Search Optimization - A Complete Guide

11 Aug 2024
13 Sept 2024

You might be here because you're asking: How do I optimize our website or webshop for search engines?

You're in the right place - here is our comprehensive guide on SEO, where we dive into search optimization and its crucial importance for your website's/webshop's success.
Here you will learn about SEO strategies, keyword analysis, technical SEO, and link building that can help you rank higher on Google and attract more organic traffic.

Dive into our SEO guide and learn how to optimize your online presence.

The guide is aimed at users of the Flex4B system, but it works for everyone regardless of the system, as it covers all aspects of search engine optimization.

What is search optimization?

Search optimization, also known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization), is the process of improving a website's visibility on search engines like Google.

It involves optimizing content, technical aspects, and links to make it easier for search engines to understand, index, and display your site in search results.

The goal of SEO is to attract organic traffic, which means visits without having to pay for ads - for example, by getting a high ranking on Google.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) vs. Search Engine Advertising (SEA) vs. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Although SEO, SEM, and SEA all aim to increase visibility on search engines, they differ in their methods and focus areas. To understand how to best use these strategies, it is important to know the differences and how each can contribute to your overall online marketing.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about improving your website's visibility in the organic (non-paid) search results.

This is achieved through a range of techniques that optimize both the content and technical aspects of your website. SEO involves all the things you've read about in this article.

The goal of SEO is to rank high in search results so that users can easily find your website when they search for the products or services you offer.

SEO is a long-term strategy where results build up over time, but it can provide sustained organic traffic without ongoing costs per click.

This part - SEO - is our focus in this blog post

Search Engine Advertising (SEA) specifically refers to paid search advertising, where you pay to have your site appear in search results.

This is typically done through pay-per-click (PPC) ads, such as Google Ads, where you bid on specific keywords and pay each time a user clicks on your ad.

SEA allows you to quickly gain visibility on search engines like Google, even if your site doesn't yet rank high organically.

The advantage of SEA is that you can target your ads very precisely to your audience based on keywords, demographics, geography, and other factors. Although SEA can be expensive, especially in competitive industries, it provides a direct and measurable way to attract traffic, and it can be an effective method to drive quick results while working on building your organic SEO.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a broader strategy that includes both SEO and paid advertising (SEA) to maximize visibility in search results.

SEM combines organic visibility through SEO with paid ads, allowing you to cover more areas on the search results page. While SEO works to improve your organic rankings, paid ads can ensure that your site appears at the top of search results when users search for specific keywords.

SEM thus allows you to attract both free organic traffic and pay for extra exposure, which can be particularly useful in highly competitive markets or during special campaigns.

On-page and off-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the optimization activities you perform directly on your website, such as using keywords, optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and improving the structure of your content.

Off-page SEO includes activities outside your website that affect your search engine ranking, such as link building and social signals.

Both aspects are covered in detail in this blog post.

Why is search optimization important?

Search optimization is crucial for achieving visibility online.

The better your site is optimized, the higher it will rank on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

This means more visits, potentially more customers, and ultimately increased revenue.

Additionally, good SEO builds your business's credibility and authority online, and it can help increase your brand value.

What does search optimization cost?

The cost of search optimization varies depending on whether you choose to do it yourself or hire a professional.

DIY solutions require time and knowledge, while a professional SEO consultant can often be hired on an hourly basis, or you can purchase a monthly subscription, depending on the scope of the task and competition in your industry.

At Flex4Business ApS, the Flex4B system helps you significantly, and many customers are therefore able to manage search engine optimization themselves. However, we also have experts who can help if you want to prioritize this further.

What does SEO cost?

Keyword analysis

You're probably thinking: What is a keyword analysis?

Keyword analysis is the foundation of any SEO strategy.

It's about identifying the words and phrases your potential customers use when searching for products or services you offer.

By understanding which keywords are relevant to your target audience, you can optimize your content and website to match users' search intentions. This increases the chances that they will find and choose your site when they search on Google or other search engines.

A well-executed keyword analysis helps you create targeted content that attracts organic traffic and improves your ranking in search results.

How do I start a keyword analysis?

To start a keyword analysis, you should begin by identifying the topics and keywords that are relevant to your business.

Consider what your customers typically search for and what questions they ask when looking for solutions to the problems your products or services can solve. You can start by brainstorming a list of potential keywords and phrases related to your industry, your products, and your customers' needs.

Once you have a basic list, you can expand it by considering synonyms and related search terms. It's also important to consider different search intentions, such as informational searches, transactional searches, or navigational searches. For example, a user searching for "how to choose the best coffee machine" might be looking for information and comparisons, while a user searching for "cheap coffee machine online" is ready to make a purchase.

Keyword analysis - illustration

Search Behavior and Search Intent

To fully understand and leverage search optimization, it is crucial to be familiar with the different ways people search and their intentions behind these searches. Search behavior can vary significantly, and this is where concepts like search intent and search patterns come into play.

There are primarily four types of search intent:

Navigational Searches

Users who enter a specific URL or brand name into the search bar typically have a navigational intent. Their goal is to find a particular website, webshop, or application, making exact matches and brand awareness critical to being discovered by these users.

  • Example 1: A user enters "Netflix login" into Google to quickly find the login page for a streaming service.
  • Example 2: A customer searches for "H&M return portal" to find the exact page where they can return their items.

Informational Searches

These searches are conducted by users looking for information or answers to specific questions. Informational searches can often be identified by the use of keywords like "how," "what," or "why." Here, content quality and relevance play a major role in meeting the user's needs.

  • Example 1: A potential customer searches for "what is the fastest car?" and expects to find comparisons and recommendations.
  • Example 2: A shopper enters "how to choose the right shoe size online?" to get guidance before making a purchase in an online store.

Transactional Searches

Users who are ready to take an action, such as buying a product, signing up for a service, or downloading an app, often perform transactional searches. They use keywords related to actions like "buy," "order," "sign up," or "download."

  • Example 1: A customer searches for "buy MacBook Pro" and wants to find the best retailer or deal.
  • Example 2: A user enters "sign up for newsletter" to quickly find and subscribe to an email list.

Commercial Investigation Searches

This is a middle ground between informational and transactional searches. Users conducting these searches intend to make a purchase but first want to make a thorough comparison of options. Keywords like "best," "review," or "cheapest" are typical here.

  • Example 1: A consumer searches for "best antivirus software 2024" to compare products and choose the most suitable solution.
  • Example 2: A customer enters "Samsung Galaxy vs iPhone comparison" to decide which phone to buy based on features and price.

Adapting Keywords

These diverse search intents highlight the importance of tailoring your SEO strategy to match the intended audience's behavior and needs. By analyzing search behavior across platforms and formats, including webshops, SaaS platforms, and traditional websites, you can adapt your content and user experience to meet users' intentions, thereby improving the chances of conversion and engagement.

How do I find keywords?

There are several ways to find relevant keywords. One of the most effective methods is to research your competitors' pages.

