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10.01.2024

SEO

What is SEO?

SEO is the optimization made to rank first in targeted keywords. Thanks to these optimizations, it is aimed at search engine bots and users to understand the site more easily.

SEO works are divided into four on-site SEO, off-site SEO, technical SEO, and user experience. When these issues are done in a planned manner without separating from each other, it is easier to rise in the rankings.

What is SEO?

On-Site SEO

It is the optimization of the content on our site for search engine bots. Keyword analysis should be done for on-site SEO and target keywords should be determined. Work should be started for the target keywords determined.

Some of the analysis and optimizations made in SEO for the site

  • Keyword research
  • Determining the URL structure and selecting a URL
  • Semantic planning of content
  • Determining meta title and meta description tags
  • Selecting the H1 heading and organizing the heading hierarchy
  • Internal linking
  • Optimization of visuals

These are some of the optimizations made.

Off-site SEO

These are optimizations made to increase the authority of our site in the eyes of search engines with off-site operations. The most important issue you should pay attention to outside the site is backlinks. Unless the backlink is natural, it always contains the danger of spam.

  • Backlinks
  • Capturing brand citations
  • Google My Business reviews
  • Monitoring comments/feedback from blogs and dictionaries

In addition to the above optimizations, the more importance is given to the feedback about the brand, the more customers are satisfied, the more it will contribute to off-site SEO.

Technical SEO

It should be done for search engine bots to crawl and index the site. Although we usually make optimizations for users in on-site and off-site SEO, optimizations are made on the technical side for search engine bots to better understand our page. These optimizations are usually performed by the code.

  • Software optimization
  • Site speed optimization – Basically Google page speed
  • Canonical tags
  • Creating and editing robots.txt
  • Creating and organizing a sitemap
  • Creating Hreflang tags on multilingual sites
  • Structural data
  • Breadcrumb creation

User Experience

How quickly a user finds what they are looking for when they come to a site and how comfortable they are browsing the site is becoming important for Google. Although it is not currently considered a ranking criterion, at the end of the day, user experience should be given importance since all optimization and development is done for the user.

  • Responsive sites
  • Mobile usability
  • Mobile site speed
  • Simple and clear sites that are understandable

These are the main considerations for user experience.

What is SEO important

Why SEO is Important?

Since almost all users now use the internet, it is important to rank first in Google. Although there are different methods to rank first on Google, SEO is the work that is based on the most solid foundations and allows you to stay in the first place for a long time.

SEO is very important to make more sales and generate income by spending the least amount of money in the digital environment.

Why should SEO be done?

SEO should be done to make more sales organically and by spending less money. SEO should not only be thought of as coming first on search engine result pages. SEO work can also be done to increase the quality score in Google Ads and to rank first by paying less for ads. In addition, it also helps you to create brand awareness for your target audience by ranking in different words.

Benefits of SEO

  • Allows you to rank first in search engine results pages (SERPs)
  • It allows you to get more conversions. (It makes more money.)
  • Increases your brand awareness. (You reach your qualified and target audience.)
  • Google ads quality score (Reduces your advertising costs.)
  • It is measurable compared to traditional marketing methods. (Reportable.)

SEO roadmap

SEO Roadmap

Before starting to provide SEO services, the brand and its competitors are analyzed. What is the brand’s place in the sector? How is the competition in the sector? The sector should also be analyzed with questions such as.

In the brand analysis, the deficiencies in the above-mentioned on-site, off-site, technical and user experience are determined. After the extracted data, work begins. The work starts primarily as user experience and on-site, but optimizations continue to be made in synchronization in 4 areas (on-site, off-site, technical and user experience).

After the analyses are made, a 6 – 9 – 12-month and monthly roadmap is assigned to the brand and SEO service is started to be provided by following the processes in this roadmap.

Sectoral Analysis

Detailed analyses are conducted, including the sector to provide SEO services, competitors, and existing competition, and a roadmap is established.

Site Analysis

Issues on the site where SEO optimization will be implemented are identified by answering questions such as: What are the problems? Where should we start? Does the brand have awareness? Has there been previous work done? The site is analyzed accordingly.

Keyword Analysis

After site analysis, arguably the most crucial aspect of SEO, keyword analysis, begins. Identifying words that the brand will address, generate traffic, and facilitate conversions, matching them with relevant pages on the site to work on.

Content Optimization and Work

Following keyword analysis, low-quality and non-semantically created content without keyword targets is identified. They are then optimized considering the identified keywords. If you’re curious about how to create SEO-friendly content, you can take a look at our article.

Competitor Analysis

Competitors who are ahead, rapidly developing, or experiencing declines in the sector are analyzed. After these analyses, deductions are made about what should and should not be done in the sector during SEO. These insights are added to the roadmap, and SEO optimization efforts continue accordingly.

