How do you make your website maximally visible in Google's natural (organic) search results? And how can the appearance of the search results be controlled so that your primary audience will be inspired to click on the result? If you're wondering about these questions, then you probably need a bit of SEO.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization", which in Norwegian translates to søkemotoroptimalisering.
It might seem like a daunting term, but it's actually just a specialized field within digital marketing that focuses on the question of how to make a website maximally visible in the search engine's natural, so-called "organic" search results (i.e. non-paid results).
In addition, SEO also deals with how the appearance of search results can be controlled so that your primary audience is inspired to click on the result and visit your website over a competitor's.
Strictly speaking, we're therefore not just talking about Google, but all search engines — such as YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Duck Duck Go, or Finn.no. Nevertheless, the main focus usually lies on the search engine Google.
Norway loves Google. 96.2% of Norwegians use Google over any other search engine.
For this reason, SEO is strongly focused on optimizing websites with Google's algorithms and preferences/recommendations in mind. Almost everything revolves around the question of how to "rank high" in Google's organic (aka. free / natural) results.
— SEO or paid search (SEA)?
In contrast to organic results, you can also increase visibility through purchased ad space, where you usually pay per click on the ad.
This marketing channel is called paid search or SEA ("Search Engine Advertising"). SEA can seem tempting, as ads typically appear above Google's organic results.
But a single click on a Google ad can cost the advertiser anywhere from 15 to 300 kroner and above — depending on how many competitors bid on the same keywords.
Paid search / SEA can become an expensive and therefore unsustainable marketing channel in the long run — in contrast to SEO, which is (beyond the labor and time you invest in it) a more stable channel with a relatively long-lasting traffic and sales effect.
How does SEO work?
On the one hand, search engine optimization has become so complex that it is now its own industry — as well as its own online newspapers (such as Search Engine Journal) and international conferences in England, Germany, Mexico & Co.
Large companies hire their own SEO departments and Google's SEO representative, John Mueller, holds "Question & Answer" sessions, where SEO specialists try to get as much concrete information out of him as possible.
SEO can therefore seem like an especially inaccessible and confusing discipline, but everything is fundamentally learnable and logical.
This guide will provide you with an introductory overview of how search engine optimization works. Simply explained by a senior SEO consultant who focuses on knowledge sharing for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
4 Fields of SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) simplistically refers to learning everything about how search engines work, and how they calculate a website's position in search results. This involves educating oneself about the factors that algorithms consider when calculating search results for a user's query entered into the Google search field.
Currently, more than 250+ ranking factors are considered in determining a website's position in search results.
These factors range from content quality to technical site health, and can be divided into three to four different categories:
On-page ranking factors
Off-page ranking factors
Technical ranking factors
Performance ranking factors
SEO is based on these categories, and SEO specialists learn everything about how ranking works in each of these categories. Therefore, SEO is also divided into four different competency areas or niches:
On-page SEO
Off-page SEO
Technical SEO
Analytical SEO
Each niche focuses on how a website can perform best in the ranking factors categorized under that niche.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO focuses on ranking factors related to the page itself.
In this field, we look at the optimization potential of elements that are to some extent visible to users.
On-page ranking factors include for example:
URL
Headings ("H1-H6")
Use of keywords in the text
Text length, relevance, and quality
Internal links
ALT-text for images
Meta-title (the title that appears in the search results)
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO focuses on ranking factors that cannot be directly controlled on the website itself.
In this field, we look at the optimization potential that must be regulated from outside.
Off-page ranking factors include for example:
Backlinks (links pointing to the website from other websites)
Local SEO (e.g., Google My Business or reviews)
Brand mentions (when your brand name is mentioned on the internet, whether it's in an article, case study, or on social media)
Technical SEO
Technical SEO focuses on ranking factors related to the technical health and performance of the website itself.
This part of SEO often requires coding knowledge (especially HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) and a general understanding of technical topics.
In this field, we look at the optimization potential of highly technical areas.
Technical ranking factors include for example:
Page security (SSL certificate, etc.)
Site architecture
Page speed
Source code tidiness and readability
"Crawlability" (is the page accessible to search engines?)
"Indexability" (is the page indexable for search engines?)