See which keywords they rank high on and identify any gaps where you can fill a need that they don't cover.

You can also use Google's autocomplete feature to see which keywords automatically appear when you start typing a search. This gives you insight into what other users are searching for.

Another technique is to analyze the search results (SERP) to see what types of content rank high for your targeted keywords.
If there are many lists and guides, it could indicate that users want comparisons and in-depth information.

Additionally, you might consider using long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific phrases that may not have as much search traffic but often lead to higher conversion rates because they are more targeted.

What tools can I use?

There are many tools available to help you perform a thorough keyword analysis. Here are some of the most popular:

  • Google Keyword Planner
    • This free tool from Google is designed for AdWords campaigns, but it's also very useful for finding new keywords and getting estimates on search volume and competition.

  • Ahrefs
    • Ahrefs is a powerful SEO tool that offers comprehensive keyword analysis, including competitor analysis, backlink profile, and keyword suggestions. It's ideal for those who want deep insights into their SEO strategy.

  • SEMrush
    • SEMrush is a versatile tool that allows you to analyze keywords, monitor competitors, and even discover new opportunities for paid search. It's perfect for those looking for an all-in-one solution.

  • Ubersuggest
    • Ubersuggest, developed by Neil Patel, is a free tool that provides simple and user-friendly keyword suggestions, as well as insights into competition and search volume.

  • Morningscore
    • This Danish tool offers an easy-to-understand platform where you can analyze keywords, track rankings, and monitor your SEO performance.

Important considerations during keyword analysis

When conducting a keyword analysis, it's important to consider both search volume and competition.
Keywords with high volume can attract a lot of traffic, but they are also often more competitive. Therefore, it might be a good idea to include a mix of both high-volume and long-tail keywords in your strategy.
Long-tail keywords typically have less competition and can often lead to higher conversion rates because they are more specific and targeted.

Additionally, you should continuously monitor and adjust your keywords as your industry evolves and user behavior changes.

Keyword analysis is not a one-time task; it is an ongoing process that requires regular updates to ensure that your SEO strategy remains relevant and effective.

SEO analysis - illustration

How do I use my keywords effectively?

Using your keywords effectively is key to improving your SEO strategy and achieving better rankings on search engines like Google. It's about placing the keywords strategically in your content without overstuffing the text, so it appears unnatural or over-optimized.

To achieve the best effect, make sure your primary keywords appear in important areas such as titles, headings (H1, H2, etc.), meta descriptions, and URLs.

Additionally, your keywords should be naturally integrated into the body text, especially in the first 100 words of your content. But be careful not to overdo it; a good rule of thumb is to keep your keyword density between 1-2%. This means that the keyword should appear about 1-2 times per 100 words.

Beyond primary keywords, it's also important to use related keywords and synonyms. This helps make your content more varied and natural for readers, and it increases your chances of ranking for different searches. Remember that Google rewards well-written content that provides value to users, so the focus should always be on quality rather than quantity.

Finally, avoid 'keyword stuffing', where keywords are used unnaturally frequently. This can lead to your site being penalized by search engines, which can hurt your ranking. Instead, strive for a natural and balanced use of keywords that enhances the reader's experience while also optimizing your site for search engines.

Using AI for SEO

The use of AI (artificial intelligence) in SEO strategies has become an unavoidable part of modern digital marketing, especially when it comes to content creation. AI can not only streamline the writing process but also ensure that the content is optimized for search engines and relevant to the target audience. Here are some specific ways AI can be applied in SEO work, with a focus on text and images:

Also, read our AI blog posts—here are some of them:

Automated Content Generation

AI-driven tools like GPT-4 and other text generators can be used to create high-quality content at scale. These tools can produce product descriptions and even other texts based on inputs like topics, keywords, and desired tone. By using AI to generate content, businesses can quickly respond to new trends and keep their website updated with fresh and relevant content. However, it is important to review, edit, and verify the information, as AI is far from perfect.

Optimization of Existing Content

AI can also be used to analyze and optimize existing content. Various tools can provide suggestions on how to improve keyword density, structure, and readability to enhance the content's ranking in search results. AI can identify gaps in the content, such as under-covered topics or the lack of long-tail keywords, and then propose precise adjustments to improve SEO effectiveness. This means that AI can not only improve the visibility of the content but also its relevance and engagement for users.

Topic Research and Trend Prediction

By analyzing large amounts of data, AI can help identify new topics that are relevant to your target audience. AI tools can scan the internet for popular topics and provide recommendations for content that has the potential to rank highly. This allows marketers to stay ahead of competitors by producing content tailored to emerging trends before they become saturated in the market. AI can also be used to predict which keywords will be most effective in the future, providing an advantage in keyword strategy.

Automation of Keyword Analysis

AI-driven tools can greatly enhance keyword analysis by identifying the most relevant keywords based on your topics and target audiences. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs use AI to analyze search data and find opportunities to rank for both common and long-tail keywords. These tools can quickly generate a comprehensive list of keywords to help you precisely target your content to what your potential customers are searching for. AI can also predict changes in search volume, allowing you to adapt your keyword strategy in line with market developments.

Keyword Check for Texts

AI can also help ensure that your texts are optimally optimized for keywords. Tools can not only correct grammar and spelling errors but also check whether your keywords are correctly and effectively integrated into the text. This ensures that your content is not only well-written but also SEO-friendly. AI can analyze keyword distribution in your text and suggest adjustments to ensure that the keywords are strategically placed without compromising readability.

Image Generation and Optimization

AI also plays an increasingly important role in creating and optimizing images for SEO purposes. Tools like DALL-E or Midjourney can generate unique images based on text descriptions, making it easy to create visual content that is both relevant and original. AI can also be used to optimize images by adjusting their size, format, and alt texts to ensure that they not only look good but also contribute to the site's SEO. Alt tags can be automatically generated using AI, ensuring that your images are correctly tagged for search engines, which can improve the effectiveness of image search.

Save Time and Resources with AI

By integrating AI into your SEO strategy, you can not only improve the quality and relevance of your content and images but also save time and resources. AI enables you to respond quickly to market changes while ensuring that your website remains competitive in search engines.

Content for the user - not for Google

When creating content, the focus should be on delivering value to the user.
This can be in the form of informative, entertaining, or inspiring content.
Remember that satisfied users stay longer on your site, share the content, and return - factors that indirectly positively affect your SEO.

Is there something that makes you unique?

Find out what makes your business, your product, or your content unique. Use this as a central theme in your SEO strategy.

Unique content stands out from the competition and can attract a loyal readership as well as improve your ranking on search engines.

User experience

User experience (UX) plays a major role in SEO. A site that is easy to navigate, quick to load, and optimized for mobile use will both satisfy users and achieve better rankings in search results.

Google prioritizes sites that provide a good experience, making UX essential for a successful SEO strategy.

