What is SEO promotion?

Check out our article to get all the basic information about search engine optimization (SEO). We explain what SEO means, what benefits it brings, and what methods of online promotion exist. You can also learn how to do SEO yourself.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a set of methods and technologies aimed at improving the position of a website in organic (unpaid) search engine results. SEO helps to increase the authority of a website in the eyes of search engines, ensures that its pages are displayed in user search queries for popular keywords and occupy favorable positions in search results. This leads to an increase in the number of visitors to the site.

SEO is one of the most effective ways to promote yourself on the Internet. Website owners value SEO for its high level of effectiveness. With the right approach and systematic work, SEO can provide a steady, long-term flow of free traffic that other marketing channels do not provide. Even with its great popularity, interest in search engine optimization continues to grow.

Is SEO website promotion profitable?

Often, website owners who are interested in promoting their websites may procrastinate with SEO. Search engine optimization does take time to achieve results, and they may not appear immediately. However, the impact of SEO is too significant to ignore.
The best proof of the benefits of search engine optimization is real cases. For example, M. System carried out SEO promotion of an online chemicals store for 7 months. Before optimization, their website was not even indexed in Google and did not appear in search results. The specialists developed the site structure, filled it with content and increased the number of links. After the work was completed, organic traffic increased from 38 to 1830 users per week.
Another example: Elit-Web was engaged in SEO promotion of the online store of spare parts for agricultural machinery Agroplan. The specialists developed a semantic core, conducted on-page and off-page SEO. Before optimization, the site was in the top 3 search results for only 7% of keywords, and afterwards - for 11%. Also, the presence of the site on the first page of search results increased from 6% to 30%.
Lemarbet has also successfully promoted Inkluzia, an online store for inclusive goods, through SEO. In the absence of website optimization, it received only 1200 unique users per month. After a thorough search engine optimization process that lasted almost a year, traffic grew to 17,100 visitors per month, which has already significantly increased the online store's profits. During the promotion period, the business received 1500 orders for UAH 8.5 million.

When to use search engine optimization

Any website owner can use SEO, and it will always be useful. This is especially true for online store owners. As practical examples show, search engine optimization serves several purposes at the same time. It improves website visibility in search engines, increases traffic, and generates additional revenue. These are exactly the tasks that entrepreneurs who want to develop their online stores set for themselves.
But there are situations when advanced search engine optimization can be ineffective. For example, if an online store specializes in niche products that are hardly ever searched for in organic search. Also, SEO may not be the best option for those who expect quick results in sales. In such cases, it is better to use other sales channels, such as marketplaces or Google Shopping. However, this does not mean that SEO should be completely absent. Even if an online store does not focus on organic traffic, basic website optimization is always useful.

Ways to implement SEO promotion

The choice of search engine optimization approach depends on several factors and on the website owner. When considering candidates for the role of an SEO specialist, it is important to take into account such aspects as the goal of optimization, the scope of work and its complexity, as well as the available budget. We have identified several main ways to implement an SEO strategy.

SEO studio

One of the options to help with promotion is a specialized company that specializes in search engine optimization - an SEO studio. Such companies offer a wide range of SEO services, from technical audit of the site to filling it with content. Representatives of such a studio listen to the owner's needs and develop the best strategies to achieve their goals. Once the plan is approved, the team starts working on the project. The peculiarity of an SEO studio is that a team of specialists usually works on a project, including an SEO specialist, copywriters, content managers, and even developers. This guarantees a comprehensive approach to website optimization.
Those who are serious about improving their search engine optimization and making it the main promotion channel for their business should contact an SEO agency. If the site owner has ordered a full package of SEO services, the project can take several months. This involves many stages of optimization, including website audit, error fixing, content development, internal and external optimization.
The cost of SEO agency services depends on several factors, and a specific price can be determined only after studying the project specifications. Factors that influence the price include the type of website (for example, an online store or a personal blog), the level of competition, the state of the website's technical infrastructure, existing optimization, the amount of work, and the website's reputation. In general, the cost of comprehensive search engine optimization from an SEO agency usually starts at 15,000 hryvnias. But there are situations when advanced search engine optimization can be ineffective. For example, if an online store specializes in niche products that are hardly ever searched for in organic search. Also, SEO may not be the best option for those who expect quick results in sales. In such cases, it is better to use other sales channels, such as marketplaces or Google Shopping. However, this does not mean that SEO should be completely absent. Even if an online store does not focus on organic traffic, basic website optimization is always useful.

