SEO - Search Engine Optimisation
Start Getting Discovered In Google Search Today
Maximize your online visibility with natural Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies. No matter the search engine – Google, Bing, or Duck Duck Go – our goal is to help you reach the top three results for optimal discovery. As an agency dedicated to SEO, we specialize in serving the Dutch and English markets.
- Last updated: February 11, 2023
SEO - the natural way to rank highly with search engines
At Creative Digital Media, we are committed to providing dependable, expert advice. While optimizing your website can take time and effort, it is a skill that can be learned for yourself, (with a little dedication). For those seeking professional SEO services, we invite you to take advantage of our FREE SEO website check-up. But if you’re eager to learn more about website optimization for yourself, please continue reading.
Professional SEO Services
Take advantage of our free, no-obligation website inspection. Let our experts take a look at the On-Page, Off-Page, and Technical Optimisation possible.
Table of Contents
What does SEO stand for?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation.
Search
The word or phrase someone enters into an Engine such as Google.
Engine
An engine which produces a list of the most relevant terms for that search.
Optimisation
Ticking all the boxes to ensure a site ranks highly in the search engine results.
What is SEO?
In simple terms, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves making targeted improvements to various parts of your website to enhance the user experience. This includes both the content as well as to technical aspects of the site.
Though these individual changes may seem minor, when combined with together with other optimizations, they can make a very noticeable impact on the website’s user experience and organic search rankings.
To fully optimize a website, a thorough process of testing and auditing must be conducted. With SEO, you can achieve a natural, organic presence on search engines like Google without having to rely on paid advertising to be found at the top of search results.
The Importance of SEO
Optimizing your website with SEO is essential in many ways for a successful online presence.
With SEO, you will benefit from improved visibility, credibility, and ranking in search engines, this will result in increased website traffic and potential conversions. SEO helps to ensure that your website is easily discoverable by users, and its optimization can improve the user experience, establish brand recognition, and drive increased sales. In today’s digital age, SEO is a necessary tool for businesses and individuals looking to establish and continually maintain a strong online presence within search engines.
Benefits Of Optimising
- Increased Traffic
- Increased Revenue
- Better User Experience
- Improved Brand Visibility
- Web Accessibility Compliance
- Reduced Bounce Rate
SEO Explaned in 3 simple steps
On-Page Optimisation
Providing amazing content
- Website Content
- Keywords
- Internal & External Links
- Images
- Schema & Featured Snippets
Off-Page Optimisation
Promoting your site and its content
- Domain Authority
- Local SEO
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Channels
- Influencer Marketing
Technical Optimisation
Improving your site technically
- Site Speed
- Crawlabilty
- 404 Errors
- Duplicate Content
- Website Security
On-Page Optimisation
A brief breakdown of the different elements of On-Page Optimisation. Follow the links for additional information.
Keyword research
Choose keywords that are relevant to your page content and have a high search volume. This will help you optimize the page for those keywords and improve its visibility in search results.
Content optimization
Create unique and high-quality content that is relevant to your target keywords. Use headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.), subheadings, and other formatting elements to structure the content and make it easy to read.
Meta descriptions
Write compelling meta descriptions for each page that include your target keywords and provide a brief overview of what the page is about. These descriptions will appear in the search results and help attract users to your site.
URL structure
Use short, descriptive, and keyword-rich URLs that accurately reflect the content of the page. Avoid using long strings of numbers or special characters.
Image optimization
Use descriptive file names and alt text for images. This will help search engines understand what the images are about and make the page more accessible to users with visual impairments.
Internal linking
Link to other relevant pages on your website to help search engines understand the context of the page and improve the user experience.
Social sharing
Include social sharing buttons on the page to make it easy for users to share your content on social media platforms. This can help increase the visibility of your content and drive traffic to your site.
Mobile optimization
Make sure the page is mobile-friendly and accessible on a variety of devices. This will improve the user experience for mobile users and help you rank higher in mobile search results.
Off-Page Optimisation
A brief breakdown of the different elements of Off-Page Optimisation. Follow the links for additional information.
Link building
Acquire high-quality, relevant backlinks from other websites to increase the authority and credibility of your site in the eyes of search engines.
Social media presence
Establish a strong presence on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and engage with your followers by sharing your content and interacting with them.
Local SEO
Optimize your website for local search by claiming your Google My Business listing, getting listed in local directories, and including your business information (name, address, phone number, etc.) on your website.
Content marketing
Create valuable and relevant content (such as blog posts, infographics, videos, etc.) that is designed to attract and engage your target audience. Share this content on your website and other platforms to increase the visibility of your brand.
Influencer outreach
Reach out to influencers in your industry and collaborate with them to promote your content and reach a wider audience.