If you use Flex4B system, we keep your site updated on many of these points so you can focus on the content

UX user experience - illustration

Local content

Local content is important for businesses that want to attract customers from a specific geographic area.

This can include local keywords such as city names, regions, etc. (e.g., in long-tail keywords where it is included), reviews from local customers, and information about local events or offers. 

Optimizing for local SEO can help your business rank higher in local searches.

International SEO

International SEO is about optimizing your site for different countries and languages.
This may include multilingual pages, local domains, or the correct use of hreflang tags.
By focusing on international SEO, you can reach a global audience and increase your visibility in different markets.

Flex4B system has the ability to create international pages with many different languages. Our entire administration is also translated. Current languages include English, American, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German, Spanish, Dutch, and Finnish. We also have the option of different currencies and everything else needed to be in, and adapt the site to, multiple countries

International SEO - illustration

Content updates

Regular content updates are a crucial factor in keeping your website relevant and engaging for both users and search engines. Content that is updated with the latest information tends to rank higher in search results, as search engines like Google prioritize sites that deliver current and reliable content. By continuously revising and improving your existing content, you ensure that your pages remain competitive and relevant in your industry.

An effective way to update your content is by adding new information, such as recently published statistics, current trends, or changes in the industry. This can make your articles and pages more valuable to users, as they will always find the most up-to-date information when they visit your website.
It's also a good idea to review older content to ensure that all links still work and that the information is still correct and relevant.

Don't deceive users or Google

It's important to be honest and transparent in your content.

Do not attempt to manipulate search engines with black-hat SEO techniques such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, or hidden text.

Black-hat: Is an umbrella term for a range of unethical or manipulative techniques used to improve a site's ranking in search results in a way that violates search engine guidelines. It includes a wide variety of methods, such as keyword stuffing, hidden text, cloaking, and link farming.

Cloaking: A black-hat technique where the content shown to search engine crawlers is different from the content users see. The goal of cloaking is to manipulate search engine algorithms to achieve a higher ranking in search results while presenting something completely different to users, which may not even be relevant to their search.

Keyword stuffing: Keyword stuffing is the practice of overloading a page with the same keywords or phrases in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings. This can result in text that seems unnatural and difficult to read for users, and it can lead to search engines penalizing or downgrading the page in search results.

Hidden text: Hidden text involves adding keywords or phrases to a webpage that are invisible to the user but visible to search engines. This can be done by hiding the text with the same color as the background or placing it outside the visible area. This technique is considered misleading and can result in the page being penalized or removed from search results.

These methods can lead to severe penalties from search engines and damage your site's credibility.

At Flex4Business ApS, we naturally do not attempt any of the above techniques, as we want to ensure our customers the best possible search optimization

Original content - not duplicated content

Original content is one of the most valuable resources for SEO.
By creating unique content that is not copied from other sources, you can differentiate your site and attract more traffic.
Google rewards sites that offer something new and interesting to users.

Duplicated content, on the other hand, can harm your SEO as it can confuse search engines and result in lower rankings. Make sure that all content on your site is unique and not copied from other sites.

If you still need to create duplicated content, using canonical tags can help solve issues with duplicated content by indicating the original version of a page. This helps search engines understand which version should be shown in search results so you are not penalized.

SEO: Original content - illustration

You can easily choose whether pages should be canonical in the Flex4B system

Spelling, grammar, language - get help from AI if needed

Flawless spelling and grammar are crucial for both user experience and SEO. While Google does not directly penalize sites for spelling or grammatical errors, poorly written content can have negative consequences for your site's credibility and authority. Users who encounter error-ridden text may quickly lose trust in the quality of the content, leading to a higher bounce rate and fewer conversions. Additionally, repeated errors can give the impression that the site is unprofessional or poorly maintained, which can damage your company's reputation.

To ensure high quality in your content, consider using AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. These tools can be a great help, especially when working with large amounts of text or if you don't have a professional proofreader available. By investing time in proofreading and improving your content (e.g., with help from AI), you ensure that your site appears professional and trustworthy, ultimately leading to better SEO results and a more satisfying user experience.

The Flex4B system also has a spell checker in the editor

Clean source code - do not copy from Word or similar

Using clean HTML code is important for SEO. When you copy text from programs like Word, you may include hidden or messy code that can harm your site's SEO. Be sure to edit and clean the code before uploading content to your website.

Also, be careful when using plugins like Grammarly and similar when working in online editors, as they can create HTML elements in your code.

Structured content

There are many things you can easily do yourself when it comes to content on your website/webshop. Below we look at several of them.

Text

Common Pages
For common pages such as front pages, service pages, and contact pages, it is recommended to have at least 300 (sometimes 400) words. This is enough to provide search engines with sufficient content to work with, while also informing and engaging visitors. Shorter pages may appear less informative, which can affect both rankings and the user's time on the page.

Blog Posts
When it comes to blog posts, it can be beneficial to increase the length as long as it makes sense in relation to the content. Writing blog posts of over 800 words can be advantageous. Longer posts allow for a deeper treatment of the topic, which can improve your search engine rankings. Blog posts should also include subheadings, bullet points, and images to enhance readability and engagement.

Other Pages
For other types of pages, such as landing pages, product descriptions, or specific campaign pages, the length of the text can vary. Here, it is important to focus on providing precise and relevant information that helps convert visitors into customers. Even though these pages may be shorter, they should still be informative and well-structured.

Keyword Density
Keyword density is an important factor in SEO. A recommended practice is to maintain a keyword density of around 1-2%, which means that your keyword should appear 1-2 times for every 100 words. This helps ensure that the content is optimized for search engines without appearing crowded or unnatural.

Headings

Headings help both users and search engines understand the structure of your content.

Use h1 for your primary title, and h2, h3, etc., for subheadings to create a logical hierarchy in your content.

Also, feel free to use keywords directly in your headings

SEO headings h1, h2, and h3 - illustration

Lists

Using lists (with bullets or numbers) in your content can be a good idea. It makes it easy to read for the user and can give them a quick overview
Keywords can also be advantageously used directly in the lists.

Bold, italic, underlined

Using bold, italic, and underline can help highlight important words or phrases in your content. Use these formats sparingly to avoid making your content appear overwhelming or cluttered, and feel free to use keywords where it makes sense.

META data (descriptive data)

ALT texts on images

ALT texts, or alternative text, are descriptive texts added to images on a website. These texts help search engines understand what the image represents since search engines cannot see images in the same way humans do. By using precise and relevant ALT texts, you can improve your site's SEO as search engines use these descriptions to correctly index images and display them in image searches, which can increase traffic to your site.

Additionally, ALT texts are important for accessibility as they allow visually impaired users to have images described via screen readers. This ensures that the content on your site is more inclusive and accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities. If an image cannot be loaded, the ALT text will also be displayed, ensuring that the user still gets an idea of what the image was supposed to represent, thereby maintaining a good user experience.

