What is SEO?

SEO stands for "search engine optimization." The goal of SEO is to improve the number of visitors to your website through a search engine's organic search results. Organic search means a natural search result that is not based on advertising.

SEO is about improving your site's rankings in the organic (non-paid) section of the search results. The end goal is to get a website to rank in the #1 spot on Google, or at least on the first page.

Basic of SEO

Tasks associated with SEO include:

• Keyword research.
• Understanding search intent.
• Creating high-quality content.
• Optimizing specific keyword content.
• Building backlinks.
• Website code optimization.

Taiwan Search Engine Market Share

In 2021, Google is the dominant search engine in Taiwan. Google has a massive 92% market share, with Yahoo 6% and Bing trailing at 1%.

By ranking well for a specific keyword, you can attract "free" traffic to your site, month after month.

Advertising stops as soon as your budget runs out, greatly reducing traffic to your site. Social media is increasingly a pay-to-play game. Without paying, your reach and engagement will likely drop. On the other hand, using SEO as a marketing tool, will continue to pay dividends over time. By creating solid content that deserves to rank, traffic to your site snowballs over time as shown in our client's graph:

SEO vs. PPC – What's the difference?

The main difference is SEO aims to get traffic from organic search results by improving a website's ranking. While Pay-per-click (PPC) gets traffic and visibility from paid search marketing. PPC often uses Google Ads where businesses pay Google to show their ads in the paid area of the search results.

Everything above should help you understand the basics of SEO. In the next chapter, we'll explore how SEO can help your business grow.

The Business Benefits of SEO

This greater visibility helps you to:

• Drive more people to your site.
• Build better relationships with your customers.
• Improve the customer experience.
• Increase your authority.
• Have an edge over the competition.
• Increase leads, conversions, and sales.
• Decrease dependency on PPC.

All this leads to more sales, more loyal customers, and more business growth, with far less advertising costs.

1) Search drives visitors to your website.

Search is a HUGE source of traffic. While paid advertising and social media can send traffic to websites, over 70% of all traffic begins from a search engine.

As the data shows, almost 60% of all traffic on the web starts with an organic Google search. Facebook generates only 5% of all website traffic.

Organic traffic is extra valuable because of its specific, high-intent keyword searches.

a) SEO gets more traffic than Paid per Click (PPC) Ads

Now, you might think that Google ads are driving visitor traffic. Although PPC ads appear above organic rankings, only about 3.17% of people click on paid advertisements. So, organic clicks account for ten times more traffic than paid clicks on either desktop or mobile devices.

In Taiwan, the top visited sites are search engines and Google has about 92% of the overall search market, making it crucial for generating leads and sales.

b) Most Visited Websites in Taiwan

Ranking of Top Websites by average Monthly Traffic according to Similarweb (Jan 2021)

c) Mobile Phone Growth in Taiwan

Users trust Google's search algorithm. They choose to visit the pages that Google has determined as the best, rather than the ads that appear above. Today, in Taiwan over 50% of all web traffic comes from mobile - so it's integral for your growth to concentrate on this type of traffic

Source:StatCounter

2) SEO is an Inbound Strategy

Customers do their research via search. 71% of B2B researchers start their research with a generic search, not a branded search. So, they're looking for a solution to their problem, and not for you. SEO targets quality traffic - so it's an inbound marketing strategy.

Outbound Marketing vs. Inbound Marketing

Outbound marketing channels aim to interrupt people. Cold calling, spam emails, billboards, and interruptive ads focus on the advertiser's goals. It's expensive, and the ROI is much lower than inbound marketing. Plus, potential customers may find it annoying.

Inbound or permission marketing attracts customers by creating valuable content. It is customer-centric by creating useful information that solves the buyer's questions and problems. It centers on making it easy for your audience to find you when they want information.

3) SEO is 24/7 brand exposure.

Let's show the importance of SEO with an example.

Let's say that you run an insurance company in Taiwan. Every single month, 22,000 people search for "機車強制險" (compulsory scooter insurance).

Consider that the first search result in Google gets around 28% of all clicks. That is more than 6000 visitors to your site every month if you're in the top position.

How much are those visitors worth?

The average PPC advertiser spends about $52nt per click for that search phrase (機車強制險). So that web traffic of 22,000 visitors is worth roughly $320,320nt per month to the companies running the ads.

