Whether you optimize your website on your own or take help of a SEO consultant, the first step of optimization is understanding the objectives of search engines and the factors valued by them. In simple terms, SEO means satisfying the requirements of search engines.
All major search engines are constantly making efforts to improve their algorithms to provide more targeted and relevant results for search queries and to offer a better user experience overall. Only if users are happy with the results offered by a search engine, they are likely to use it more often and ultimately generate more revenue.
For a good user experience, search engines need to provide good quality and useful information. To ensure this, search engines rank web pages based on their relevance, authority and content quality. In order to satisfy these requirements, you need to begin with effective on-site optimization using appropriate keywords. The importance of proper keyword selection cannot be overemphasized.
Various steps in on-page optimization include keyword selection and placement, creation of relevant content, web page titles and descriptions, and internal linking. Regularly updating your site with fresh content is also important to maintain your search rank. The next step is link building.
This is essential to prove the authority of your website in the relevant industry. Off-site SEO efforts like generating high volume of relevant and quality external links, and the use of proper link text will help you establish website authority. Effective combination of on-site and off-site optimization efforts is necessary for top search rank.