It is important that ALT texts are short, precise, and contain relevant keywords, but they should avoid overuse of keywords, as this can harm both SEO and user experience.

On our video help page, you can see how to create ALT texts in the editor

SEO title and description, as well as META robots

A well-optimized SEO title and meta description are crucial for attracting clicks from search results. The SEO title functions as the primary headline that users see when your site appears in search results. It is important that the title is precise, engaging, and contains relevant keywords that reflect the page's content. An effective title can improve your site's ranking and increase the click-through rate (CTR) as it grabs users' attention and encourages them to choose your link over competitors'.
An SEO title should be a maximum of 60 characters, as Google cuts it off after 50-60 characters—so keep them short and precise.

The meta description is the short text that appears below the SEO title in search results. Although it does not directly affect your site's ranking, it plays an important role in convincing users to click on your link. A good meta description should be a concise and compelling summary of the page's content, which also contains relevant keywords. It should clearly communicate the value of what the user can expect to find on the page, thereby increasing the likelihood of clicks.
An SEO description should be a maximum of 160 characters, as Google can cut it off after 150-160 characters (sometimes longer).

Meta robots tags can be used to control which pages search engines should index or follow. By using these tags, you can prevent search engines from indexing pages that are not relevant to your SEO strategy, such as duplicated content or internal search pages. This gives you control over how your site appears in search results and ensures that search engines focus on your most important pages, helping to optimize your site's visibility.

In the Flex4B system, the system itself shows when the SEO title and SEO description are too short, adequate, or too long. It's also easy to control robots for each individual subpage

OG tags

Open Graph (OG) tags are metadata used to control how your content is presented on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

By implementing OG tags, you can ensure that your pages display the desired image, title, and description when shared, giving you full control over how your content appears.

An OG title should be around 50-60 characters long, and an OG description should be around 150-200 characters long.

Below is an example

 Flex4B OG sharing

This is crucial for creating a visually appealing and consistent brand image across platforms.
When your content is presented correctly and professionally, it increases the chances that users will engage, click on your links, and share your pages further, which in turn can increase both visibility and traffic to your website.

In the Flex4B system, you can easily set both OG title, description, and image for each individual page

Link structure

Internal links

Internal links help distribute link value across your entire website, improving SEO and making it easier for both users and search engines to navigate.

By connecting relevant content, internal links create a logical flow through your site, guiding users to related topics and helping search engines index your pages more effectively.

This can increase the site's visibility and improve the user experience.

For example, you can link from blog posts directly to product pages or similar, and vice versa.

External links

External links to credible sources can strengthen your site's credibility and authority as they show that you refer to reliable and relevant information.

It's important to choose links to quality websites because poor or irrelevant external links can harm your SEO and credibility.

Make sure the external links contribute positively to the user experience and support your content.

Images and other media

Images/videos are important

Images and videos play a central role in increasing user engagement and improving your site's SEO.

Visual content quickly captures the user's attention and can make complex topics easier to understand, leading to longer dwell times and lower bounce rates. Additionally, images and videos can create a more interactive and engaging experience that appeals to different types of learning styles.

To maximize the effect, make sure that all images and videos are relevant to your content, of high quality, and properly optimized for fast loading.

Also, use appropriate ALT texts and image descriptions to make the content accessible and further improve SEO.

Image and video formats

Choosing the right format for your images and videos is crucial for both speed, quality, and user experience. By selecting modern and optimized formats, you can ensure that your content loads quickly, looks sharp across devices, and maintains high visual quality.

Images and video - illustration

Also, read our blog posts:

Image formats

Image formats play a major role in how quickly your site loads and how images appear on different screens. WebP is one of the newest and most effective image formats, as it offers a good balance between high image quality and small file size. WebP supports both lossy and lossless compression, making it ideal for reducing load time without compromising visual quality.

In addition to WebP, JPEG and PNG are still common image formats. JPEG is suitable for photographs and images with many colors, while PNG is best for images with transparency or text, such as logos. However, since these formats typically have larger file sizes compared to WebP, they should be used with caution to avoid slower load times.

For the latest options, AVIF is a format that is gaining popularity. AVIF delivers even better compression than WebP, but it is still being widely supported by browsers. If you want to be on the cutting edge of technology, AVIF might be worth considering, but be aware that some users may not be able to view the images correctly if their browser does not support the format.

Video formats

Video formats affect both file size and playback quality, which in turn affects the user experience. MP4 is the most widely used video format and is supported by virtually all devices and browsers. MP4 combines high quality with relatively small file sizes, making it the best choice for most web videos.

WebM is a newer video format designed for the web and optimized for fast streaming. WebM offers excellent compression and quality, especially for video playback on modern browsers. It has quickly become a favorite for web developers who want to deliver videos with high quality and small file size.

There are also formats like HEVC (H.265), which offers even higher compression than MP4 and WebM, but it is not as widely supported, which may limit your audience's ability to play the videos without issues. If you choose this format, consider providing alternative formats to ensure compatibility across devices and browsers.

By choosing the right image and video formats, you can optimize load times, maintain high quality, and improve the overall user experience on your website.

Image and video size

In addition to the choice of format, the size of your images and videos is crucial for your site's performance.

Large files can drastically increase load time, leading to a poorer user experience and lower ranking in search results.

To optimize load time, make sure to compress your images and videos without sacrificing quality. Also, be aware of adjusting the image and video size to the specific needs on the page - for example, use smaller versions of images for thumbnails and larger versions for full-screen viewing. This ensures that the content loads quickly and efficiently on all devices.

There are tools online for effectively compressing videos - for example, freeconvert.com - which can also convert many other things

FreeConvert.com

Also, read our blog post

Link building

What is link building?

Link building is the process of acquiring backlinks from other sites to your own.

Backlinks act as recommendations that can improve your site's authority and ranking on search engines.

The more relevant and quality backlinks your site has, the better it will rank.

How do you do link building?

Link building is a central part of the SEO strategy, as it helps build your site's authority and improve its ranking in search results. There are many methods to build links, but the most important thing is to focus on quality rather than quantity. This means prioritizing links from credible and relevant sites that can add real value to your content.

One of the most effective methods for link building is guest blogging. By writing articles for other websites in your niche, you can gain valuable backlinks while also increasing your visibility and authority. It's important to choose blogs or media that have a strong online presence and a readership that matches your target audience. Make sure your guest posts offer valuable content and naturally incorporate links back to relevant pages on your website.

Partnerships are another powerful method for building links. This can include collaborating with other companies, influencers, or organizations within your industry. By creating content together, such as e-books, webinars, or joint campaigns, you can get links from their websites to your own. Partnerships work best when both parties can benefit from the collaboration and contribute unique and relevant content that appeals to both target audiences.

Content marketing is also an effective way to attract backlinks. By creating high-quality and engaging content, such as blog posts, infographics, case studies, or videos, you can attract natural links from other sites that want to share your content. The key here is to create something so valuable or unique that others want to link to it as a resource for their own readers. It can also be beneficial to actively share your content with relevant influencers or media who may be interested in covering it.

