Introduction to SEO

- How Search Engines Rank Content

Search Engine Basics

SEO is no easy task, with over a billion websites online vying to rank higher on search engines. 

It can take weeks ormonths to increase your rankings. 

That is why it is so important to implement SEO into your efforts. 

It is all well and good having the best content out there for your prospects, but if they can’t find it, an opportunity has been missed.

How Does Indexation Work?

In order to understand how indexing works, we’re going to break down the 3 steps search engines use to rank content: 

STEP 1 | Crawling/discovery – Search engines find your content by crawling the web. This allows them to scan your content based on their particular algorithm. Google has their version, Bing has another. Each search engine algorithm is structured differently and they are constantly updating them.

STEP 2 | Indexing/relevancy – Once a search engine has crawled and read all your website pages they can now index the information they have found on the web and determine its relevancy. 

STEP 3 | Ranking/authority – And finally, the search engine ranks your content based on your authority.

Google aims to provide trustworthy and reliable information to its users.

To do this, they give websites that have proven themselves to be of value to their users through their content or from backlinks with high authority scores. 

A new website will have low authority since search engine algorithms don’t have any history about them. However, a well-established website like Buffer or Hubspot is likely to have high authority and rank well on Google. 

Let’s take a practical example. Do you remember that blog post by Ted Murphy that I spoke about earlier on the lifespan of a blog? 

  • Google crawled the web and found this blog post.
  • Google indexed it based on how relevant it thought the content might be. The blog’s website convinceandconvert.com was indexed over 10 years ago. 
  • Google ranked this content high enough for it to become a featured snippet. 
Source

There are many factors that come into play here, and Google’s algorithm isn’t publicly shared. But what we do know is that link building is one way for Google to know that others value your content and are referring back to it on their websites. 

Organic and Paid Search

Organic Search: Is the process of a user finding your website through a search engine like Google. 

Paid Search: Is the process of paying for your results to show above organic search results. 

For more information on their differences and where you should focus your efforts, check out this blog post.

Search engines crawl the internet and rank websites based on hundreds of different factors to provide the most relevant results to users. 

When a user types in a query, the search engine looks through all the websites, it has indexed and serves up the most relevant results. 

Because organic search is how most people find websites, it’s a massive part of most businesses’ website performance. 

It’s also a critical component of the buyer funnel and ultimately getting users to complete a conversion or engagement. 

That’s why it’s so important to make sure your website is optimized for organic search. 

The diagram below depicts SEO’s hierarchy of needs. We just discussed ‘crawl accessibility’; it’s hard for your website to get discovered, indexed, and ranked without this need met. 

Untitled

Hubspot: SEO Basics Deck – Free SEO Certification Course

Some common ways to optimize for organic search include the keyword.

  • Content Creation
  • Keywords
  • Backlinking

Content Creation

Content allows businesses to communicate with their customers and prospects while providing valuable information based on their needs and wants.

This helps grow organic traffic to sites through SEO optimisation efforts like keyword research and backlinking.

There are a few things to keep in mind when creating content for SEO.

  • Who is your target audience? 
  • What kind of information are they searching for?
  • What questions do they have? 
  • How can you help them find those answers? 

Answering these questions will help you craft relevant and useful content for your audience and ensure that your content ranks.

Once you have created this content, you need to make sure it is optimised for the search engines so that your content appears as high as possible in the search results. 

This process includes both on-page optimisation, such as choosing the right keywords, and off-page optimisation, such as building quality backlinks. 

If you can get your content to rank highly in the search results, you will be able to drive a significant amount of traffic to your website.

Keywords

Keyword research is an essential tool for understanding what topics your audience cares about so you can create content that is relevant and useful to them. 

By researching keywords that are related to your market or niche, you can find out what questions people are searching for and create content that helps to answer those questions. 

In addition, keyword research can also help you identify problems that your audience is facing to create content that provides solutions. 

By understanding the needs and interests of your audience, you can create content that’s more likely to rank well in search engines and be of value to your readers. 

As a result, keyword research is a powerful tool that can help you create more relevant and engaging content for your audience.

Here are a few keyword tools: 

Backlinking

When people visit your website, you want them to stay awhile. 

You want them to scroll through your website, learn about your business, and eventually buy something, right? 

But for that to happen, you need to build credibility and trustworthiness with your audience. 

One of the best ways to do that is by including backlinks on your website. 

Backlinks are links to other websites. 

These links bring high-quality sites together with yours. The more backlinks your site has, the higher it will rank in search engine results.

Semrush’s article on What Is Bounce Rate and What Is a Good Rate? shows that they have 506 articles linking back to them. 

Following best practices and gaining 506 backlinks has increased their ranking for this article to 4th place for ‘bounce rate’ searches. 

Content that has backlinks behind it gets rewarded by algorithms. This is because search engines like Google value the valued.

If high-quality sites are linking back to your site this signals that there is something of value here for people searching for that information. 

metrics
bounce rate

How do you determine whether or not you need SEO services?

It can be difficult to determine whether or not you need SEO services; however, some key factors can help you make the decision. 

