perspective, the key for good ranking on Google is:
- That it looks good on a smartphone.
- Respect for the above the fold rule.
- Photos must be optimized for smartphones/tablets.
- Navigation over mobile must be simple and intuitive.
When these conditions are met, we have to start dealing with the ways how website will be presented on the big screen of a desktop computer.
- On-page & off-page optimization
Companies today are seldom willing to invest in checking and optimizing any content they put on their website. Content verification means corrections and optimization of content – someone would have to work a bit deeper with the essence of the content, in terms of setting the basic parameters in the code on the website.
If Google’s algorithm in the past demanded many on-page optimization descriptions, today things look much simpler and more streamlined. Publishing content that represents a form of copying or words that appear to have been written by a bot carry no weight. What is important today is light content, that will stir interest in people, and the keywords would link that concrete text with code optimization on the website. It doesn’t matter if a single text contains all the keywords more than once, but it is important that these keywords belong to where they are stored, and that the entire content has a context.
As far as external links and off-page optimization are concerned, Google’s algorithm has begun to take into account the broader linking picture, as well as the context itself, thanks to the artificial intelligence. This actually means that if a website links to another, the link has to be supported by meaning. For example, if an article talks about key aspects of search engine optimization and links it to a web site selling SEO courses, the value of that link will be treated as very small. Conversely, if the content of the article relates to how much an SEO course may cost, the link would be significantly supported
- Internet safety
After the scandals with Facebook and selling of data, and after the GDPR came into force, the greatest focus is on the safety of websites when it comes to Google algorithm. Subpar website safety may result in a collapse of all the efforts being made in terms of optimization or content, if the security protocols are not respected. Google simply can’t take a chance, so the implementation of safety protocols and plugins is mandatory.
- Optimized content
Meta description is one of the things that many big websites ignore. The description of the parameters for each page is particularly crucial for indexing the content of the website. Generally adjusting the meta description tag or repeating the same description on multiple pages results in negative evaluation by Google’s algorithm, and hence poor indexing. Meta description should be written within the number of characters that Google takes into account, which is a maximum of 300 characters.
When optimizing a website, besides marketers you should also include developers, because there are many technical segments that need to be implemented. Each page should have a sitemap.kml, robots.txt, page load speed, and other technical elements for which the developers are responsible. On the other hand, marketers need to define basic keywords, meta description texts, alt image, headers <h1> / <h2> etc. and submit them for implementation to developers.
The information we provide at the heart of the website (SEO in the site code) will be closely linked and positively rated by indexing algorithm, where the entire image can be rounded up with adequately optimized content and off-page optimization. The key to the success of any website, regardless of whether it deals with paid campaigns or not, must begin with good optimization.