Another method is to perform broken link building, where you find dead links on relevant websites and offer your own content as a replacement. This requires a bit more research, but it can be an effective way to gain links as you help webmasters improve their own sites by fixing broken links.

Finally, it's important to remember reputation management in your link-building strategy. This involves actively monitoring and protecting your online reputation by ensuring that your links always come from sources that are reliable and reputable. Avoid link farms or paid links, as these can harm your SEO more than they benefit. Focus on building a natural and sustainable link profile that supports your brand's credibility and authority in your industry.

Link building is a long-term effort that requires persistence and strategic planning. By prioritizing quality links and collaborating with credible sources, you can strengthen your site's authority and improve your ranking in search results in a sustainable way.

At Flex4Business ApS, we can help you get more quality links pointing to your Flex4B system. Contact Flex4Business ApS to learn more

Create more content

Sometimes it's limited how much content a page can have. Here it may be a good idea to find other ways to create relevant content for your users/customers, which at the same time contributes to better search optimization for you.

Using a blog on the site

A blog is an effective way to continuously create new content, which can improve your SEO and increase your visibility in search results.

By writing about topics relevant to your target audience and industry, you can attract organic traffic, strengthen your site's authority, and establish yourself as an expert in your niche.

This contributes to a better user experience and can lead to higher rankings in search results.

Flex4B system has a full blog so you can easily start creating engaging content on your website/webshop.

SEO blog - illustration

Explaining subpages

Subpages that delve into specific topics can help attract targeted traffic and improve the user experience.

These pages can also optimize your site's internal link structure and increase the chance of being found in search results.

Other options

Also consider creating other types of content such as infographics, e-books, or whitepapers that can attract backlinks and increase your site's authority.
Different types of content can appeal to different users, thereby broadening your site's reach.

Technical SEO

Here is everything you can do technically. As a Flex4B customer, Flex4Business ApS takes care of all the following tasks for you, so you can focus on your content.

Technical SEO - illustration

Responsive site and mobile-first

A responsive website, optimized for both desktop and mobile devices, is crucial in today's SEO landscape.

Google has shifted to mobile-first indexing, meaning the mobile version of your site is now considered the primary version.
A responsive site that is mobile-first not only ensures a better user experience but is also essential for achieving higher rankings in search results. Without effective mobile optimization, you risk losing traffic and visibility as search engines prioritize sites that perform well on mobile devices.

URL name

Choose a domain name that is descriptive of the product, industry, business, or similar.
Additionally, it is important to ensure that pages, products, etc., have descriptive names in their titles.

HTTPS / SSL

HTTPS is a security mechanism that encrypts data between the user's browser and your server, protecting sensitive information such as login credentials and payment data from being intercepted by third parties.

Google prioritizes sites with HTTPS and displays a small padlock icon next to the URL in the browser's address bar as a sign that the connection is secure.

This protocol has become a standard for trustworthy and secure websites, and sites without HTTPS may be marked as "not secure" in the user's browser, which can scare visitors away and negatively affect your site's credibility and SEO.

Sikkerpånettet.dk

Security is crucial for both SEO and user experience.

A website that is not properly secured can trigger warnings about insecurity in users' browsers, often leading to visitors leaving the site for fear that their data may be compromised. This can result in a higher bounce rate and lower user engagement, both of which can negatively impact your site's ranking in search results.

Additionally, an unsecured website can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, leading to data loss, compromising users' privacy, and ultimately damaging your brand and its credibility.

To avoid these risks, you should consider following the guidelines from Sikkerpånettet.dk, a resource that offers guidance on how to protect your website from threats like hacking and data theft. By implementing the recommendations from Sikkerpånettet.dk, including the use of HTTPS, software updates, and securing strong passwords, you can improve your website's security, which not only protects your users but also strengthens your site's SEO and overall credibility.

Also read our blog post: Safe on the Internet

Pagespeed

The speed of your site is a critical SEO factor that directly affects both user experience and rankings in search results. Slow-loading pages can lead to a high bounce rate, where users quickly leave the site, sending negative signals to search engines.

To improve your site's loading speed, you can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, which analyze your site's performance and provide specific recommendations for optimization. This may include compressing images, minimizing CSS and JavaScript, and implementing browser caching.

When looking at speed, you can't ignore Core Web Vitals.
Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers important for user experience on a website. The three main metrics are LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), which measures loading time for the largest element on the page; FID (First Input Delay), which measures interactivity, i.e., how quickly the page responds to the user's first action; and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift), which measures visual stability, i.e., how much content shifts during loading. Optimizing Core Web Vitals is crucial for ensuring a good user experience and improving your site's ranking in Google's search results. 

By addressing these issues and improving your site's speed, you ensure a more satisfying user experience, which can result in higher rankings and increased traffic.

SEO pagespeed - illustration

Schema markup

Schema markup is a form of structured data that helps search engines better understand the content on your website.

By adding Schema markup, you can enhance your site's visibility in search results by generating rich snippets, such as star ratings, product prices, or events, which appear directly in search results. These snippets make your search results more eye-catching and increase the likelihood that users will click on your link. Implementing Schema markup can thus not only improve SEO but also increase engagement by presenting relevant information directly in search results.

Robots.txt

The robots.txt file is an important tool in your SEO strategy as it controls which parts of your website search engines can index. By properly configuring the robots.txt file, you can prevent search engines from crawling pages that do not contribute to your SEO, such as duplicate content, administrative pages, or development environments. This ensures that search engines focus on the pages you want to rank and avoids wasting crawl budget on irrelevant pages. The robots.txt file should also include a link to your sitemap. It is important to regularly review and update your robots.txt file to ensure that it supports your SEO goals.

Sitemap

An XML sitemap is an essential tool for ensuring that search engines can easily find and index all your pages. It acts as a guide, showing search engines the structure of your website and helping to ensure that even deeply nested pages are discovered and indexed. This is especially useful for larger websites with many subpages or complex structures, where it can be difficult for search engines to discover all pages through regular crawling. Make sure your sitemap is always updated and submitted to Google Search Console, so you can monitor how search engines discover and index your content.
In the Flex4B system, the link and guide to your sitemap are found on the administration's homepage, and the sitemap is included in robots.txt.

Semantic Tags

Semantic tags are HTML elements that clearly describe the content they contain, helping search engines better understand the structure and meaning of your web content. Examples of semantic tags include article, section, header, and footer.

By using semantic tags, you not only improve your site's accessibility for search engines but also for users who use screen readers. This can lead to better SEO, as search engines can more easily index and rank your content correctly.

Language on the site

Using the correct language and localization on your website is crucial for both usability and SEO.

If your site targets multiple markets, you should consider creating multilingual versions of your content and using hreflang tags correctly to avoid language confusion. Hreflang tags tell search engines which versions of your site to display to users in different regions or languages. This ensures that your visitors receive content tailored to their language and culture, which improves the user experience and can lead to better rankings in local search results.