First, take a look at your website’s traffic levels. If you’re not getting as much traffic as you’d like, or if your traffic levels are flat, then it’s likely that you could benefit from SEO. 

If you’re looking to improve your website’s ranking in search results, one of the best things you can do is to secure high-quality links from other websites.

A good agency will have a team of experienced link builders who know how to research and contact potential link partners. 

They will also have established relationships with many high-quality websites. 

As a result, they’ll be able to secure links that would be difficult or impossible for most people to get on their own. 

Another factor to consider is your website’s conversion rate. If you’re getting plenty of traffic but not many leads or sales, then it’s possible that your site could use some optimisation. 

So if you’re serious about improving your website’s search engine ranking, hiring an SEO agency is a great way to get started.

SEO, or search engine optimisation, is a digital marketing strategy that helps businesses improve their visibility and ranking on search engines. 

By optimising your website for specific keywords and phrases, you can attract more qualified leads to your site and improve your chances of converting them into customers. 

SEO is a complex and ever-changing field, but it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re doing everything possible to optimise your website. 

At KAMG, we have a team of SEO experts who can help you choose the right keywords, create quality content, and build links to your site. 

Our team of experts are here to help guide you through the process and make sure your website ranks as high as possible. 

Contact us to learn more about how we can help you grow your business online.

Amy Rendel

Amy Rendel

Author

AMY RENDEL is a marketing consultant from South Africa currently residing in Israel. She has a B.Com in marketing and has worked with companies in South Africa, Israel, the UK, and the US. She spends her days writing blogs, website content and social media posts.

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Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 08, 2022

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

  • Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.

  • Company (referred to as either “the Company”, “We”, “Us” or “Our” in this Agreement) refers to Kas Andz Marketing Group, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN.

  • Cookies are small files that are placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.

  • Country refers to: United Kingdom

  • Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.

  • Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.

  • Service refers to the Website.

  • Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used.

  • Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).

  • Website refers to Kas Andz Marketing Group, accessible from kasandz.

  • You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

  • Email address

  • First name and last name

  • Phone number

  • Address, State, Province, ZIP/Postal code, City

  • Usage Data

Usage Data

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. The technologies We use may include:

  • Cookies or Browser Cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on Your Device. You can instruct Your browser to refuse all Cookies or to indicate when a Cookie is being sent. However, if You do not accept Cookies, You may not be able to use some parts of our Service. Unless you have adjusted Your browser setting so that it will refuse Cookies, our Service may use Cookies.
  • Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Service may use local stored objects (or Flash Cookies) to collect and store information about Your preferences or Your activity on our Service. Flash Cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as those used for Browser Cookies. For more information on how You can delete Flash Cookies, please read “Where can I change the settings for disabling, or deleting local shared objects?” available at flash player.
  • Web Beacons. Certain sections of our Service and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of a certain section and verifying system and server integrity).

Cookies can be “Persistent” or “Session” Cookies. Persistent Cookies remain on Your personal computer or mobile device when You go offline, while Session Cookies are deleted as soon as You close Your web browser. Learn more about cookies on the Free Privacy Policy website article.

We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:

  • Necessary / Essential Cookies

    Type: Session Cookies

    Administered by: Us

    Purpose: These Cookies are essential to provide You with services available through the Website and to enable You to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of user accounts. Without these Cookies, the services that You have asked for cannot be provided, and We only use these Cookies to provide You with those services.

  • Cookies Policy / Notice Acceptance Cookies

    Type: Persistent Cookies

    Administered by: Us

    Purpose: These Cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies on the Website.

  • Functionality Cookies

    Type: Persistent Cookies

    Administered by: Us

    Purpose: These Cookies allow us to remember choices You make when You use the Website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these Cookies is to provide You with a more personal experience and to avoid You having to re-enter your preferences every time You use the Website.

For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit our Cookies Policy or the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.

Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

  • To provide and maintain our Service, including to monitor the usage of our Service.

  • To manage Your Account: to manage Your registration as a user of the Service. The Personal Data You provide can give You access to different functionalities of the Service that are available to You as a registered user.

  • For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the purchase contract for the products, items or services You have purchased or of any other contract with Us through the Service.

  • To contact You: To contact You by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application’s push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their implementation.

  • To provide You with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless You have opted not to receive such information.

  • To manage Your requests: To attend and manage Your requests to Us.

  • For business transfers: We may use Your information to evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by Us about our Service users is among the assets transferred.

  • For other purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.

We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

  • With Service Providers: We may share Your personal information with Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, to contact You.
  • For business transfers: We may share or transfer Your personal information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of Company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of Our business to another company.
  • With Affiliates: We may share Your information with Our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this Privacy Policy. Affiliates include Our parent company and any other subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that We control or that are under common control with Us.
  • With business partners: We may share Your information with Our business partners to offer You certain products, services or promotions.
  • With other users: when You share personal information or otherwise interact in the public areas with other users, such information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside.
  • With Your consent: We may disclose Your personal information for any other purpose with Your consent.

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company’s operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation
  • Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
  • Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
  • Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
  • Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent’s consent before We collect and use that information.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us:

  • By email: team@kasandz.com