Online reviews
Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews for your business on platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. Respond to negative reviews professionally and constructively to improve the overall perception of your business.
Brand mentions
Monitor for mentions of your brand or website on the web and engage with the people who are mentioning you. This can help increase the visibility of your brand and improve its reputation.
Paid advertising
Consider running targeted advertising campaigns on platforms such as Google AdWords or Facebook Ads to reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your site.
Technical Optimisation
A brief breakdown of the different elements of Technical Optimisation. Follow the links for additional information.
Website structure & architecture
Ensure your website has a clear and organized structure to help search engines crawl and index your pages efficiently.
Mobile responsiveness
Make sure your website is optimized for viewing on mobile devices and that the user experience is seamless and user-friendly.
URL structure
Use descriptive and concise URLs that accurately reflect the content on your page.
Page speed optimization
Improve the load time of your pages to provide a fast and smooth user experience and reduce bounce rates.
Schema markup
Implement schema markup to help search engines understand the context and content of your pages.
Image optimization
Optimize images for web use by compressing files, using descriptive file names, and alt tags.
Sitemap and robots.txt
Create and submit an XML sitemap to search engines and use the robots.txt file to control access to your website.
Internal linking
Use internal links to help search engines crawl your site and provide a better user experience by directing visitors to relevant content.
Domain Authority
So what is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority is a search engine ranking score that gives a measure of how successful a site is when it comes to search engine results. It was created by the software development company Moz and gives an overview of likely search engine performance.
The domain authority of a website describes its relevance for a specific subject area or industry. Domain Authority is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz. This relevance has a direct impact on its ranking by search engines, trying to assess domain authority through automated analytic algorithms.
Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine result pages (SERPs). Domain Authority scores range from one to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a greater likelihood of ranking.
Domain Authority is based on data from our Link Explorer web index and uses dozens of factors in its calculations. The actual Domain Authority calculation itself uses a machine learning model to predictively find a “best fit” algorithm that most closely correlates our link data with rankings across thousands of actual search results that we use as standards to scale against.
Crawlabilty and Indexed Pages
Getting Google
to list your website
Crawlability and indexing are two critical components of successful SEO. It is crucial for businesses and individuals to understand how search engines access, crawl, and index their websites. Without proper crawl ability and indexing, search engines may struggle to understand the content on a website, leading to poor visibility and ranking. To ensure that search engines are able to crawl and index a website correctly, it is important to have a well-structured site architecture, clean and consistent URLs, and a sitemap that includes all the important pages.
Additionally, regularly monitoring crawl errors and submitting a sitemap to search engines can help ensure that all pages are properly indexed. By paying attention to crawl ability and indexing, businesses and individuals can ensure that their website is easily accessible to search engines and can achieve better visibility and rankings in search results.
Site Speed ( Page Load Time)
Small Increases Matter.
Arrange Your Site Speed Tune-Up
Site speed and page load times are critical factors in the overall user experience and search engine optimization. With the increasing use of mobile devices and the expectation of instant gratification, it’s essential for websites to load quickly and efficiently. Slow page load times can lead to high bounce rates and negatively impact user engagement, leading to lower search engine rankings. To improve site speed, it is important to optimize images, minimize the use of large files and external scripts, and use a fast and reliable hosting service. Additionally, regularly monitoring page load times and using tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that a website is delivering a fast and efficient user experience. By focusing on site speed and page load times, businesses and individuals can improve their search engine rankings and provide a better user experience for their audience.
There are many tools out there to check and optimise websites these days.
Free Speed Testing Tools
GTmetrix
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Lighthouse
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Main Points of Focus
- How quickly content like text or images are painted onto your page.
- How quickly the contents of your page are visibly populated.
- How long it takes for the largest element of content (e.g. a hero image) to be painted on your page.
- How long it takes for your page to become fully interactive.
- How much time is blocked by scripts during your page loading process.
- How much your page's layout shifts as it loads.
Organic Traffic
Getting Clicks
From Search Results
Organic traffic, or the click from search results, is a crucial aspect of search engine optimization and online visibility. The goal of SEO is to improve a website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) to drive more organic traffic to the site. Organic traffic is valuable because it represents users who are actively searching for information related to a particular product or service, making them more likely to be engaged and potentially convert into customers.
To improve organic traffic, it’s important to focus on creating high-quality, informative content that addresses user needs, optimizing for relevant keywords, building high-quality backlinks, and providing a seamless user experience. Additionally, regularly monitoring and analyzing organic traffic data can help identify areas for improvement and track the effectiveness of SEO strategies. By focusing on organic traffic and optimizing for search engines, businesses and individuals can improve their online visibility and drive more qualified traffic to their websites.