Open Graph

Open Graph markup is an important component for ensuring that your pages are presented correctly and attractively when shared on social media. By specifying how your pages should appear—including image selection, title, and description—you can ensure that your content looks professional and grabs attention on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Open Graph helps increase click-through rates and engagement on social media, as it ensures a consistent and visual presentation of your content, no matter where it is shared. This can also help strengthen your online presence and brand recognition.

All technical aspects are handled in the Flex4B system

With the Flex4B system, you can be sure that all technical SEO elements are taken care of.

We ensure that all the above technical SEO aspects are always kept up-to-date and that new developments are implemented. Therefore, you don't need to worry about this part as a Flex4Business ApS customer.

SEO in Open Source

If you use an open source system like WordPress or Magento, SEO is not integrated in the same way as it is in the Flex4B system, and it’s not handled automatically for you.

However, there are several options available that can help improve visibility in search engines and manage some of the technical aspects.

In WordPress, plugins like Yoast SEO and All in One SEO Pack are popular choices, providing users with tools to optimize their pages and content.

Magento users can take advantage of extensions like Magento SEO Suite Ultimate, which offers a range of features to enhance SEO.

However, these plugins do not do the work for you—it often requires significant time and technical expertise to ensure that your SEO strategy is effectively implemented, which can be challenging for many businesses. Additionally, there are technical challenges such as keeping plugins updated along with the system, a lack of direct support (other than communities, which can be time-consuming), and having to manage the aspects of SEO that plugins don't cover. Furthermore, you don’t have access to experts who can help you move forward or ensure your system is always up to date with the latest SEO practices.

If you're not tech-savvy or simply prefer a solution where technical SEO is handled for you, you might consider a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution instead of an open source option.

E-commerce / webshop SEO

E-commerce / webshop SEO is crucial for online stores as it ensures that your products and pages are found by potential customers when they search for the goods you offer.

E-commerce SEO involves many elements, including optimizing product descriptions, category pages, and keywords specific to your products.

In this section, we dive into the various aspects of E-commerce SEO and how you can optimize your online store for maximum visibility. Here we only look at the aspects that are specific to E-commerce / webshops

E-commerce SEO - illustration

Optimizing product descriptions

Unique and detailed product descriptions are one of the most important factors in E-commerce SEO.

Each product description should be tailored to the specific product and include relevant keywords that potential customers use in their searches.

Avoid copying the supplier's standard descriptions, as this can result in duplicate content, which harms your SEO.

Don't just describe the product's features but also its benefits and how it can solve the customer's problem.

A good product description should also include specifications, materials, dimensions, and any unique features that set your product apart from the competition.

Category pages

Category pages serve as landing pages for the different product groups in your online store.

It is important to optimize these pages with relevant keywords, but also to ensure that they provide value to the user. This can include a short description of the category and highlighting popular products. Also, ensure that the category pages are easy to navigate and that they contain internal links to related categories and products, which helps improve SEO and usability.

If you use the Flex4B system (including webshop), this is already taken care of for you. We have also created a product page and other related pages that enhance SEO.

Customer ratings and reviews

Customer ratings and reviews play a big role in E-commerce SEO.

Reviews build trust and provide unique content that is continuously updated, which can improve your site's ranking.

You get the most out of it by using recognized review platforms like Google or Trustpilot. Remember to link to them.

Schema markup

There are specific schema markups associated with products, categories, and similar.
If you use the Flex4B system, we ensure that these are automatically generated based on the content you create. 

SEO Checklist

To ensure that your website is fully optimized for search engines, it is important to follow a detailed checklist. This helps you ensure that all aspects of your SEO strategy are covered, from keyword analysis to technical SEO. Below you will find an extensive checklist covering the most important elements you should focus on to improve your website's visibility and performance.

  • Conduct thorough keyword analysis to identify relevant keywords and long-tail keywords that your potential customers use.
  • Create original, valuable, and unique content that is relevant to your target audience and stands out from the competition.
  • Optimize user experience (UX) by ensuring that your website is easy to navigate, fast to load, and optimized for both desktop and mobile devices.
  • Use proper formatting, including headings, lists, bold and italic text, and ALT texts on images, to make your content easy to read and SEO-friendly.
  • Implement a strong link structure by creating internal links between related content and ensuring that you have quality external links to credible sources.
  • Optimize images and videos for fast loading by using modern formats like WebP and WebM and compressing files without compromising quality.
  • Continuously create new content, including blog posts, explanatory subpages, and other forms of content that can attract organic traffic and improve SEO.
  • Use clean source code and avoid duplicate content by ensuring that all content is unique and by using canonical tags where necessary.
  • Ensure that all technical SEO is in order, including speed optimization, use of HTTPS, proper configuration of robots.txt and sitemaps, and implementation of Schema markup.

SEO checklist - illustration

By following this checklist (and thoroughly reading the individual sections that delve into the details), you ensure that your website is fully optimized and capable of achieving better rankings in search results, which can lead to increased traffic and improved conversion rates.

Analyze results

To ensure that your SEO strategy is effective, it is crucial to continuously analyze the results. 

By monitoring how your website performs in search results, you can identify strengths and weaknesses and adjust your strategy to achieve even better results.

Analyzing SEO data helps you understand which tactics work and which need improvement, ultimately leading to a more targeted and successful approach to search engine optimization.

KPIs and ROI

KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are measurable values used to assess how well your business or strategy is performing in relation to your goals. In SEO, KPIs can include metrics such as the number of visitors to your website, how long they stay, how many make a purchase (conversions), or how high your site ranks on Google for specific keywords.
KPIs provide concrete figures that show whether your strategy is working and where you may need to adjust to achieve better results.

ROI, or Return on Investment, is a measure of how much value you get from your investments. In SEO, ROI typically refers to how much revenue or other value you gain from the money and time you spend on search engine optimization. For example, if you spend 10,000 kroner on SEO and it results in an increased revenue of 50,000 kroner, you have a high ROI. Understanding your ROI helps you evaluate whether your SEO investments are profitable and where to focus your resources going forward.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are critical for measuring the success of your SEO strategy. KPIs give you concrete data that you can use to evaluate your site's performance and ROI (Return on Investment).

These indicators can include a range of metrics such as organic traffic, which shows how many visitors your site attracts without paid ads, bounce rate, which indicates how many users leave the site without interacting, conversions, which measure how many visitors perform a desired action, and search result rankings, which show how high your site ranks for specific keywords. By regularly monitoring and analyzing these KPIs, you can ensure that your SEO strategy remains effective and is adjusted as needed.

You can set your own KPIs or get help from AI tools like ChatGPT. Typically, they can be measured with tools you can read more about below.

SEO KPI - illustration

Analysis Tools

Google Tag Manager / Google Analytics

Google Tag Manager (including Google Analytics) are essential tools for tracking and analyzing your site's performance. 

