This is THE question we get asked the most. But what exactly is natural referencing? This concept, which has become essential in any web strategy, is not always easy to understand and implement. It’s still Google that decides how your site will be referenced.We share our ultimate guide to understand what SEO is and how it works.
What is natural referencing (SEO)?
Natural referencing is the ability of a website to appear in the results of search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo) according to the keyword requested.
When you type a query on Google, the sites that appear are ranked from position 1 to 10 on the pages. In fact, if your site is well optimized by an SEO agency near you, it will appear at the top of the results. If it is not very well optimized, it will position itself at the bottom of the ranking or even in the previous pages. In practice, it’s not that fast!
Understanding SEO
The main objective of a search engine is to offer you sites that best meet the query you have typed. Historically, Google has always had a competitive advantage, which is why today it is the big leader (among others). If we tend to use Google, it’s because we believe that when we do a search, we’ll find an answer quickly.
To simplify, imagine search engines as huge databases indexing all sites and natural referencing as a set of criteria and filters allowing it to classify them. As creators and/or website owners, it is important to know these criteria in order to be able to adapt to them as well as possible.
Small lexicon of natural referencing
Before continuing this article and getting to the heart of the matter, a few definitions are necessary to be sure that we are speaking the same language.
Query (or search term):
these are the word(s) you will type into your browser’s search bar. This is also called your search intent. Example: where to skate in Montreal?
Keyword:
this is THE word (or two words) that must reflect the general idea, the main theme of your page.
Title tag:
the title that appears in blue on search engines and which will help to understand the subject of your page.Meta-description tag: the small paragraph below the results that describes the page before you even access it.
Internal link:
a link that leads to another page on your website.
External link:
a link that directs to another website.
Backlink:
a link from another site that points to your website.
Mesh: all of your links, whether internal or external
How to optimize your SEO?
Here we go, here are the most important criteria to optimize your website and ensure that it appears higher in the search engines.
Have a secure, up-to-date, structured, and organized site
It’s stupid and yet it’s not always the case. Take a moment to observe each page of your website. Is it clear and readable? Are my images and content up to date? Are my details still correct?
All these questions will allow Google to fully understand your website and above all to give a good experience to your customers. It’s always unpleasant to have the wrong address or the wrong hours. In addition, your website must be secure even if it is not commercial. This is a guarantee of reliability for both search engines and Internet users. Purchase an SSL certificate from your web host.
The responsive design
Responsive design is a digital technique that makes the display of a web page automatically adapt to the size of the screen. Whether you are on a computer, tablet or cell phone, your site must be able to be read perfectly. This is no longer an option in 2022, your website must be adapted to all screens.
Loading time
This is one of the most important criteria for your website. A website that is slow to open will be less likely to be well referenced. But beyond Google, it is also the Internet user, your potential future customer, who will be frustrated at not being able to open your website. There are a few websites to test the loading time of your website. WARNING, this data will help you to understand where the problem is but do not take the figures literally. Some tools are very critical or even too severe. Outsmart the machine and put everything into perspective.
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