And that's for a single search phrase. However, with an SEO-optimized site, you can rank for hundreds of different keywords for free. In fact, AHREFs studied three million search queries and found that the average top-ranking page ranks in the top 10 for almost 1,000 other keywords.

We've covered how SEO can help you grow your business. Now, it’s time to learn how Search Engines actually work so you can drive visitors to your webpages. 

Does buying PPC increase my SEO?

A common myth in Taiwan is that buying Paid Per Click (PPC) ads will increase your rank. This is FALSE.

Here's how Google explains it:

"Google's first responsibility is to provide Search users with the most relevant possible results. If businesses were able to pay for higher rankings in the search results, users wouldn't be getting the information they're looking for."

So - you cannot pay Google to occupy any position in its organic search results. Organic search results are natural results that rank based 100% on merit.

What is Search Engine Positioning?

Search engine positioning focuses on achieving higher rankings for individual web pages.

Why is Search Engine Positioning Important?

Search engine positioning is essential. It affects how much traffic your site receives. The more people who visit your site equals the better chance you have of selling your products or services. When searching, most people stay on the first page of Google. So, your brand must be one of these ten results.

This graph shows the click-through rates (CTR) for each search position on desktop:

In fact, the top 3 results receive most clicks, with over 60% of searches on both desktop and mobile.

If you are not in those positions, you are not getting the traffic to gain awareness and leads.

Where does my site rank on Google?

Google searches are customized for each user. Google factors in location, past search history, and search settings to “tailor your results to what is most useful and relevant for you in that moment.”

To remove this bias and get more accurate results, use the free tool USearchFrom.com. It simulates Google Search results with custom options including:

• Location (Country, City, State).
• Language.
• Depersonalizes your search history.

Also, setup Google Search Console to track your site’s search performance. The performance report tracks your ranking for keywords, the number of clicks and impressions.

The Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

The search landscape has changed in Taiwan and is no longer just ten blue text links of searches from the past.

Now, Google’s first page contains lots of SERP Features, including:

• Featured snippets.
• “People also ask” boxes.
• Knowledge graphs.
• Top stories.
• Video results.
• Local results.
• Image results.

There are over 16 SERP Features that commonly appear on Google’s result pages.

For example, look at this SERP for “Best dog to own” – it includes a featured snippet and video results:

Today search engine positioning is not about moving up a few spots, it’s about maximizing your SERP real estate. There are multiple ways to be listed at the top of the page.

Search engines rank web pages based on hundreds of different ranking factors. The next chapter will show you how to optimize for the most critical ranking factors.

In Chapter 8, we cover link building in detail.

When ranking results, Google evaluates whether webpages are easy to use. Is the content accessible, fast, and easy to consume?

In Google's words:

"When we identify persistent user pain points, we develop algorithms to promote more usable pages over less usable ones, all other things being equal."

In this section, we will explore Google's Page Experience, and how to measure them:

1. Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS).
2. Mobile Friendly.
3. Safe Browsing.
4. HTTPS.
5. No Intrusive Interstitials (Popups).

How PageSpeed Analyzes Data?

PageSpeed Insights gives two sets of data:

One August 2020 study showed that only 12% of Mobile and 13% of Desktop top search results passed.

Most Taiwan sites will fail this measurement as it needs a significant rethink and refactoring of a website's code. Remember, an excellent page experience score alone won't push you to the top of Google.

As Google states:

"A good page experience doesn't override having great, relevant content. However, in cases where there are multiple pages that have similar content, page experience becomes much more important for visibility in Search."

So, a page experience signal can act as a tiebreaker. If two pages provide fantastic content, the one with the stronger experience signal will rank higher.

In theory, great content can outrank a great page experience.

Next, we'll dive into keyword research. Then, you'll know the exact words and phrases your customers use to search. That way, you can rank for terms that your customers search for daily.

Step 1: How do you find keywords?

The goal is to find the right keywords that people search for and then building awesome organic content from these terms. So, how do you find the right phrases that will boost leads, traffic, and conversions?

How do you use keywords in SEO?

Most guides recommend the following:

• Include the keyword in the title Tag.
• Include the keyword in the URL.
• Mention your keyword throughout your Page.
• Include long-tail keywords in your Content.
• Internal Linking.

It makes sense to follow this advice, BUT the primary way to optimize for a keyword is to match search intent and build excellent content. Keyword-stuffed content doesn't help anybody, so Google won't rank your content unless it's useful.

Apply your Keyword Research.