Google Tag Manager allows you to manage and implement tags (small snippets of code) on your website without having to change the code directly, making it easier to track user behavior, conversions, and other important metrics. Google Analytics provides in-depth insights into how users interact with your website, where traffic comes from, which pages perform best, and much more. By using these tools, you can understand your audience's behavior, identify bottlenecks in the user experience, and make data-driven decisions to improve your SEO strategy and user experience.
You can also use these tools to see if you are meeting your KPIs.

The Flex4B system has plugins for Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, and many other tools.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is an indispensable tool for any website owner who wants to monitor and maintain their site's presence in Google's search results.

With Search Console, you can see how Google crawls and indexes your website and identify any issues, such as crawl errors or mobile usability problems, that may affect your site's visibility. You can also gain insights into which keywords drive traffic to your site, see the click-through rate (CTR) for your pages, and submit updated sitemaps to ensure that Google correctly indexes your latest changes. 

By using Google Search Console, you can keep your SEO strategy on track and quickly respond to any issues that may affect your site's performance.

SEO Analysis Tools

Morningscore

Morningscore is a Danish SEO tool that allows you to track your site's SEO performance, find keywords, analyze competitors, and more. It is user-friendly and suitable for both beginners and experienced SEO professionals.

Morningscore

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is one of the most recognized SEO tools on the market. It offers a wide range of features, including backlink analysis, keyword research, competitor analysis, and more. Ahrefs is especially known for its extensive backlink database.

Ahrefs

Other Important Factors

Here we look at a few more things that may be of interest for you to consider.

Trust and Reviews

Trust and positive reviews play a significant role in both SEO and conversion optimization.

Customer reviews, for example, act as social proof that can enhance your site's authority and trust among new visitors.

Search engines like Google value trustworthy sites, meaning that sites with many positive reviews often rank higher in search results. Additionally, reviews contribute unique, user-generated content that is continuously updated, which is also beneficial for SEO.

Trust: E-E-A-T and SEO

When talking about trust, it's also relevant to consider credibility, especially when it comes to Google's E-E-A-T principles: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
These elements are used by Google to assess the quality and reliability of your content.

E-E-A-T: Experience

Experience refers to whether the content is created by individuals with practical experience in the subject matter. For example, if an article is about travel, a text written by someone who has visited the destination will be considered more credible than one without such background. Experience increases the authenticity and value of the content, which can improve your site's ranking in search results.

E-E-A-T: Expertise

Expertise relates to the author's professional qualifications and knowledge. Content created by professionals, such as doctors in the healthcare field, is rated higher by Google. Ensuring that your content is reliable and accurate is crucial for achieving higher rankings on search engines.

E-E-A-T: Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness is measured by the respect and recognition your content or brand has gained within your niche. If your content is referenced or linked to by other trustworthy sources, it is perceived as more authoritative. This can boost your site's visibility and ranking on Google.

E-E-A-T: Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is perhaps the most important element of E-E-A-T. It concerns whether users can trust the content on your site. Google assesses trustworthiness through factors such as security (HTTPS), transparency about authors and ownership, and the availability of contact information and privacy policies. Trustworthy sites avoid intrusive ads and ensure that their content is accurate and objective.

Y.M.Y.L: Your Money, Your Life

Y.M.Y.L stands for "Your Money, Your Life" and refers to pages that cover topics with significant impact on users' finances, health, or safety. Google pays special attention to these types of pages because inaccurate or misleading content can have serious consequences. Therefore, adherence to E-E-A-T principles is particularly important for Y.M.Y.L pages to ensure high ranking and credibility.

SoMe: For example, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.

Social media plays an increasingly important role in digital marketing strategy, including SEO. While most links from social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are nofollow, meaning they don't directly impact your site's ranking in search results, they can still have a significant influence on your overall visibility. Social media helps generate traffic, increase brand awareness, and create engagement around your content. When your content is widely shared, it increases the chances of being seen by influencers or websites that can link to it, leading to natural backlinks that strengthen your SEO.

YouTube - also as a search engine

YouTube is not just a platform for video content; it is also the world's second-largest search engine after Google (at the time this article was written). With billions of searches every month, YouTube is a goldmine for businesses looking to increase their online visibility. By optimizing your videos with relevant keywords, detailed descriptions, tags, and engaging thumbnails, you can attract a significant amount of traffic from this platform. Video content is particularly powerful as it can explain complex topics in a digestible manner while creating a stronger connection with your audience.

Going forward, video content is expected to play an even larger role in SEO, especially with the continued rise in mobile video consumption. YouTube and other video platforms may also become more integrated with voice search technologies, meaning that optimizing video content for voice searches could become a more important part of your SEO strategy. Additionally, future innovations in AI-driven content creation and automated video editing could make it easier for businesses to produce optimized video material on a large scale.

Voice Search

Voice search is revolutionizing how people search for information online. As technologies like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple's Siri become more widespread, search behavior is changing. Voice search users often phrase their queries differently than in text-based searches; they typically use longer, more conversational phrases and seek quick and direct answers. This creates a new need to optimize content to match the way people speak rather than how they write.

SEO voice search - illustration

To prepare for the future with voice search, businesses should focus on creating content that answers frequently asked questions and includes naturally flowing phrases. Local searches also play a significant role in voice search, so it's important to ensure that your business is correctly listed and optimized for local searches. With the expected growth in the use of voice search, particularly on mobile devices, businesses that integrate voice search into their SEO strategy early on can gain a competitive edge in a changing digital landscape.

Flex4Business ApS

This article was written by Flex4Business ApS to help our Flex4B system customers optimize their websites/webshops.

In several places, we, therefore, take the standpoint that the Flex4B system does a lot for the customer in terms of SEO.

If you are interested in a website with CMS, webshop, ticketing system, or season card system, then contact us to learn about your options for getting a search-optimized website/webshop.

Important SEO Terms

To navigate effectively in the world of SEO, it's crucial to understand the key concepts. Here is an overview of essential terms commonly used in connection with search engine optimization:

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is the practice of optimizing a website to improve its visibility in organic search results. This involves both technical optimization, content optimization, and link building, with the goal of ranking higher on search engines like Google.

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
SEM is a broad strategy that includes both SEO and paid advertising (SEA) to maximize visibility in search results. SEM combines organic visibility through SEO with paid ads, offering a holistic approach to dominating search results.

SEA (Search Engine Advertising)
SEA specifically refers to paid search advertising, where you pay to have your site appear in search results. This is typically done through PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, where you bid on specific keywords and pay each time a user clicks on your ad.

On-Page SEO
On-Page SEO refers to the optimization activities performed directly on your website. This includes the use of relevant keywords, optimizing titles and meta descriptions, improving content structure, and using internal links.

Off-Page SEO
Off-Page SEO encompasses activities outside your website that affect your ranking on search engines. This includes link building, social signals, and brand mentions, all of which can enhance your site's authority and online visibility.