Backlinks
Building Quality Links
Backlinks, or the links pointing to a website from other sites, are an important factor in search engine optimization. Search engines use backlinks as a way to assess the authority and credibility of a website, and sites with high-quality, relevant backlinks are often rewarded with higher search engine rankings. As such, building a strong backlink profile is a key aspect of any effective SEO strategy. This involves acquiring high-quality, relevant links from authoritative websites within the same industry or niche.
The focus is on quality over quantity, as low-quality links from spammy or irrelevant sites can actually hurt a website’s search engine rankings. Building a strong backlink profile requires time, effort, and patience, but it can pay off with higher search engine visibility and increased organic traffic to a website. In conclusion, backlinks are a crucial aspect of SEO, and businesses and individuals looking to improve their online visibility should focus on building a strong, relevant backlink profile.
Bounce Rate
Keep Visitors on your page
Bounce rate is another important factor that can affect search engine optimization. Bounce rate is a metric that measures the percentage of visitors who leave a website after only viewing a single page. High bounce rates can be an indicator of poor user experience, which can negatively impact a website’s search engine rankings.
Search engines like Google take into account the bounce rate of a website as a signal of the quality of the user experience it provides. A website with a high bounce rate may be seen as providing a poor user experience, which can result in a decrease in its search engine rankings. On the other hand, a website with a low bounce rate is seen as providing a good user experience, which can result in an increase in its search engine rankings. In conclusion, keeping bounce rates low is essential for any website looking to improve its online visibility and drive more traffic to the site.
An overview of the current state of SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a constantly evolving field, with new updates and changes to search engine algorithms happening on a regular basis. Keeping up with the latest developments in SEO can be a challenge, but it is essential for any business or individual looking to improve their online visibility and drive more traffic to their website.
Creating high-quality content
One of the most significant updates in recent years has been the shift towards semantic search. This is a process where search engines use artificial intelligence and natural language processing to understand the intent behind a user’s query, rather than simply matching keywords. This has led to a focus on creating high-quality, informative content that addresses the user’s needs, rather than simply trying to stuff keywords into a page.
Another important development in SEO has been the rise of voice search. With the increasing popularity of virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, more and more people are turning to voice search to find what they need online. This has led to a greater emphasis on long-tail keywords and natural language phrases, as well as a focus on local SEO and business listings.
Focus on Mobile Optimisation
Mobile optimization has also become increasingly important in recent years. With more and more people accessing the internet from their smartphones and tablets, it is essential that websites are optimized for mobile devices. This includes things like responsive design, fast loading times, and mobile-friendly content. Google has also made it clear that mobile-first indexing is a priority, so websites that are not optimized for mobile devices may see a significant drop in their search engine rankings.
Another major update that has affected SEO is the roll-out of the Google BERT algorithm. Google BERT is a natural language processing algorithm that helps Google understand the context and intent behind a user’s query. This algorithm has a significant impact on the way that Google processes long-tail keywords and phrases, and it has led to a greater emphasis on creating high-quality, informative content that addresses the user’s needs.
Domain Authority & Social Signals
Link building is another area that has seen significant changes in recent years. In the past, link building was all about quantity, with the more links pointing to your site, the better. However, this approach has been discredited as it can lead to low-quality links from spammy websites. Today, the focus is on quality over quantity, with search engines placing more emphasis on links from authoritative, high-quality websites.
Social media has also become an important factor in SEO, with search engines taking into account the number and quality of social signals when ranking a website. This includes things like the number of shares, likes, and followers a website has, as well as the level of engagement on social media platforms.
Page Experience & Core Web Vitals
One of the most recent updates that is affecting SEO is the Google’s Page Experience Update, which was announced in May 2020. This update will consider the experience of the user when accessing a website, and it will use a set of metrics known as the Core Web Vitals to measure the speed, responsiveness and visual stability of a website. Websites that provide a good user experience will be rewarded with higher search engine rankings, while those that do not may see a drop in their rankings.
Never stop learning
In conclusion, SEO is an ever-evolving field, with new updates and changes to search engine algorithms happening on a regular basis. Businesses and individuals looking to improve their online visibility and drive more traffic to their websites must stay up-to-date with the latest developments in SEO. This includes things like semantic search, voice search, mobile optimization, link building, social media, and user experience. By keeping abreast of these changes and adapting their strategies accordingly, businesses and individuals can improve their search engine rankings and drive more traffic to their website.
SEO Tools
The goto Tool Kit
Must See Sites
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
- GTmetrix
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Hootsuite or Buffer
SEO Strategies and Best Practices
SEO strategies and best practices are essential aspects of improving online visibility and driving more traffic to a website. Keeping up with the latest trends and developments in the field of SEO can be a challenge, but it is necessary for any business or individual looking to achieve success online. There are several key strategies and best practices that can help improve a website’s search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic.