1. Group keywords with associated topics and intent. Create pages around this group rather than individual pages for each keyword variation.
2. Look at the Search results page to determine the 3 Cs required: Content Style, Content Type & Content Format.
3. Give your audience a better guide than the top 3 results. Think: "What unique value could I offer to make my page better than the current ranking page?".

The cornerstone of using keywords successfully focuses on adding value and being helpful while creating content around topics that you know will interest your intended readers.

Optimizing your user's keyword intent gains more relevant and qualified website traffic:

• Reducing bounce rates: people get what they want, so they stay on your pages.
• More page views: Meeting your user's intent makes them more likely to engage with the rest of your site.
• More Featured Snippets and Answer Boxes: It allows your page content to rank above the first search result.
• Reach a wider audience: Google is smart enough to interpret multiple queries as having the same topic and intent. Your intent-optimized page will show up in a lot more searches.

Daily, your customers type their needs into a search field. Whenever someone uses Google to find information relevant to your product or service, you need to be there.

Don't chase keywords you "want" if they don't match user intent.

You can't fight search intent, and you'll waste a ton of money if you try. Let's take the finance industry. For many finance terms (e.g., online stockbrokers), comparison type websites dominate the top positions. This reflects user intent as they want comparison sites to be top, not lots of single vendors they need to browse through one at a time. In situations like this, doing keyword research to find other, more niche terms is a valid SEO strategy.

What are the 4 Pillars of Search Intent?

Every search keyword has an intent behind it. What is the searcher hoping to achieve?

Google breaks user intent down into four categories:

1. Informational (Know):
   A user wants questions answered or information on a specific topic.
2. Navigational (Go):
   A user who seeks a specific resource, page, or site.
3. Commercial (Buy):
   A user knows what they want to buy and research before making a purchase.
4. Transactional (Do):
   A user looking to purchase.

These categories help determine the type of results that Google shows.

Informational (Know)

The searcher is looking for information. 80% of searches are informational.

It might be an answer to a simple question like "Who's the President of Taiwan?". Or something that requires a more in-depth explanation like, "How does combustion work?".

Examples of informational searches:

• "CKS airport directions".
• "SEO Guide".
• "Football scores".
• "Who is Anthony Fauci?".

How to identify informational search intent?

You can identify informational intent with the following clues:

• They use informational cues like: "who," "what," "when," "where," "how to," "when was," "why," "ways to," and "guide."
• The search is often longer than a few words and includes details.
• There isn't any company-specific or brand information.

Know Simple vs Know Queries:

Google Search Quality Raters Guidelines breaks this down into two query types:

• Know Simple Query - seek a specific answer such as a fact. It can be answered in a concise list or in 1-2 sentences.
• Know Query - Broad, complex, or in-depth informational queries that do not have a short answer. Controversial, unclear, or no definitive "right answer."

How to Optimize for Know Simple Query

A Know Simple Query answer is often displayed in a Special Content Result Box (SCRB) on the SERP. It's often a short (40-60 word) snippet of text.

To rank for Know Simple featured snippets follow this pattern:

• 1–2 sentences in length.
• Short lists.
• "Correct and complete" responses.
• Fit neatly within a mobile phone screen.
• Have the question placed directly above your answer.

Know Simple Queries can equal Zero Click Searches

Now, "How tall is Biden?" gives an instant answer. Also, it doesn't provide a link to the SERP page or a website where the height data came from and would result in zero clicks for most users:

If your content strategy is to rank for questions with definite, non-negotiable answers related to your niche, you should trim these from your content strategy.

Google is now sophisticated and gives us answers directly, without sending us to other 3rd party sites. These Zero-click searches have risen to over 50% from google.com. This is why we must narrow the focus to topics that provide current, useful information that Google can't get elsewhere or from aggregate data.

Informational Intent Click Through Rates

SEO has one main goal: reach the top 3 organic search results on Google. For informational intent searchers, this will translate into over 60% of clicks.

Why must your content answer informational queries?

Today, we no longer following a linear path from awareness to consideration to purchase. We grab our phones to get immediate answers. Mobile has become indispensable in our lives to:

• Learn something.
• Do something.
• Discover something.
• Watch something.
• Buy something.

In 2015, Google defined this concept as micro-moments.

For example, if a user wants a holiday. They may start searching for "beach holidays Asia" and then narrow down to specific destinations "Thailand." 