On-Page SEO

In on-page SEO, optimizations are made, primarily focusing on pages where we want to achieve conversions.

Within the site:

  • Title optimization
  • Description optimization
  • Heading hierarchy
  • Internal linkages
  • Pages are optimized with content created using semantic SEO.

Off-Page SEO

Generally known as backlink work. However, when conducting backlink work, it is essential to be very careful, as poorly executed work can be more harmful than beneficial.

NOTE: Performing backlink work without optimizing the website, on-page SEO, and technical SEO may not always yield the desired results.

Backlink Analysis

Backlink analysis is divided into two categories: incoming backlinks to our site and the sites from which we want to acquire backlinks.

Since all incoming backlinks serve as references, it is necessary to clean out irrelevant and low-quality backlinks.

The backlinks we will acquire should be obtained from relevant, high-authority sites without link clutter.

NOTE: Keep in mind that poorly executed backlink efforts can cause significant harm to your site!

SEO Analysis/Optimizations to be Implemented

1- Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of finding the right keywords to make your website or online store visible on search engines.

In short: It helps you understand what potential customers are searching for on search engines.

2- Site Speed

Site speed in SEO is a factor used by search engines to evaluate the quality and user experience of your website. The faster your site loads, the better it will be evaluated by search engines. Some techniques used for this include lazy loading for delayed image loading and preventing Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

In short: A fast site helps you rank higher on search engines.

3- Internal Linking

In SEO, internal linking involves creating links between different pages on your website. Internal links help search engines better understand your site and can contribute to higher rankings in search results.

In short: Internal links make your website more user-friendly and accessible to search engines.

When creating internal links, consider the following tips:

  • Provide links to relevant and interesting content.
  • Write the link text to reflect the content of the linked page.
  • Place links in the natural flow of the page where users can easily find them.

Internal linking is a crucial part of SEO and can improve your website’s ranking.

4- Fixing Error Pages / Status Codes

Fixing error pages in SEO is essential to help search engines correctly understand your website’s content. Error pages are those that are inaccessible or not properly processed by search engines. This can lower your site’s ranking and affect the user experience.

In short: Error pages can lower your site’s ranking, as search engines may block them.

Status codes indicate how a web server responds to a request. Common status codes include:

  • 200: OK – Page loaded successfully.
  • 404: Not Found – Page not found.
  • 500: Internal Server Error – The server encountered an error.

To fix error pages, determine the root cause, which could be a technical issue like a broken link or a content-related problem. After identifying the issue, take the necessary steps to rectify it.

Fixing error pages can improve your site’s ranking, enhance user experience, and optimize the crawl budget.

Technical Adjustments

Technical adjustments in SEO involve technical changes that help search engines better understand and rank your website. These changes include improving your website’s code, structure, and performance.

In short: Technical adjustments make your website more accessible and understandable for search engines.

Common technical adjustments include:

  • Optimize page titles and meta descriptions.
  • Improve website structure and navigation.
  • Enhance website speed and performance.
  • Ensure mobile compatibility.

When making technical adjustments, seeking assistance from an SEO expert can help you understand how your website is evaluated by search engines.

6- HTTPS/SSL

HTTPS/SSL allows users to establish a secure connection with your website.

In short: HTTPS/SSL makes your website more secure and can help it rank higher on search engines.

Adding HTTPS/SSL to your website is an important way to improve its ranking. Google uses HTTPS as a ranking factor, and websites using HTTPS are more likely to rank higher than those that do not.

To add HTTPS/SSL to your website, purchase an SSL certificate and install it on your web server. SSL certificates are available for free or for a fee.

7- User Experience

User experience in SEO plays a significant role in how search engines evaluate your website. Websites with good user experience are more likely to rank higher on search engines.

In short: Websites with good user experience are considered more relevant and user-friendly by search engines.

User experience includes the usability, accessibility, and how users interact with your website. Improving user experience can be done by:

  • Ensuring fast and efficient page loading.
  • Keeping content relevant and engaging.
  • Designing pages to be user-friendly.
  • Optimizing your website for mobile devices.

Focusing on improving user experience can help enhance your website’s ranking and attract more visitors.

Heading Adjustments

Heading edits in SEO are edits that help you better organize the content of your website and help search engines better understand your content. Headings are used to break up your website’s content and show users and search engines the structure and importance of the content.

In short: Headings better organize your website content and help search engines better understand your content.

When making heading edits, consider these tips:

  • Make sure your headings accurately reflect your content.
  • Use the sizes and colors of your headings to reflect the importance of your content.
  • Use your headings to organize your content.

Heading edits are an important part of SEO and can help improve your website’s ranking.

9- Visual Optimization

Visual optimization in SEO involves making your website’s visual content more visible and understandable for search engines. This includes optimizing image file sizes, alt text, and descriptions.

In short: Visual optimization helps search engines better understand and rank your website’s visual content.