One of the most important strategies is to create high-quality, informative content that addresses the user’s needs and provides real value. This includes creating content that is optimized for semantic search, voice search, and mobile devices. Additionally, it is important to ensure that websites are optimized for page speed and load times, as well as providing a good user experience.
Another key strategy is to focus on building quality backlinks from authoritative and high-quality websites. This includes focusing on link-building best practices, such as creating valuable and informative content that others want to link to and building relationships with other websites in your niche.
Social media engagement is also an important aspect of SEO. Search engines take into account the number and quality of social signals when ranking a website, so it is essential to engage with your audience on social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This includes sharing content, responding to comments and messages, and building relationships with other users.
Finally, it is important to continuously monitor and analyze your website’s performance and adjust your SEO strategies accordingly. This includes keeping an eye on your website’s bounce rate, page speed, and search engine rankings, and making changes as needed to improve your website’s performance.
In conclusion, SEO strategies and best practices are an ever-evolving field, and it is essential to stay up-to-date with the latest developments to improve online visibility and drive more traffic to your website. By focusing on creating high-quality content, building quality backlinks, engaging with your audience on social media, and continuously monitoring and adjusting your strategies, businesses and individuals can achieve success online.
FAQ's
Common Questions related to SEO
The time it takes to see results from SEO varies depending on many factors such as the competitiveness of your industry and the quality of your SEO efforts. On average, it can take 6 to 12 months to start seeing significant results.
Yes, link building is still an important factor for SEO, but it’s important to focus on acquiring high-quality, relevant links from trustworthy sources. Unnatural or low-quality links can harm your ranking.
No, you cannot buy your way to the top of search results. Google’s algorithms are designed to detect and penalize websites that engage in unethical SEO practices such as paying for links. The best way to rank higher in search results is to create high-quality, relevant content and build a strong website with a good reputation.
Further Learning
Here are a few examples of further learning resources for SEO:
Websites: Moz, Search Engine Land, and SEObook are some of the best SEO blogs that provide updated information and tutorials.
Books:
- “The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization” by Eric Enge, Jessie Stricchiola, and Rand Fishkin.
- “SEO Like I’m 5: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization” by Jordan Kasteler
- “SEO 2019 & Beyond: The Complete SEO Guide for Marketing Professionals” by Adam Clarke
- “SEO Made Simple: Strategies for Dominating the World’s Largest Search Engine” by Michael Harnish
- “SEO for Growth: The Ultimate Guide for Marketers, Web Designers & Entrepreneurs” by John Jantsch and Phil Singleton
- “SEO for Dummies” by Peter Kent
- “SEO Workbook: 2019 Edition: The Strategic Guide to Search Engine Optimization” by Jason McDonald
- “SEO Step-by-Step: The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Getting Traffic from Google” by Caimin Jones
Online Courses: Udemy and Coursera offer online courses on SEO that can help you learn the basics and advanced concepts of SEO.
Conferences: Search Marketing Expo (SMX), Pubcon, and Brighton SEO are some of the most popular SEO conferences that provide opportunities to learn from experts, network with industry peers, and stay updated on the latest trends and best practices.
YouTube: There are many YouTube channels that offer tutorials, reviews, and case studies on SEO. Some popular channels include Backlinko, Ahrefs, and Neil Patel.
Related Articles
Read the latest news, and inspiration, or pick up some tips for your own website Search Engine Optimisation.
Local SEO in Hoorn: How to Unlock the Secrets
Local SEO in Hoorn: Boost Your Business Visibility and Drive more Local Traffic to your site with these Expert Strategies
Now you know all about SEO
Now that you understand a little more than before your visit about the importance of SEO and Search Engine Optimisation. Take the next step to a faster, more effective website and find yourself ranking higher on Google.
Find out where to begin by claiming your free SEO Analysis.
Creative Ideas:
Sparking inspiration
and driving results
At our agency, we pride ourselves on our ability to generate innovative and impactful creative ideas. Whether it's through our advertising, design, or branding services, we are dedicated to sparking inspiration and driving results for our clients. With a team of experts in various fields, we are able to deliver unique solutions that set you apart from the competition
Social Media Engagement
Putting the Social, in Social Media
Social media engagement is another important factor in search engine optimization. With the increasing role of social media in our daily lives, search engines are taking into account the number and quality of social signals when ranking a website. This includes things like the number of shares, likes, and followers a website has, as well as the level of engagement on social media platforms. Social media engagement can help boost a website’s visibility and credibility, as well as drive more traffic to the site. It also provides an opportunity for businesses and individuals to interact with their audience and build their brand. In conclusion, social media engagement should be an integral part of any SEO strategy, as it can help improve a website’s search engine rankings and drive more traffic to the site.