Users will research the destination further, and if your website is providing them with valuable information, they're going to associate the keywords they searched for with your company.

Customers use search from initial consideration through the purchase—and beyond. A Think with Google report states that:

"People turn to their devices to get immediate answers. And every time they do, they are expressing intent and reshaping the traditional marketing funnel along the way."

Content holds all the power. When your prospects look for solutions online, you want your business to have high search engine results. So, your content creation must align with how Google's algorithms work.

Successful websites should aim to fulfill people's needs each step of the way.

Navigational (Go)

The searcher is looking to go to a specific website or location. Often the search includes a branded term such as Nike. It's probably faster for the searcher to Google Nike than enter the entire URL into the address bar (nike.com).

Examples of navigational searches:

• "Facebook".
• "CNN".
• "Gmail Login".
• "TrendMicro pricing".

If a user is specifically searching for Nike, showing them, Reebok won't meet their needs. People that search for these terms don't want to go to a third-party website. So, trying to rank for your competitor's brand names is impossible because Google already knows the searchers' intent.

You can identify navigational user intent with the following clues:

• The search includes a brand or website domain name, a person's name, or other specific information.
• The search is short and generally three or fewer words.
• Google SERP page displays local results and knowledge graph.
• Google "Search in Search" feature shows.

How to Optimize for Navigational Queries

Make sure you rank for your company's name and product brand names. The formula to follow is:

 your brand name + navigational search query

Then create content about specific products or services that meet the navigational need they were searching for, such as brand or service overview pages.

To get clues about navigational search queries type your brand name into Google and see what comes up. Use the Asterix symbol (*) for wild card searches.

Commercial (Buy)

The searcher is seeking a specific product or service but hasn't decided yet. Most people use the web to do their research by looking for reviews and comparisons. 94% of B2B buyers research online before finalizing a purchase.

Commercial searches examples:

• "Best baby milk powder".
• "Nike vs Adidas".
• "Web design review".
• "Top restaurant in Taipei".
• "Which running shoe is best for me?".

They may also have transactional intent but need more time and convincing. Given the right landing page and content, they could convert to your product or service.

Keep in mind, search intent is also influenced by:

• Location-Specific Search.
• Personal Search.

Location Specific Searches:

Many location searches have commercial intent. Examples such as:

• "Italian restaurants near me".
• "Cheapest hotel in Taipei".
• "Web design Taiwan".

Google reports tremendous growth in "near me" searches. Today's impatient consumers want things in the moment they need them—which is typically "now."

In Taiwan, "______ near me" is often replaced with "______ district". For example, more people type in Chinese "Italian restaurants Xinyi."

3 Quick Ways to improve your Local SEO:

1. Add your business address to your website to help Google understand where your business is located. Ensure its consistent across social media, and directories.
2. Use Local Business structured data code to tell Google about your location, business hours, reviews for your business, and more.
3. Create a free Google My Business listing to help people find you and encourage customers to post reviews.

Rise of the Personal Search:

The advice people once sought from friends, we now expect to get from our phones. As we use search daily, people tap personalized queries:

Words like "me," "my," and "I" are signaling that people expect personally relevant content. Google also has seen an 80% increase in mobile searches including "…should I?". As a result, we are treating search as one of our best, most trusted friends.

Transactional (Do)

The searcher is looking to buy. They're at the bottom of the buyer funnel and are ready to make a purchase. They're seeking a place to purchase it.

transactional searches examples:

• "Buy iPhone 11".
• "Norton Antivirus coupon".
• "Galaxy note20 cheap".
• "N95 masks best price".

Transactional Keywords can include:

• Buy.
• Where to buy.
• Best Price.
• Coupon.
• Discount.
• Apply.
• Purchase.
• Schedule appointment.
• Reserve.
• Deals.
• For sale.
• Order.
• Get.
• Download.

Your content creation must align with how Google's algorithms work. So - the formula is:

transactional keywords + brand, product, or service name

For example:

• Discount Oakley sunglasses.
• Where to buy Oakley sunglasses.

Also, this formula for buyers who may not know the specific brand they want:

transactional phrases + general industry terms/products/services

For example:

• Sunglasses clearance.
• Where to buy sunglasses.

Often, Google Ads keywords are transactional keywords. Use them to develop content that helps customers in the conversion step of their purchase process.

We recommend optimizing these types of content for your transactional queries:

• Product pages.
• Category pages.
• Pricing pages.
• Sign-up pages
• Live demos.
• Appointments pages.
• Free consultations.
• Sales pages.