Visual optimization is a crucial part of SEO and can help improve your website’s ranking. When optimizing visuals, consider the following tips:

  • Reduce the file size of your images.
  • Add relevant and informative alt text to your images.
  • Include descriptive captions for your images.

Visual optimization is a great way to make your website’s visual content more appealing and informative.

10- Identification of Weak Pages

Identifying weak pages in SEO is an important step to improving your website’s performance and ranking. Weak pages are those with irrelevant content, technical issues, or pages not optimized for search engines.

In short: Weak pages can lower your website’s ranking and impact user experience.

To identify weak pages, consider the following tips:

  • Regularly analyze your website.
  • Monitor search engine ranking data.
  • Analyze visitor feedback.

After identifying weak pages, take steps to improve them. This may involve updating page content, fixing technical issues, or optimizing page performance.

Improving weak pages is an excellent way to enhance your website’s performance and ranking.

11- My Business Setup

Setting up My Business in SEO is a great way to make your business more visible on Google Maps and search results. A My Business account allows you to share your business information, photos, and reviews with Google.

In short: A My Business account makes your business more visible on search engines.

To set up a My Business account, start by creating a Google account. Then, visit the Google My Business website and enter your business information. Once your business is verified, you can add photos, reviews, and descriptions.

A My Business account is a great way to ensure your business appears in local search results and can increase visibility and credibility.

12- Analysis of Competitor Sites

Analyzing competitor sites in SEO is a crucial step that can help improve your website’s ranking. By understanding what your competitors are doing, you can better optimize your website and attract more traffic.

When analyzing your competitor sites, consider the following tips:

  • Visit your competitors’ websites and examine their content, design, and SEO practices.
  • Learn which keywords your competitors are targeting and how they use them.
  • Analyze the backlinks your competitors have.

After analyzing your competitors, you can gain insights on how to improve your website. This may involve updating content, optimizing design, or building backlinks.

13- Determining Anchor Texts

In SEO, anchor texts are the texts given to links on a page. These texts provide information about the target page of the link and help search engines understand the link’s purpose.

Anchor texts are a crucial part of SEO and can help improve your website’s ranking. To create quality anchor texts, consider the following tips:

  • Create anchor texts that are relevant and informative about the target page.
  • Craft anchor texts to be natural and easy to read.
  • Ensure anchor texts do not appear repetitive or spammy.

Creating quality anchor texts can help your website become more visible on search engines and attract more traffic.

14- Analysis of Spam Backlinks

In SEO, spam backlinks are links to your website from low-quality or irrelevant sources. These links can lower your site’s ranking and may even lead to penalties from Google.

To analyze spam backlinks, consider the following tips:

  • Analyze your backlink profile.
  • Evaluate the source and quality of your backlinks.
  • Examine the content of your backlinks.

After identifying spam backlinks, take steps to remove them. This may involve manually removing links or using a backlink removal tool.

Removing spam backlinks can improve your site’s ranking and credibility.

What Should Not Be Done in SEO?

One should steer clear of all practices that are unnatural and could manipulate Google. Activities aimed at manipulating Google are referred to as black hat SEO. Black hat SEO involves unnatural optimizations done to quickly ascend in rankings. Although your site may initially climb in rankings due to these optimizations, Google may detect it, leading to a drop in rankings, and your site might even face penalties, potentially getting deindexed. Therefore, in SEO, it is crucial to invest in the right services, steadily ascending with sound strategies to maintain a solid position.

Examples of black hat SEO include:

  • Keyword Stuffing with Excessive Internal Linking:Inflating a keyword by consistently performing internal linking within the content to gain rankings.
  • Continuous Backlinking from High Authority Sources:Repeatedly obtaining backlinks from high-authority sources gives a false appearance of site popularity.
  • Constant Backlink Acquisition to Create the Illusion of Popularity:Regularly acquiring backlinks to make the site seem more popular than it is.
  • Selective Visibility for Google Search Bots:Showing specific parts of the site to Google search bots while hiding them from regular users.

These practices are aimed at deceiving Google and are detrimental to a sustainable SEO strategy. If you are wondering about the right approach to backlinking, you can check out our article on how to get backlinks and link-building strategies.

Remember, ethical and sustainable SEO practices are essential for long-term success, and taking shortcuts through black hat methods can lead to severe consequences.

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Yasin Özer

Sr. SEO Specialist

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Hello, I am Yasin ÖZER, I started working in the SEO industry during my university years. I have been improving myself and providing services in the SEO field since the last quarter of 2018. I have been working as an SEO expert at Perfist since July 2022. Hello, I am Yasin ÖZER, I started working in the SEO industry during my university years. I have been improving myself and providing services in the SEO field since the last quarter of 2018. I have been working as an SEO expert at Perfist since July 2022. I would be happy to share with you the experiences I have gained and the knowledge I have learned through experience.

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