Mobile-friendliness
General usability
Structured data (how the page is displayed in search results)
Duplicate content (is there a lot of duplicated/copied content?)
Google has become particularly adept at measuring so-called "page experience," or user experience, through a complex blend of various metrics. The search engine's "Core Web Vitals" will play a bigger and bigger role here.
Tools commonly used in technical SEO include Screaming Frog SEO spider (crawling tool) and Google Search Console, as well as various measurement tools, such as Lighthouse or Pagespeed Insights.
Analytical SEO
Analytical SEO focuses on measuring and analyzing important data points to understand the website's performance from an SEO perspective.
The goal is to find out the current status and how the website can be pushed to perform even better.
We know, for example, that user signals also factor into the ranking calculation, and analytical SEO is therefore heavily involved in setting goals, monitoring, and evaluating the website's performance, particularly with regards to user engagement and KPIs.
Analyses and audits that can be carried out include:
Content analysis
Content gap analysis
On-page audit
Off-page audit
Technical audit
Ranking analysis
Traffic and sales analysis
Depending on the type of analysis, there are different KPIs that are at the center, but generally the following metrics are considered in the analysis:
traffic signals (website visits, visit duration, etc.)
sales signals (number of sales/conversions, conversion rate, sales value, etc.)
rankings
user signals (click-through rate from search results, bounce rate, measurement points regarding page speed, etc.)
Analytical SEO thus requires a good understanding of third-party performance tools, such as Google Analytics or Siteimprove, Semrush.
It is also an advantage to have a few years of experience in the industry, so that you ask the right questions and can look back on a number of issues you have experienced through your own SEO journey.
How important are top positions on Google?
In SEO, there is a lot of talk about "top positions," but how much of a difference does it actually make to end up in fifth place, for example, compared to first? And what about Google's second page (positions 11-20)?
The numbers show that almost no one clicks on to page 2. You don't either.
You trust the first three — maximum five — results the most, and so does everyone else who searches on Google and tries to find something online.
That's why there's an old (but also funny) SEO joke:
"Where should you hide a dead body?"
"On Google's page 2."
(ha ha ha)
If your website is heading towards positions 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 — or if it generally is not visible in the top results for important keywords — you will notice a clear decline in the website's visits ("traffic") and sales completed on digital platforms ("conversions").
If your results slide from position one to three, the difference in traffic and sales will be even more noticeable.
The so-called click-through rate (CTR) for Google results varies massively depending on the ranking of the result.
What is clear is the following: when you search for something, the vast majority of clicks go to the first three positions on Google.
Click-through rates for Google's top 3 positions in 2023:
Ad | 2.1 % |
First position | 39.8% |
Second position | 18.7% |
Third position | 10.2% |
Source: FirstPageSage
Almost 70% of ALL clicks for a search term go to positions 1, 2, and 3. Position one gets almost 40% of the clicks.
If you slide from position one to two, the clicks/traffic that come to your website are halved. If you run an online store, you will then notice a huge difference between sales and no sales.
The remaining results (positions 4-100) must distribute the remaining 30% of clicks among themselves. Less than 2% of all clicks occur on results page 2-10 (positions 11-100).
A targeted SEO strategy, which takes into account Google's own recommendations and guidelines, can get your website to rank in top positions. This will, as you can see, massively contribute to increasing traffic, sales, and brand building.
Does your website need SEO?
Unless your brand is already well established and known to most people, it is absolutely crucial that potential customers can find you and your products/services through search engines — especially Google.
Not only that: click-through rates show that you are unfortunately dependent on your services appearing high on the results page, preferably in positions 1-3.
You can, of course, choose to pay for traffic through ads (SEA) - but this is a costly strategy. Additionally, there are trained specialists who know the field and work around the clock to ensure that your competitors get maximum visibility for the least amount of money.
Another marketing channel you can focus on is social media. Contrary to the prejudices I see towards the industry, social media is an enormous and complex channel that requires a lot of time and effort. There are also social media specialists who develop advanced and thoughtful campaigns.
There are a variety of other channels you can focus on, but no matter which path you choose first, there is virtually no channel online that doesn't require some form of effort.
If you run a digital business, you will likely have to consider the possibility of getting "free" traffic - either through a targeted and effective social strategy or from Google via organic results.
