Natural referencing: strategies and challenges
By Marine Constantin
March 07, 2018

Natural referencing: strategies and challenges

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is still the best source of visits for your website content. Some 70% of clicks on Google come from natural results, and of these, 75% are among the "Top 5" of the first web search results.
If you want to appear in the search results for your main searches, SEO is much more cost-effective than investing heavily in advertising for these keywords. Take the time to carefully analyze your position for the words that concern you. Avoid paying simply to outperform your own natural results. Instead, consider allocating your budget to less competitive keywords for your website, which often results in a lower cost per click. This strategy can improve your visibility without overspending!
Your position in search engine results is based on your ranking in Google's algorithm. This takes into account the relevance of your site to search terms, as well as the quality of your site and its content. Google's artificial intelligence is highly advanced and will analyze your site as well as a human could. Don't try to fool Google by trying to give yourself relevance for words where you wouldn't have any. Google will find out and penalize you for this poor attempt.

Search engine optimization: the recipe is simple

The method is simple: have a good website that's optimized and practical for users, and Google will reward you!
The basic recipe is simple, but you still need to master it:

The technical side of SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) relies heavily on technical aspects to ensure a website's visibility on search engines. Site structure, page loading speed, having a responsive site (functional on all screen sizes and devices) and HTML tag optimization play a decisive role in how search engines index content. The creation of a clear web architecture that is easily understood by crawlers, as well as the use of well-defined meta tags and header tags, are essential technical elements. In addition, image optimization, 404 error management and effective redirection are essential practices for maximizing a site's technical performance in the eyes of search engines.

Content and its impact on SEO:

If technical structure is the foundation of SEO, quality content is its soul. The creation of relevant, high-quality content is essential to attracting users and meeting their needs, while appealing to search engines. Keywords strategically integrated into content facilitate indexing by search engines, while the relevance of content to the user's search improves web page positioning. Diversification of content, whether in the form of articles, videos or infographics, helps to maintain visitor interest. Make sure you separate your content into several pages with clear topics; pages that are not too short, but not too overcrowded; no "pop-ups" (Google is penalizing them more and more) and no hidden content or any other dishonest methods. In addition, don't try to make up a list of keywords in the page description; give the page the right description and structure your URL, title, description and image description. Don't forget to structure your page content using H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 and H6 tags. In short, please help Google to understand your site and it will index you correctly. Backlinks - links from other sites to yours - are also a key element in strengthening your site's credibility and authority in the eyes of the search engines.

Notoriety and Backlinking Strategy:

A website's reputation, measured in large part by the quality and quantity of its backlinks, is a major pillar of SEO. Search engines regard backlinks as votes of confidence from other sites, reinforcing your site's credibility and relevance. However, not all backlinks are created equal. The quality of referring sites is crucial, and links from reputable sites have a more significant impact. A well-developed backlinking strategy involves creating attractive content that can be shared, seeking partnerships with trusted sites, and continuously monitoring links to avoid harmful practices. Ultimately, site awareness is an essential element of SEO, requiring a proactive and sustainable approach to maintaining and improving a site's position in search results. Google also knows how popular your website is. The more it's used, the more Google will put you forward, because you need to be more relevant than other sites, and even your competitors.

Why use advertising?

It's important to set aside an advertising budget in the early stages of your site's development, to create an initial popularity that will give you a head start on your SEO for several months. Advertising allows you to start acquiring traffic on your site while developing your seo on the side. You can also call on a marketing agency specializing in Google Ads to help you define your strategy and increase your traffic.
The use of Google Ads, therefore, plays a crucial role in boosting the SEO of a website or web page. Although Google Ads is primarily a paid advertising platform, its positive implications for SEO are undeniable. First and foremost, Google Ads offers immediate visibility, enabling advertisers to reach their target audience in a fast, targeted way. This increased visibility can drive traffic to the site, which in turn can have positive effects on organic rankings in search results.
By integrating Google Ads into an overall SEO strategy, advertisers can also more effectively identify the keywords that generate the most conversions. Data obtained from paid advertising campaigns can provide valuable information on which search terms are most relevant to their business. This information can then be used to guide organic content strategy, highlighting these strategic keywords in site content. In this way, advertising acts as a real-time laboratory, providing actionable data to optimize online presence and improve site relevance in the eyes of search engines.
Another major advantage is its ability to boost click-through rates (CTR) and improve brand awareness. When users see an ad on Google, they are more likely to click on the link, even if it's not the first time they've seen the brand. This increase in CTR can positively influence organic ranking, as search engines interpret a high click-through rate as an indicator of content relevance and quality. In this way, the judicious use of Google Ads can create a virtuous circle, where increased visibility and traffic generate positive signals to search engines, contributing to a continuous improvement in organic ranking.
In conclusion, search engine advertising isn't just about generating paid traffic; it can also bring significant benefits to the SEO of a website or webpage. Using the data and insights gained from advertising campaigns, marketers can refine their content strategy, optimize keywords, and reinforce brand credibility. The combined approach of paid advertising and organic SEO offers a powerful synergy for improving online visibility and positioning a site as an authority in its field.
Don't focus on your main keyword. It's easy to search for your company's main keyword to see where you stand and, ultimately, boil your SEO down to that. However, the majority of your results can come from more secondary keywords. These words are often overlooked and have little or no competition. Just by carefully analyzing your Google statistics, you can see which forgotten words your visitors have found you with, by creating just one more page of content for these topics. Moreover, by using this strategy, you can easily recover many more forgotten visits among your competitors.