SEO specialist on a permanent basis

An in-house SEO specialist is an employee who is responsible for developing an SEO strategy for a company's website. Having an in-house SEO specialist is essential for businesses that want to continuously improve their SEO activities. An in-house specialist develops a long-term website promotion strategy and is responsible for all processes related to search engine optimization.
It is also important to consider the possibility of hiring an SEO specialist for those who already have some experience in search engine optimization but do not want to constantly work with third-party agencies. Unlike SEO studios that handle many projects at the same time, a full-time specialist pays attention exclusively to his or her company's website. According to work.ua, the average salary of an SEO specialist is UAH 23,000. This amount may vary depending on the level of experience, skills of the specialist and the scope of tasks assigned to him/her by the company.

Freelance SEO specialist

Freelance SEO specialists provide their services to perform individual search engine optimization tasks. The principle of cooperation with freelancers is similar to working with SEO studios. The customer contacts them, explains their requirements and goals, agrees on the methods of achieving the result, and discusses the terms and conditions of payment. After the task is completed, the cooperation ends until a new order is received.
Working with freelance SEO specialists can be beneficial, especially for website owners who want to try search engine optimization but are not yet ready to invest heavily. Freelancers usually charge for the amount of work they do, and these prices are usually much lower than in specialized agencies. For example, on the popular freelance resource Freelancehunt, the best SEO specialists can charge from 7500 hryvnias for search engine optimization services. It is also important to consider the possibility of hiring an SEO specialist for those who already have some experience in search engine optimization but do not want to constantly work with third-party agencies. Unlike SEO studios that handle many projects at the same time, a full-time specialist pays attention exclusively to his or her company's website. According to work.ua, the average salary of an SEO specialist is UAH 23,000. This amount may vary depending on the level of experience, skills of the specialist and the scope of tasks assigned to him/her by the company.

Search engine optimization on your own

The most budget-friendly way of SEO promotion is to solve this task yourself. Having prepared and studied the information available on the Internet, you can successfully implement basic SEO. For example, you can set unique titles, descriptions, and first-level headings (H1) for the pages of your website. It is important to understand that it is extremely difficult to bring a website to the top of search engines on your own and usually professional specialists do it. Nevertheless, independent SEO optimization can be a rewarding experience. You will master the basics of SEO and gain a deeper understanding of how search engines work. Once you become interested in this field, you will be able to communicate better with professionals in the future and understand their work to promote your site.Working with freelance SEO specialists can be beneficial, especially for website owners who want to try search engine optimization but are not yet ready to invest heavily. Freelancers usually charge for the amount of work they do, and these prices are usually much lower than those of specialized agencies. For example, on the popular freelance resource Freelancehunt, the best SEO specialists can charge from 7500 UAH for search engine optimization services. It is also important to consider the possibility of hiring an SEO specialist for those who already have some experience in search engine optimization but do not want to constantly work with third-party agencies. Unlike SEO studios that handle many projects at the same time, a full-time specialist pays attention exclusively to his or her company's website. According to work.ua, the average salary of an SEO specialist is UAH 23,000. This amount may vary depending on the level of experience, skills of the specialist and the scope of tasks assigned to him/her by the company.