How to create user intent-focused content

STEP 1.
How do I find search intent?

Research the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) for the Keyword Phrase

While you may not immediately know the intent behind a keyword phrase, Google usually does. So, study the SERPs can give you inside information into searcher intent. You should check the pages that already rank for that keyword.

Every element in the SERPs gives us search intent clues. Pay attention to:

• Ads.
• Organic listings.
• Knowledge graph results.
• Featured Snippets.

Understand which search intent categories Google is displaying. If you want to rank for this keyword, it probably won't happen with a blog post. Searchers are in buying mode, not learning mode. So, product categories pages dominate this search result.

1. Google Ads Keyword Planner shows Transactional or Commercial Intent

We can also follow up with Google Ads to see the transactional value. Often the higher the suggested bid and competition, the higher the transactional intent. Even if we don't intend to bid, it's helpful to know what others are willing to pay and its competitiveness.

In the following results, notice how "buy iPhone 11" has by far the highest suggested bid. The reason is it has extremely high commercial intent, and competition for it is intense.

2. Research the "People also ask…" Boxes.

Google's Related Questions box is the goldmine of user intent as it tells you: "These are the questions people have around this topic."

Your content should provide answers to these questions to rank higher.

3. Visit the top-ranking Pages.

Nothing gives more insight into search intent than visiting the actual top-ranking pages.

Delivering content that satisfies user intent is challenging as it's difficult to measure. 

STEP 2.
Ensure your content aligns with the Intent.

You won't rank in 2021 if you don't hit the user intent with the right format. Users have clear expectations of what type of content they want for a specific query. Look at the most dominant content type in the search results and make sure your content delivers the format and features Google expects through:

1. Content Style.
2. Content Type.
3. Content Format.

1) Does your content style match the results?

If we search for "unboxing playstation 5" - they are all video results.

So - to rank for this topic video is required.

If we search for "keyword rank checker", - we will see that all the top results are tools.

Google knows that the search intent for "keyword rank checker" is people looking for tools. Unless you build a tool that will let them check their keywords - your page won't rank. Content about how keyword rank checkers work or reviews won't work.

However, if we change the search term to "best keyword rank checker," the results include a featured snippet, and the search intent has turned to commercial.

2) Does your content type match the search results?

Your content type pages often are:

• Blog.
• Product.
• Category.

If we search for "buy black cocktail dress" we get local and eCommerce category page results:

If we search for "iPad Pro" we get a product page result:

That's because we're looking to buy a specific product and not just a category of products.

Does your content format match the search results?

Check the format of the top rating pages for your keywords. Some standard types include:

• "How-to" guides.
• Step-by-step tutorials.
• Opinion pieces.
• Reviews.
• Comparisons.
• List posts.

How-to Guides:

If we look at the results for "how to cut an apple" we see that most of them are how-to guides:

Google has a featured "How-to" snippet as well:

Google also has a specific category for recipes.

List Posts

List Posts whose headline lists a numbered collection of reasons, secrets, types, or ways. For example, 10 Ways to Beat the High Cost of Living or Five Familiar Skin Problems.

Most of the results for "best places to travel in Taiwan" are list posts:

So, examine the SERPs for clues and format accordingly.

Step-by-step Guides:

For queries like "how to wire a socket," we see mostly step-by-step guides, like this one:

So - if your content is a how-to guide - either a step-by-step guide or video can help you rank.

Write for your audience, not Google.

When creating your content, it makes the most sense to follow the crowd. Ensure your content follows a 1:1 Search intent match to Google.

If most of the top pages are how-to guides, create a better how-to guide. If they're list posts, make a list post. You get the idea.

Remember, we need to optimize our content to the user experience. The search intent should determine the type of content you create.

Next, you'll learn on-page SEO to ensure Google finds and understands your web pages to show them high in the search results.

What is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO optimizes web page content to rank higher and earn more relevant organic traffic from search engines.

On-Page SEO makes your website more usable and valuable to users, improving your rankings and visibility in search results.

Off-page SEO differs from on-page SEO. Off-page SEO optimizes the website for signals that occur outside of it (e.g., backlinks). On-page are factors you can control.

Pro Tip: Read our On-Page SEO guide for in-depth knowledge.

