In the time when the Internet was black and white, you had to know the address of the site you wanted to access to get there. Quickly, given the extent of the web, this way of doing things became obsolete and search engines appeared.

Alta Vista, Yahoo or even the Quebec web were fiercely competing until the giant Google crushed everything in its path.

Today, Google is the most used search engine in the world and knowing how to position yourself well on it is essential to ensure the viability of your website. Here are some tips for successful (Search Engine Optimization) SEO!

Paid or free?

When we talk about SEO, we refer to the natural and free referencing of a website. For the paid inclination, we rather speak of SEA (Search Engine Advertising). If you are talking about SEO and it includes payments, something is wrong.

A ton of criteria

Referencing is based on several hundred criteria and as the web evolves day by day, it is practically impossible to know which criteria are the most important. However, some good practices never go out of style:
– Ensuring that the structure of the website is good (Order of level titles, for example)
– Length of articles and sentences
– Quality of content and always up to date
– Number of pages
– Loading speed of pages

Speak to the machine to reach the human

When working on the SEO of your website, keep in mind that you are not talking to the people who come to the site but to the bots. Bots are micrologic software that navigates the web and updates the databases of Google and other search engines. It is to them that you give information.

To optimize a website for search engines, it is important to speak to these bots in a way that they can understand and that accurately represents the content of the website to the search engine. This includes using relevant and descriptive titles and descriptions for pages, using header tags and structured data to organize and classify the content of the website, and using keywords in a natural and appropriate way.

By speaking to the bots in a way that accurately represents the content and purpose of your website, you can improve the chances of your website being discovered and ranked highly in search results. This, in turn, can help you reach and engage with human users searching for the information and services offered on your website.

Keywords, yes, but which ones and how many?

Keywords allow you to indicate to bots the main elements and themes of your website. But not all keywords are equal. To choose the right ones, you can use Google’s keyword planning tool.

When you search Google, you rarely type just one word. The association of ideas and concepts allows you to better target what you want to find. So your keywords should reflect this reality. Ask yourself what questions your website answers!

To optimize the use of keywords on a webpage for SEO, it is important to do keyword research to identify the most relevant and popular keywords for your topic. You can use tools such as the Google Keyword Planner to help you with this. Once you have identified your keywords, it is important to use them naturally and sparingly in the content of your webpage, rather than trying to stuff them in wherever possible.

It is also important to vary the keywords you use and to use long-tail keywords, which are more specific phrases that are less competitive in search results. This can help you reach a more targeted audience and improve the chances of your webpage ranking in search results.

Meta description

The meta description is a short summary of the content of a webpage that is included in the HTML code of the page. It is typically displayed in the search results of a search engine, below the title of the webpage. The purpose of the meta description is to give users an idea of what the webpage is about and to encourage them to click on the result and visit the webpage.

Each of your pages should have a clear and effective meta description. The meta description is the preview of the content of your page that Google displays in the list of search results. Maximum 20 to 25 words. Short, effective and without fluff.

Internal and external links

Regarding referencing, we often forget that we can refer to our own content within our website. Of course, referencing from a site outside of yours is important, but don’t neglect internal referencing either. It’s a way for search engines to see that your site is relevant and has a good structure.

URL and filenames

The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of your pages are important. They should be clear and concise and contain keywords if possible. For example, instead of “pagenumber1.html”, choose “keyword-page.html”

Here are some tips for optimizing your webpage URLs for SEO:

1. Keep it short and descriptive: A short and descriptive URL is easier for users to remember and for search engines to understand. Avoid using long, complex URLs with unnecessary characters or numbers.
2. Use keywords: Including relevant keywords in the URL can help search engines understand the content of the webpage and how it relates to a user’s search query. However, be sure to keep the URL natural and avoid keyword stuffing.
3. Use hyphens to separate words: Using hyphens to separate words in the URL can make it easier for search engines to read and understand. Avoid using underscores, as they can be read as one word by search engines.
4. Use lowercase letters: Search engines treat uppercase and lowercase letters differently. To avoid any potential confusion, it is best to use lowercase letters in your URLs.

In addition to the URL of a webpage, the filename of the page is also an important factor to consider when optimizing your website for search engines. The filename is the name of the file that contains the HTML code for the webpage. It is typically located after the domain name and before the extension (such as .html or .php) in the URL.

Like the URL, the filename of a webpage can affect its ranking in search results. A descriptive and relevant filename can help search engines understand the content of the webpage and how it relates to the overall theme of the website. This can improve the ranking of the webpage in search results and make it more likely to be clicked on by users.

Alt tag

An alt tag, also known as an “alt attribute” or “alt description,” is an HTML attribute that is added to an image on a website. The purpose of the alt tag is to provide a text description of the image for users who are unable to view the image due to a slow internet connection, visual impairment, or any other reason.

The alt tag is an attribute that you can add to your images. It allows you to describe the image for the benefit of search engines and users who cannot see the image for one reason or another.

Alt tags are important for several reasons:

Accessibility: Alt tags help users with visual impairments understand the content of an image. Screen readers, which are used by many visually impaired individuals to access websites, read the alt tags of images to provide a description of the image to the user.

Search engine optimization: Alt tags help search engines understand the content of an image and how it relates to the surrounding content on the page. This can improve the ranking of a website in search engine results.

User experience: If an image fails to load for any reason, the alt tag will be displayed in place of the image. This can provide users with a better understanding of the content of the page and improve their overall experience on the website.

To add an alt tag to an image, you will need to use the following HTML code:

<img src=”image.jpg” alt=”Description of image”>

Replace “image.jpg” with the name and location of the image on your website, and replace “Description of image” with a short, concise description of the image. It’s important to keep the alt tag brief, as long alt tags can distract users and may be truncated by some screen readers.

Mobile friendly

Mobile friendly refers to a website that is designed and optimized for viewing on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. In today’s digital landscape, it is essential for businesses to have a mobile friendly website, as more and more people are using their mobile devices to access the internet.

Having a mobile friendly website has several benefits. It improves the user experience for people accessing your website on a mobile device. A mobile friendly website will load faster and be easier to navigate on a small screen, which can increase the chances of users staying on your website and interacting with your content.

A mobile friendly website can improve your search engine rankings. Google, the most popular search engine, prioritizes mobile friendly websites in its search results. This means that if your website is not mobile friendly, it may rank lower in search results, which can lead to fewer people finding and visiting your website.

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In conclusion, SEO is an ongoing process that requires time and attention. By following these tips, you can improve the visibility and relevance of your site on search engines.”