Quick tips

Although many websites or platforms offer free SEO audits, it's important to recognize that these analyses can often provide only a superficial view of your real needs. Working with reputable business marketing agencies guarantees in-depth expertise and optimal solutions to your queries. Established agencies generally have the experience to go beyond generic analyses and provide recommendations tailored to the specific nature of your business. Opting for these marketing professionals thus offers the certainty of obtaining detailed information, going far beyond mere overviews, in order to implement effective SEO strategies tailored to your business objectives, enabling you to achieve better search engine rankings and thus more qualified traffic to your site. Ultimately, the quality of expertise offered by these reputable agencies proves to be a wise investment to maximize returns in terms of online visibility and SEO performance.
It's essential to bear in mind that on a search engine with over a billion indexed sites and some 30,000 billion pages, SEO according to Google standards is imperative. The basic rule is clear: no SEO means no visibility, and as a result, your website risks being largely ignored. To stand out from the vast digital ocean and attract the attention of your visitors, it's imperative to implement effective SEO practices. This is not just a formality, but rather the key to ensuring that your site is not only visited, but also visible in the vastness of the web landscape. By following Google's guidelines and adopting a strategic approach to SEO, you significantly increase the chances of positioning your site in front of your audience, unlocking its potential and maximizing its impact and traffic.

High stakes

The success of your website or web page depends on its SEO. In the face of competition, you need to arm yourself with the best SEO strategy to be present in the first search results, and thus gain the most visibility and natural traffic.
In today's ever-changing digital landscape, SEO issues are of crucial importance. With millions of websites vying for users' attention, online visibility has become a major issue for companies and brands. The way a site is positioned in search results directly influences its reputation, traffic and, ultimately, its commercial success. Search engines, led by Google, are continually adjusting their algorithms, making it imperative for SEO specialists to stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices. The rise of voice search, the growing importance of user experience, and the evolution of ranking criteria make SEO a complex but essential challenge. Today's SEO challenges therefore lie in the ability to understand and anticipate these changes, to produce quality content, to foster an optimal user experience, and to establish coherent SEO strategies in order to remain competitive in an ever-changing digital environment. In short, SEO is no longer simply a technical aspect of online marketing, but an essential strategic component for any business seeking to thrive in today's digital world. While paid search brings instant results, it will stop as soon as you stop paying, whereas your natural search will be... free and long-term, but will require a serious investment to optimize everything.
Finally...
Google's algorithm is constantly changing, and what's paid today may not be tomorrow. But Google's aim is to give the best search results, which means giving first exactly what the user is looking for.
To this end, quality content is something that will always be rewarded in its algorithm. All the effort put into content and quality of service for site visitors will always be rewarded by Google.
No matter how much work you put into SEO, without quality content there's nothing to really rank. Do business with brand-name content creators to get quality texts and present yourself well. This will not only help your SEO, but will also improve your presentation and get your message across clearly and more quickly to visitors.
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About the author

Marine Constantin - Expert in marketing and grant acquisition

Marine Constantin

Expert in marketing and grant acquisition
I'm passionate about digital and love passing on my skills in SEO, SEA and Web marketing. After more than a year as a digital consultant at helloDarwin, I'm now a consultant for obtaining grants in Quebec.
Get 3 proposals under 48h.