The topic of SEO is difficult for many to understand. What advantages does it offer? Who can benefit from it? How exactly does it work? And is SEO really essential?
SEO stands for search engine optimisation and refers to measures that help websites appear as high as possible in Google and other search engine results. The top positions on the first results page are particularly valuable, as users rarely scroll beyond them.
Why is this important? Users seek quick and straightforward answers. They want to find information and offers immediately without spending a long time searching.
Search engines evaluate a website's relevance to a search query based on various criteria. These include the quality and timeliness of the content, the page's user-friendliness, and technical factors such as loading times and mobile optimisation. This ensures that search engines display the most relevant results for users.
The Google algorithm evaluates various factors to decide which websites are displayed in the search results. For a website to appear in the search results at all, the Google crawler must first be familiar with it. This is reliably achieved when the website is registered with Google Search Console. Search Console is a Google platform that allows you to monitor your website's performance in the search rankings and identify potential problems.
However, registering with Google Search Console alone does not guarantee a good ranking. It merely ensures that the algorithm has identified your website. Content – including keywords, headings, and meta descriptions – is crucial for better rankings.
Although a website's visual appeal is primarily focused on, the Google crawler mainly analyses the text. It searches various text areas for keywords and uses these to assess how relevant a website is to a specific search query.
The areas scanned include, among others, the URL, headings, paragraphs, lists, meta descriptions, and alt text. Therefore, you should design and structure your website's text content so that keywords are explicitly placed and relevant topics are clearly visible.
In addition to text content, the algorithm checks the relevance of a website by determining how many other websites link to it. If a website has a large number of so-called backlinks, the algorithm considers it more relevant to a search query on a specific topic. The more backlinks a website has, the more critical the algorithm considers it. The mechanism generally favours quantity over quality. However, Google also evaluates the quality of backlinks: those from other sources deemed relevant receive a higher rating.
In addition to content factors and backlinks, the algorithm also evaluates a website's loading speed and design. Long loading times lead to a lower search ranking, as Google classifies them as a "bad experience." Users are generally unwilling to wait long.
Design also influences rankings. If a website loads too many scripts, whose data volume is too large, or which originate from different sources, it can have a negative impact. If visual content shifts on mobile devices or leaves the screen, Google also downgrades this. As the leading search engine, Google sets strict standards for the user-friendliness of websites.
In addition to Google Search, the company offers numerous other services that can improve search rankings. The reason is that Google wants to encourage users to spend as much time as possible on its products and leave information there. Google's success is primarily based on the data it collects.
With Google Business, companies can present their offerings directly in the search engine – even without their own website. The company profile contains essential information such as contact details, images, reviews, opening hours, address, and offers. Google uses this data in search queries, which can have a positive impact on the website's ranking.
A web or design agency's offering should always include comprehensive SEO consulting for a new website. If this vital component is missing, you should be informed. SEO encompasses much more than creating an appealing design and technical implementation. It's primarily about the content work, which is crucial to the website's success. Many clients experience frustration because the total cost of a website is higher than initially expected due to these often invisible services.
If providers don't communicate the importance of SEO from the outset or integrate it into their offerings, it's advisable to find a new partner. This partner should holistically combine the areas of content, design, and programming because even the best-designed website remains ineffective if potential customers can't find it.
However, even careful implementation doesn't automatically guarantee a top position in Google search rankings.
An example: You run a hair salon in Vienna's sixth district and are creating a new website. You tell your story convincingly and address your target audience informatively. Yet, your site doesn't appear on the first Google results page when searching for "hairdresser 1060 Vienna." The competition is fierce: Around 40 other hair salons are vying for the attention of searchers in this area. Paid ads occupy the top four spots via Google Ads. This leaves you with only four organic spots on the first page – and despite all your efforts, your website isn't among them. What can you do?
Google and other social media platforms rely on users voluntarily providing content for free, and those who don't participate risk lower visibility and fewer contacts.