Technical SEO
Technical SEO focuses on optimizing the technical aspects of your website to make it easier for search engines to crawl and index. This includes speed optimization, ensuring mobile-friendliness, optimizing URL structure, using HTTPS, and correctly configuring sitemaps and robots.txt files.

Keyword Analysis
Keyword analysis is the process of identifying the keywords and phrases your target audience uses when searching for products or services like yours. A well-executed keyword analysis is the foundation for creating relevant and targeted content that attracts organic traffic.

PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
PPC is an advertising model where you pay a fee each time someone clicks on one of your ads. It is typically used in conjunction with SEA and is a way to gain quick visibility on search engines by purchasing ad space.

Content Marketing
Content Marketing involves creating and sharing valuable content that attracts and engages your target audience. This can take the form of blog posts, videos, infographics, e-books, and more. Good content helps improve SEO by increasing user engagement and creating opportunities for natural backlinks.

Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites to your site. They act as "votes" in the eyes of search engines, which can increase your site's authority and improve its ranking. Quality backlinks from credible sources are essential for a successful SEO strategy.

Link Building
Link building is the process of acquiring new backlinks from other websites. This can be done through guest blogging, partnerships, content marketing, and other methods that encourage others to link to your site. It is an important part of Off-Page SEO.

ALT Text
ALT text is a descriptive text added to images on a website. This text helps search engines understand what the image depicts and is also important for accessibility, as it is used by screen readers to describe images for visually impaired users.

Meta Title and Meta Description
The Meta title is the title that appears in search results, while the Meta description is the short text below the title. Both are important for attracting clicks from search results, as they give the user a preview of what the page is about. Optimized Meta titles and descriptions can improve the click-through rate (CTR).

CTR (Click-Through Rate)
CTR is the percentage of users who click on your link in the search results relative to how many times it is displayed. A high CTR indicates that your content and Meta description are relevant and appealing to users.

Schema Markup
Schema Markup is a form of structured data added to the HTML code on your website to help search engines better understand your content. This can lead to rich snippets in search results, such as star ratings, product prices, and more, which can increase visibility and click-through rate.

Sitemap
A sitemap is a file that provides search engines with an overview of all the pages on your website, making it easier for them to crawl and index them. Sitemaps are especially useful for larger websites with many subpages or complex structures.

Robots.txt
Robots.txt is a file that tells search engines which parts of your website they are allowed to crawl and index. It is an important tool for controlling which pages you want to exclude from search results.

Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that allows you to monitor and maintain your website's presence in search results. It provides insights into how Google views your site and helps you fix errors and optimize your SEO.

Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a tool that provides in-depth insights into user behavior on your website. It helps you understand where your visitors come from, how they interact with your content, and which pages perform best, which is crucial for fine-tuning your SEO strategy.

Local SEO
Local SEO focuses on optimizing your website to attract visitors from local searches. This can include optimizing your Google My Business profile, using local keywords, and ensuring your business is correctly listed in local online directories.

International SEO
International SEO focuses on optimizing your website for different countries and languages. This can include ensuring the site has multiple languages, currencies, and that texts are optimized in each language.

Voice Search
Voice Search is a technology that allows users to perform searches by speaking instead of typing. This changes search behavior, as queries often become longer and more conversational. Optimizing for Voice Search is a growing area within SEO.

Mobile-First Indexing
Mobile-First Indexing means that Google primarily uses the mobile version of your content to rank your pages in search results. It underscores the importance of having a mobile-friendly website that works well on all devices.

Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are a set of specific metrics that Google uses to evaluate the overall user experience on a website. The three key factors are LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), which measures loading time for the largest element on the page; FID (First Input Delay), which measures how quickly the page responds to the user's first interaction; and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift), which assesses visual stability by measuring how much content shifts during loading. Optimizing Core Web Vitals can improve both user experience and your ranking in search results.

Semantic Tags
Semantic tags are HTML elements that clearly describe the content they contain, thereby helping search engines understand the structure and meaning of the web content. Examples of semantic tags include article, section, header, and footer. Using semantic tags improves SEO by making it easier for search engines to index and rank your content correctly, while also increasing accessibility for users who rely on screen readers.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
KPIs are measurable values used to assess success in relation to specific goals. In an SEO context, they can include metrics such as organic traffic, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and search engine ranking. By tracking KPIs, you can measure the effectiveness of your SEO strategy and adjust it as needed.

ROI (Return on Investment)
ROI is a measurement of how much value you get from your investments. In SEO, ROI measures the financial gain you achieve in relation to the money and resources you have invested in SEO activities. A high ROI indicates that your SEO efforts are effective and profitable, while a low ROI may indicate a need to optimize your strategy.

Keyword Density
Keyword density refers to the percentage of a keyword relative to the total number of words on a page. The optimal density is 1-2% to balance SEO effectiveness and natural readability. A 1-2% keyword density means that your keyword should appear 1-2 times for every 100 words in the text. For example, if your text is 500 words long, your keyword should appear 5-10 times to achieve this density.

Search Intent
Search intent refers to the underlying motivation or purpose behind a user's search. By understanding search intent, you can better tailor your content to meet users' needs, whether they are seeking information, trying to navigate to a specific page, or are ready to make a transaction.

Search Patterns
Search patterns describe the habits and tendencies that users exhibit when searching online. This can include the words and phrases they typically use, as well as how and when they search. Analyzing search patterns can help optimize content and target it towards specific segments of users.

Navigational Searches
Navigational searches are searches where the user is attempting to find a specific website, webshop, or application by entering a specific URL, brand name, or service. These searches are typically aimed at well-known destinations and require strong brand awareness to be effectively visible in search results.

Informational Searches
Informational searches are performed by users seeking knowledge or answers to questions. These searches often include queries like "how," "what," or "why," and are typically aimed at articles, guides, or reviews that can answer their inquiries.

Transactional Searches
Transactional searches are searches where the user intends to perform an action such as purchasing a product, signing up for a service, or downloading an app. These searches are often associated with action-oriented keywords like "buy," "order," or "sign up."

Commercial Investigation Searches
Commercial investigation searches lie between informational and transactional searches. Here, the user wants to compare products, services, or prices before making a purchase decision. Typical keywords in this category include "best", "review," and "comparison."

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)Search Engine OptimizationKeyword AnalysisContent StrategyLink BuildingTechnical SEOUser Experience (UX)SEO

Author

Kim M. Revsbæk
Name Kim M. Revsbæk
Company Flex4Business ApS
Job title CEO
Languages DA, EN, DE
Skills
Full-stack developer, Programmering, SEO / Søgeoptimering, Iværksætteri, Webdesign, Virksomhedsdrift, Webudviklling, SaaS - Software as a Service, Webapps, PWA - Progressive Web Application, CMS, Websider, Webshop, Billetsystem, Kortsystem, POS, AI - Kunstig intelligens, IT, Bæredygtigt webdesign / website