Here's our 8-step On-Page SEO checklist:

1) Craft Compelling Unique Content

Your page content is the most critical ranking factor and should be your first SEO priority. Google confirms that content and backlinks are 2 out of their top 3 most important ranking factors. If your content isn't shareworthy, it's impossible to generate natural backlinks.

Google understands what searchers are seeking better than anyone. Google ranks the top pages highly because it has determined it’s the best answer to the searcher's questions.

On-page SEO means creating the kind of content your audience is seeking. The best way to do that is to check Google's first page for that keyword. If they're all a specific type of page (like a list post, product page or videos), your page's content must match.

SEO is a zero-sum game. Your page must provide value and be better than the other results Google is currently ranking. You must align your content with the search intent of those keywords.

6-step formula for SEO content:

1. Use keyword research to identify the keywords you want your page to rank for. 
2. Search Google for those keywords you want your webpage to rank for.
3. Identify which pages rank high for those keywords.
4. Match search intent to determine what commonalities those pages possess.
5. Create similar content that's better than those you have found.
6. Double-check that your page is a 1:1 match for search intent.

Read our in-depth write SEO Content Guide to broaden your knowledge.

2) Write a Persuasive <title> Tag

The page <title> tag refers to the title of a web page and tells both users and Google what the page's topic is.

It's the first thing searchers read, the clickable blue link on Google search results. So - write a title tag that's keyword optimized and aligns with search intent to encourage clicks.

 Hint: Think of what you would want to click on to search for your target keyword.

Follow this pattern:

Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Brand Name

6 Tips for a Good Title Tag

1. Include your primary keyword. Your title tag is the most critical place to include your keyword.
2. Put your keyword first. NN/g's research shows that the first two words (11 characters) will determine whether someone continues to read on or not in SERP results.
3. Short & Descriptive. Google's display titles max out at 600 pixels. In English, that's around 60 characters. For Chinese, under 30 characters. 
4. Unique for every page. If you can't decide what your page is about, how can Google?
5. Write for your customers. Avoid titles that are just a keyword list as they don't encourage click-through.
6. Accurately summarize the page's content. Avoid clickbait as your bounce rate will soar.

3) Optimize your Meta Description

A meta description (or description meta tag) is the short snippet summarizing your web page's content. If your title matches your searcher's goal, then they may read it.

Meta descriptions aren't a ranking factor anymore, but the click-through rate is. So, when searchers see a persuasive one, they're more likely to visit your site. Write them like advertising copy and boost clicks.

7 Meta Description Best Practices:

1. Be short. Google cuts the text based on the pixel width of the characters (680px on mobile). For English, that's 150 - 160 characters. For Chinese, 65 - 70 characters or less.
2. Accurately summarize your page content. Avoid writing a meta description that isn't related to the content on the page and write a sentence rather than only a list of keywords.
3. Outline Your Value Proposition. Answer why a user should go to your page. Meet search intent by doubling down on what searchers are looking for.
4. Include a call-to-action (CTA). Use a CTA or offer to increase your click-through rate and differentiate yourself from the competition.
5. Use active voice. Address the searcher directly and make it actionable. Tell them what to expect to find on your page.
6. Include your primary keyword. Google bolds words and phrases closely related to the query.
7. Write a unique meta description. If your title and meta description doesn't match - it hampers the user experience. Meta descriptions often appear when sharing on social media.

4) Use short, descriptive URLs

All your site URLs should be easy for Google and users to find, read and understand.

Which URL gives meaning?

https://www.example.com/folder1/index.php?id_page=1123r

vs

https://www.example.com/teeth-whitening

Simple URLs convey what the page is about, and extremely long and cryptic URLs may intimidate your visitors. So, avoid generic URLs such as "page1.html". Just by seeing the URL, a user should understand the topic of a page.

3 Ways to Optimize Your URLs:

1) Include your keyword in the URL

Google uses the terms in your URL to help understand what your page is all about. Studies show that a well-optimized, keyword-rich URL can increase organic CTRs by 45%.

For example:

• example.com/my-keyword 
• example.com/my-keyword-guide

2) Use short URLs

Shorter URLs rank better in search results and are much easier to type out, improving the user experience.

3) Use hyphens in your URLs

Google recommends you:

• Use dashes (-) instead of underscores (_) in your URLs.
• Separate your words to aid understanding (red-dress.html vs reddress.html).

5) Optimize Images

Now, over 21% of all US web searches occur on Google images. Google uses images to understand your page's content.

3 Steps to Optimize your images:

1) Use a descriptive, keyword-rich file name. 