Websites without a blog, glossary, or regular updates of images, videos, and podcasts usually lack significant reach. Online providers evaluate activity as a measure of relevance. Likes, updates, and shares increase visibility. Google and others prefer websites that continuously deliver relevant content to users. The quantity of content is what counts most.
SEO begins with the ongoing creation of content. It's not just about optimising existing texts, but also about establishing a long-term presence over the competition. This is achieved through regular new content shared by other websites and influencers – a process that generates backlinks and increases visibility.
This system requires continuous effort and investment. Without energy and financial resources, it loses momentum. Similar to capitalism, this creates a self-reinforcing spiral.
Websites with few pages, generic content, or alternative narrative forms struggle to rank high in search results. An exception is paid ads, which can be placed via Google Ads.
For example, according to SE Ranking, the keyword "hairdresser" generates 110,000 monthly searches across Austria. It's challenging to reach the top positions with SEO here. The keyword "hairdresser Vienna 1060," on the other hand, has only 100 searches per month and is less competitive. If your hair salon is located in the 6th district and you want to reach local customers, this is a sensible starting point for SEO. With targeted content marketing and relevant keywords, you can improve your position by continuously publishing new content on your website. Alternatively, you can use Google Ads and compete for clicks.
(Admittedly, this is a simplified illustration, but it illustrates the basic principles.)
Before investing in time- and cost-intensive SEO measures, you should clarify two key questions: Which sales channels do you currently use, and where do your customers make their purchasing decisions? These considerations are crucial for a successful communication strategy.
Not every product or service is equally suited to digital sales. Therefore, analyse in advance whether the benefits of your offerings can be effectively communicated through impersonal online communication. A fashionable hat sold directly in an online store benefits greatly from SEO because the product, sales channel, and purchase decision come together in one place. For complex services or specialised production processes, however, the website serves more as a means of conveying information; the actual purchase usually doesn't take place online.
The way potential customers use Google also plays an important role. The majority of searches there primarily include products for personal use. Consumer products that appeal to individuals or households are therefore better suited to digital sales channels than complex or particular offerings.
While Google search is gaining importance in the professional environment, as more and more digitally savvy employees prepare decisions, personal contact, trust, and rapport remain essential factors in contract awarding – especially in the B2B sector and in rural areas with lower digital penetration.
To summarise: If purchasing decisions are made directly online, investing in SEO is worthwhile. If this isn't the case and the website primarily serves as a preliminary information resource, you should target your resources differently. This ensures that your communication strategy remains effective and targeted.
The development of existing or future sales channels essentially determines the value of SEO. If a company wants to establish its website as an impersonal sales channel or generate leads through it, SEO becomes more important. However, if the company relies on personal customer acquisition and uses the website primarily to support existing contacts, the budget for SEO is generally lower.
SEO and content marketing are long-term and cost-intensive measures that only make sense if they are strategically planned and financially secured. Those who expect quick success or miracles from SEO will likely be disappointed. Investments in SEO should always be balanced with other communication measures.
Google Ads makes it possible to specifically influence search rankings by awarding the top spots to the highest bidders. Ads can be precisely targeted to specific target groups and regions.
SEO proponents rely on organic, i.e., unpaid search results, as these are long-term and offer sustainable added value. That's true. It's also important to note that content created through content marketing can also be used for other communication purposes – provided it's part of a well-thought-out communication and content strategy.
Proponents of Google Ads emphasise that paid ads have an immediate impact, offer clear cost structures, and are easy to manage and analyse. This is also true. However, the visibility of an offer ends as soon as the advertising budget is exhausted, as the ads then no longer appear.
A combination of SEO and Google Ads, therefore, makes sense. Google Ads are often used for lead generation by specifically selecting keywords that reflect customers' search behaviour and interests. The most successful topics are then further explored and addressed through content marketing.
In short, for individuals or tiny businesses where SEO plays a minor role, the effort can be kept to a minimum. For larger companies that want to connect various communication channels, a well-thought-out SEO strategy is essential, however.
Regardless, it's worth getting to grips with SEO. Ultimately, it's about how people find content – and the importance of this mechanism.
