When starting the business several years ago, any mention of an enterprise on the Internet was an innovative activity. Even underdeveloped websites already looked modern, but few companies and consumers appreciated the value of the web. Now having a website is essential. For several years, the race for the highest positions in TOP10 results in the most popular search engine – Google has been going on. Currently, among the billions of websites on the web, everyone wants to stand out and be on the first page in search results when asked by a user.

SEO a company website consists of many factors, stages and optimization activities performed on the website and beyond. This process requires an individual strategy, constant analysis of variables and adaptation of optimization activities to the current guidelines.

How does the Google search engine work?

By entering a query in the Google search engine, you get from thousands to millions of websites that potentially contain information relevant to you. It is Google that decides what it displays in the search results, but everyone can help with this by positioning their company page.

Indexing
Google uses crawlers to organize information from websites. They analyze websites, open the links they contain and collect and send data about these websites to Google servers. The systems scan the content of the page and the information obtained is registered in the search index.

Algorithms
Google’s ranking systems analyze billions of websites thanks to algorithms. After entering a query into the search engine window, you get certain results – however, many factors affect the display of certain pages, including:
– content of the inquiry,
– the relevance of the page,
– source value,
– user location,
– as well as about 200 other ranking factors.

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information in such a way that it becomes widely available and useful for everyone. Hundreds of new websites are published on the web every second. Google handles billions of queries annually. In the maze of this information, the company, as it emphasizes, tries to protect the search results from dishonest companies and spammers who try to bypass individual systems and algorithms. On the other hand, however, they try to help business owners succeed by providing a variety of SEO tools and tips.

Goals of website SEO in the Google search engine

For many years, Google has been in the first place in the ranking of the popularity of search engines in the world. Therefore, the positioning of the company’s website on Google is decided by business owners who want to increase the visibility of the website in search results and are aware of how many benefits this can bring:
– increasing traffic on the website,
– more conversions (e.g. purchases or registrations),
– brand recognition,
– building awareness among consumers,
– creating the image of an expert and market leader.

Therefore, the website positioning process focuses on both sales and image goals. It is worth emphasizing that online activities also translate into reality and life outside the Internet. For example: a properly positioned website of a restaurant may be displayed to the user on the query: “Boston restaurant” in the first place in Google. A virtual user, even without going to this website, decides to trust the search engine and goes to this restaurant, turning from a user into a real customer. Such positioning effects, although impossible to measure, emphasize the essence of the entire process and confirm that it is worth investing in SEO and promoting the company on the Internet.

A multi-stage process of website SEO

The activities related to the optimization of the website in terms of search results (called Search Engine Optimization – SEO) include the optimization of the content, structure and code of the website. Positioning, apart from the aforementioned SEO, also includes activities in the field of content marketing, link profile building and web analytics.

The process consists of a series of works on the website, which are used to prepare the website for cooperation with the previously mentioned Google robots.

Website audit
The first step in the SEO process should be a website SEO audit. The verification and analysis should apply to both the technical side and the content available on the website. Information relating to organic traffic on individual subpages can be collected using Google Search Console and Google Analytics.

Based on the audit, a website positioning strategy is created. The most important thing is to be aware of the company’s business and marketing goals while working together, not forgetting the rules prevailing in the SEO world.

Key words or phrases
Another of the initial stages of website positioning on the web is the selection of appropriate keywords and phrases. The phrases are selected, after entering which in the search engine window, the positioned website would appear in the results. Words or phrases must be consistent with the nature of the company and the expectations of Internet users who are looking for information about products, services or issues that interest them.

Company website optimization

One of the key elements of positioning is website optimization, i.e. SEO. At this stage, the following occurs:
– domain link profile verification,
– developing content to be completed on the website,
– indexation of the page in the search engine,
– optimization of headers and metadata or execution of appropriate redirects,
– improvement of technical elements within the website (such as finding and removing broken subpages, using the 404 error in a positive way, optimizing the size of graphic files loading the page, etc.).

Verification and development of content for a website is an extremely important process – it is necessary to identify whether the website has internal duplicates and whether such duplicates do not appear on other websites. You should also verify that the content available on the website is unique and properly saturated with key phrases. It is therefore important to create or edit the content on the home page, product and category descriptions, and build valuable content. It is not only texts, but also graphics and photos. In cooperation with marketing specialists, you can optimize a website in such a way that it is valuable not only for Google robots, but above all for users and potential customers of a given company. Both Google’s guidelines and the usability and appearance of the website are taken into account.

An equally important element is the aforementioned optimization of headers and meta data (title and description) both on the main page and on individual subpages. Their proper use allows Google robots to find a given subpage and analyze the data contained therein. Meta title and meta description are displayed in the search results, showing users the topic and content of the page.

However, many technical aspects, such as the optimization of ALT attributes or HTTP headers, are invisible from the user’s perspective. It may also take into account, inter alia:
– page loading speed,
– responsiveness,
– redirects,
– SSL certificate,
– website code.

The work then focuses on improving the internal linking structure, which is one of the highly regarded SEO practices. This properly performed optimization stage helps to direct the attention of Google robots to the most important content on the page.

SEO the company website – one timer or a marathon?

Looking at the above-mentioned components of website positioning, SEO cannot or should not be a one-time action. If the work is to bring the intended results, it requires thorough analysis, diligently carried out activities and constant monitoring of the effects. Google guidelines, algorithms, the system and even the market are changing so dynamically that in order to stay in the position you have earned, you have to work on it all the time. Time is needed for proper indexing, planning and creating content, as well as building a link profile.

Google offers many business owners many opportunities to grow their businesses. It provides tools that make promoting your own business even more effective.

Google My Business

For example, a company’s showcase in Google Maps supports local positioning, improves the website’s visibility in search results and confirms the credibility of a given company. It is a free tool thanks to which you can inform the user about the days and hours of the company’s opening, as well as indicate the physical address and the company’s website.

Online advertising is a huge support for the conducted marketing activities. Positioning the company website is one of the most powerful advertising tools which, if used properly, can guarantee great success for almost any company.