If you want to get the word out on social media, you need a large number of followers and a large bandwidth. If you want to rank high in Google's organic results, it's important that your website is in top form, particularly from Google's perspective.
Remember Google's 250+ organic ranking factors! If you want to rank well over time, your website must pass through Google's ranking algorithms.
This means that it's a market advantage for you to become familiar with the 4 fields of SEO.
SEO is particularly essential when, for example, you operate a purely online service or web store that is completely dependent on your products or services being visible on Google.
Read more about: "Shopify & SEO - 11 Tips to Boost Your Online Shop's Visibility on Google"
When should you start thinking about SEO?
The short answer is: at any time. It may seem like something an SEO consultant would say, but Google's ranking factors now include almost everything you could think of, as explained above.
They evaluate the technical health of the page, text quality, user-friendliness, mobile-friendliness, use of keywords, architecture, speed, readability, accessibility, internal links, external links, online reviews, click-through rates in search results, URL structure, LCP, CLS, CSS, and more.
This means that it is advantageous for you to start thinking about SEO as soon as you consider any form of digital activity on and around your website.
It is, therefore, a significant advantage for your business to think about SEO when, for example:
Launching a new website
Migrating an existing website
Producing content, such as articles
Launching new products
Running media campaigns
Doing digital PR
Creating an overarching digital strategy (since SEO impacts other marketing channels, such as paid search)
This list is not exhaustive. The point is that everything you do online is likely to affect your rankings.
If organic visibility is essential to your marketing strategy, then remember to double-check SEO best practices in all your online activities.
Should you hire an SEO specialist?
In-house SEO-manager
If all of this exceeds your time and knowledge horizon (or, honestly, your interest horizon), you can hire an in-house search engine optimization specialist or SEO manager for your business or organization. In this case, this person works around the clock for you and your business.
Large businesses - especially heavy online-based players in e-commerce - will often have multiple in-house SEO specialists and even entire SEO departments that work continuously to keep the website highly visible for all of their business-critical keywords, articles, or product categories.
Freelance SEO consultant
A more realistic option for most people is to hire an external SEO consultant - whether it is an independent consultant like myself or an employee at a marketing agency.
Such a person will support the business punctually or project-based with advice and operational help, for example, for a certain number of hours each month (on a so-called "retainer" or fixed agreement).
Personally, I am an SEO consultant who offers SEO assistance for small businesses and entrepreneurs. I am passionate about knowledge sharing and enjoy conducting SEO courses, which can be very cost-effective for small businesses that still need to do most of the work themselves.
That's also why I offer project-based - i.e., time-limited - help. From experience, small businesses cannot afford to invest in large ongoing costs, such as SEO fixed agreements with large marketing agencies.
With targeted support and good advice, however, it should be possible for a small business or entrepreneur to get a couple of knowledgeable extra hands to strengthen the team, which can make it much easier, for example, to set up an effective content strategy, launch a "healthy" website, or learn more about organic competitors.
Which SEO specialist suits you best?
The type of SEO specialist that will work best for your team and project depends on your
resources
needs
challenges
and marketing goals.
Each SEO niche requires different personal strengths and abilities, whether it is technical or on-page, analytical or off-page.
Some SEO specialists have only worked with e-commerce companies and have never developed a long-term content strategy.
Some may know everything about technical pagespeed but almost nothing about keyword analysis.
Most SEO consultants will be knowledgeable specialists in perhaps a couple of niches, and rarely can everyone know everything, especially not in-depth.
If you come across an SEO consultant who claims to know everything about everything, they should preferably be someone with 20 years of experience in all niches and can show concrete results for each one.
As a senior SEO consultant myself, I have to admit that I still have a lot to learn about SEO for large e-commerce companies. Local SEO is also something I want to work more with and learn more about in the future.
If you're considering hiring an SEO consultant, I recommend having an open conversation about the specialist's strengths and preferences in different areas of SEO. This way, you can find a consultant who delivers what is most important for you and your project.
Are you in need of SEO support?
I am a senior SEO consultant who is committed sharing my knowledge.
Book an SEO course for you and your team, or hire me as a personal SEO consultant, and let's talk about your business needs. There are a variety of project-based SEO services that I can operationally support you with on a temporary basis.
Interested in discussing SEO for your business?
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