The Changing Landscape of SEO

In this competitive online world nowadays, everyone wants to get their websites to the top of Google Rankings. But there are certain rules and guidelines that need to be followed. As Google keeps updating its algorithm to optimize the user's search experience, it creates a lot of confusion among webmasters about how to focus on SEO.

There has been a methodology that Google gives preference if there are more backlinks to your website or page. But, as there has been a lot of misuse of keywords and meta tags as well as fake backlinks, Google has changed its algorithm to focus more on the content of any web page.

Core Optimization Rules

Google likes unique words. It gives more preference to keywords that are matching the link of the page and title. If you have a relevant page title to your content and relevant keywords in the URL, you will surely get preference.

Here are the fundamental rules to follow:

  • Content is King: Put content wisely. Create a useful, information-rich site.
  • User Focus: Make pages for users, not for search engines.
  • Keyword Placement: Add the words in the content that users would type to find the pages.
  • Avoid Tricks: Avoid “doorway” pages with little or no original content.

Technical SEO Checklist

Ensuring your website meets technical standards is crucial for crawlers to understand your site.

  • Headings: A proper heading for the page should be given in the H1 Tag. Also, use other heading tags (H2, H3) to add value and structure.
  • Validation: The page should be validated from W3C.
  • Images: Use Alt & Title Tags in Images & Links. Make sure that your title and alt tags are relevant, descriptive, and accurate. Always try to use alt text instead of images to display important keywords or links.
  • URL Structure: Your website should have SEO-friendly URLs (e.g., "hire-php-developer") that contain relevant keywords.
  • Site Health: Website should not have broken links or grammatical mistakes.

Site Structure & Navigation

A clear structure helps both users and search engines navigate your site effectively.

  • Always define a clear navigation structure for the website.
  • Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link.
  • Keep the links on your pages to less than 100.
  • Create a sitemap for your users with links that point to all parts of your site.

Off-Page & Submissions

Once your site is ready, you need to ensure it is visible to the world.

  • Submit to Google: Submit your site directly to Google.
  • XML Sitemap: Submit an XML sitemap file at Google Webmaster Tools. Google uses this file to learn about the structure and coverage of your site.
  • Directories: Submit your site to relevant directories as well as to other industry-specific expert sites.
  • Backlinks: Get other relevant sites to link to yours.

Metadata & Robots.txt

Fine-tuning your metadata and crawler instructions can significantly impact your click-through rate and indexing.

  • Page Titles: Page titles should be unique and a maximum of 60 characters.
  • Page Descriptions: Page descriptions should explain what that page is all about. Use a maximum of 300 characters to fully utilize the space.
  • Robots.txt: Upload the robot.txt file to your web server. This file tells crawlers which directories can or cannot be crawled. Use it to prevent crawling of search result pages or other auto-generated pages that don’t add much value.
Ucodice Team

The Ucodice Team is a group of passionate developers, designers, and strategists dedicated to delivering top-tier IT solutions to clients worldwide.