Key stages of SEO website promotion

Analysis in competitors' search results Hundreds of new web pages appear in the Google search engine every day, and often these sites contain similar or even identical content. For example, they may offer the same range of products, sometimes using the same photos and descriptions, because they work with the same suppliers. This situation creates extremely fierce competition, which complicates the task of optimization to obtain high positions in organic search results.
By simply defining the goal of SEO, you can determine that the main task is to make your site appear in search results higher than the sites of your direct competitors for certain queries. The main step is to understand who your competitors are and what keywords they are positioned for. Next, select the keywords you want to rank for and research who is currently ranking high in search results.
After a detailed analysis of your competitors' websites, decide what steps you can take to outperform them. Special attention should be paid to the content on your website. Find the weaknesses in the work of competitors and use this information to your advantage. Determine how your content can be more useful and attractive to users. Paying close attention to this aspect determines how well your page will match the keyword query, which is one of the key factors in the ranking process.
Collecting the semantic core The semantic core is all the words and phrases that users can use to find content on your website through a search engine. By collecting this information, you get a clear idea of what queries you need to optimize the content on your website for in order to improve your search engine rankings. You can build a semantic core for your online store even using free tools.
Creating a logical structure of the site A logical website structure is one of the recommendations that Google provides to optimize a website for search engines. A well-balanced and easy-to-understand structure helps users to quickly access the necessary information and facilitates the work of search bots. A well-built page hierarchy helps search engines understand what content is key from the site owner's point of view. It is recommended to develop a hierarchy from general to specific. For example, for an online store, this means the location of the home page, product catalog, categories, and subcategories that lead to individual product pages. It is important to avoid creating categories such as "Mixed Women's Cosmetics" where different products are combined and instead create separate sections such as "Hair Cosmetics", "Face Cosmetics", etc. д.
When developing a website structure, you need to follow logic and think about user-friendliness, which will help them navigate the site easily. It is also important to take into account the semantic core, as the sections of the site and their content should correspond to key queries. This is one of the key tasks in search engine optimization.
Filling pages with content Make sure that each page of your website contains informative and useful content that is related to the cluster of key queries for which it was created. You should pay special attention to textual content and make it high-quality and unique. This is especially important for product descriptions on your pages. Product cards should be filled with information that is not repeated on other pages of the site.
Internal linking Internal linking is a system of links on your own website that point to other pages on the same site. Internal linking helps to create internal links between pages on your website, which has a positive impact on the overall usability, navigation, and SEO. When you create links to other pages on your site, you send a signal to the search engine about their importance. Correct use of internal linking is an extremely important aspect of search engine optimization, and website owners should understand when and how to use it.
External website optimization Off-page optimization is a set of SEO actions that are performed outside of your website to increase its visibility and effectiveness. One of the main aspects of off-page optimization is getting external links to your website from other resources on the Internet. In addition to helping to drive additional traffic, external links also emphasize to the search engine that your site has valuable and relevant content. However, for successful external optimization, it is important that the resource that creates links to your website has high authority and trust in the eyes of search engines. Only in this case, recommendations from this resource will be really valuable and will positively affect the reputation of your site in search engines.
Promotion in social networks Creating social media profiles and linking to your main website are useful strategic steps for SEO. When you build an audience on social media, you create an opportunity for users to go to your website through a link in their profile. This process leads to an increase in traffic to your website. Moreover, it helps to increase the credibility of your website, which is of great importance for search engines in the process of ranking pages.
Tracking results Effective promotion is impossible without proper analysis, so you need to systematically track the results of search engine optimization. To do this, it is important to use tools that provide comprehensive analytics. One of the best in this regard is Google Search Console, which is a free tool for monitoring the status of your website in Google search results.
Google Search Console allows you to get meaningful information about the organic traffic that is directed to your website. You can check how many times a particular page was displayed in the search results, how many times it was clicked on, what queries led to its display, and much more useful information. By analyzing data from the Google Search Console, you can properly evaluate the results of your search engine optimization and make informed decisions for further promotion of your website.

Conclusions.

SEO is one of the most powerful and reliable methods of online promotion. This strategy allows you to ensure a constant flow of organic traffic to your website. Search engine optimization can be beneficial for almost any type of website if approached with understanding and professionalism. The specialists of the marketing agency TOP-DIGITAL are always ready to help you with SEO website promotion.