Search engine optimization (SEO) consists of components. Wood splinters now fly here and there, because such a large open door has rarely been shattered. Does not everything consist of elements? Yes, but it is convenient to know which of these are essential and manageable.
Components of a website
In a previous article on SEO three parts were mentioned that are essential to be found by search engines:
- the text component (keywords, unique content, etc.)
- the indexation component (overview for visitors and search engines)
- the popularity component (relevant for visitors and search engines)
It would have been easy to put a link to that article, but we do won’t.
If the interested reader goes to that article, the attention for this article is gone. Compare it with the route to McDonald’s. If someone asks where McDonald’s restaurant can be found and the answer is ‘You turn right at Kentucky Fried Chicken, continue to Burger King and McDonald’s is to the left of Domino’s Pizza.’ The chance of Big Macs closing a sale – is getting smaller.
This is how we want to keep the attention here. So read on 🙂
3 components.
What is a component in our case? The dictionary gives 11 descriptions, and our preference falls on ‘Composing part of a whole.’ Recently you might have noticed many articles appearing on social media, screaming out loud things like ‘making content SEO-proof is total nonsense,’ ‘that Google no longer pays attention to keywords’ and so on. This opinion seems to be reflected. Perhaps this is because Google is far advanced in appreciating natural language, no idea. But the fact that the article as mentioned earlier can no longer be found says enough. Optimizing is worth the effort.
Components as a part of the whole
SEO remains necessary for web pages to be found.
Now there are quite a few components, and some of them are part of others again. It remains clear that the three elements mentioned are important and manageable.
1). The text component is obvious.
The text contains what is relevant for all parties (writer/search engine/reader). The joke is that the reader basically has nothing else to do than reading. It is up to the writer to use the right tools so that the search engine displays it for the reader. The right keywords make all parts and thus ensure:
- unique Title Tag of about 65 characters
- unique and page-wide Meta Tag Description of about 150 characters
- Headings (H1, H2, etc.) with unique keywords
- unique content on the page containing the keywords (no page about fast food chains that ends with ‘This also applies to components’)
- internal & external links with keywords from the target page
Now, this is one of the components that mainly relates to the searchability of the web pages themselves. But there’s more. Components that are less visible.We now focus more on the websites as a whole.
2). The indexation goes a step further than the text component.
Text that is brilliant is not yet text that is found. Indexing within SEO means that search engine web crawlers register and record web pages in their databases. Mind you, their own databases: Google only shows results from the Google database. Some websites meet their requirements to be relevant and well-organized.
What is important to score in these components, is:
- The logo – with the keyword in the Alt text – that links to the start page
- Breadcrumbs so that the visitor knows where he is
- An XML sitemap (for search engines) and possibly an HTML sitemap (for visitors)
- Log in to Google Webmaster Tools to track down errors (a link indeed, because we have since passed ‘the McDonald’s point’)
After two more or less substantive components, it is time to give the website a reputation.
3). The popularity component is a distinctive factor.
Assuming that the previous components are correct, it is time to make web pages attractive. A condition in the text component is to be unique in everything. This is not easy. The content can successful, but relevance that is something difficult. There may be other web pages that meet the components in their own area and which – according to search engines – are more relevant to the reader. Of course, we do not choose that!
Then it is important to make the website manually popular in addition to good and unique content.
Understanding and improving your own popularity is mainly achieved by linking:
- determine your personal link profile (who links to my website)
- link to the pages of important sites
- use Social Media
- read about link building
For example, ‘Content is King’ still applies, and I believe will be a monarch for many years to come.