Filenames help Google understand the subject matter of the image. For example, ipad-pro.jpg is better than pic-12345.jpg. Google recommends using dashes between the word.

2) Use a descriptive "alt" attribute. 

An alt tag is essentially the image's name. It's a brief, helpful description of the image and includes appropriate keywords.

Not only are alt tags useful for search engines. They help those visually impaired recognize the picture as they will hear what that image is.

3) Optimize for Speed.

Page speed is a ranking factor, and images take up more than 75% of data loaded on web pages. Remember: 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take over 3 seconds to load. So:

5 Ways to Optimize Image Speed

1. Use the Correct Image Type

Saving as the correct file type will improve image quality and reduce the file size.

• JPG – best for photos.
• PNG – screenshots, text-based images, and line drawings. If your image has limited colors (under 256), saving it as a PNG-8 rather than PNG-24 will reduce file size.
• SVG – logos, icons, simple illustrations.

Pro-Tip: WebP is a newer format with better compression than .png and .jpg files - around 25% -35% smaller. However, it doesn't work on all browsers, but there are code workarounds.

2. Resize your photos to the size required.

If you upload huge images from your digital camera, it will slow your page down. So, scale photos down before uploading, and reduce the resolution to 72dpi.

3. Compress your images.

Reduce your file sizes and speed up load times. Use Optimizilla to compress manually. Alternatively a CMS plugin can automate this for you.

4. Lazy load images to improve loading speed.

Chrome has recently released new code to delay the loading of images until we need them. Add loading= "lazy" to your image tag. Also, remember to include the image's width and height.

5. Serve responsive images. 

Serving desktop-sized photos to phones will use 2 - 4 times more data. Rather than using a "one-size-fits-all" approach, serve varied sizes based on screen size. The srcset attribute displays multiple versions of your image to different screen resolutions.

To learn more on optimizing images to improve web page rankings, visit this Google Search Central Images Guide.

6) Add internal and outbound links

Internal links are hyperlinks that link to pages on your site. They're different from outbound or external links, which link to pages on other sites.

Write descriptive link text.

The Link or Anchor text is the visible text inside a link. Anchor text sends signals to search engines regarding the content of the destination page. To improve your ranking, use keyword-rich words that describe the page you're linking to. Avoid writing generic anchor text like "page" or "click here."

Build Internal Links.

Internal links help Google find, index, and understand your site's pages. Plus, it improves visitor navigation and sends link authority to help the other page rank higher in the search results.

Link to Relevant Pages.

Outbound linking to relevant content helps strengthen the topical signals of your web pages and adds context for Google to understand your page better. Outbound links are how you should reference your sources.

A recent study by marketing firm Reboot showed a positive correlation between a page's outbound links and its rankings in search results.

Aim to outbound link to 5-8 authority sites in your article to help your readers learn in-depth about something you cover on your page.

The free tool Screaming Frog can check the status of your links.

7) Get rich snippets with structured data (Schema).

Google uses structured data to understand the page's content. Rich snippets are search results with additional information displayed. Look at this recipe search result:

Google pulls this information from invisible structured JSON data that's on your page called schema markup. This specific type is called recipe markup.

Rich Snippets are more eye-catching than average search results and can increase organic CTR and indirectly boost your ranking.

Five common structured data types to benefit your business are:

1) Product

Help your e-commerce or product page stand out by showing the price, reviews, and in-stock info. The product image can display in Google Image Search.

2) Local Business

Enhance your local listing, and help customers easily find your address, contact details, hours, reviews, and other helpful info.

3) Article

If you add it to your news or blog pages, you can suggest the correct headline, date published, and image that Google should show in search results. Our blog pages use this format.

4) Event

It can enhance your appearance in Google Search results by featuring your logo, event name, event dates, cost and more. It's not available in Taiwan yet, but watch out for it.

5) FAQ

A Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page contains a list of questions and answers about a particular topic. It can appear in rich results and as an Action on Google Assistant.

Steps to create rich snippets:

1. Choose your page's rich snippet type. Use Google's rich search gallery to discover more types.
2. Generate the code. To do it manually, JSON LD Generator can help with most types. You'll need to add the code to your webpage. We typically build it into our CMS - so you don't need to think about it.
3. Use Google Rich Results Test to validate.
4. Google's Search Console has rich search result reports listed under Enhancements, which means you can test if they're being used or validate.

8) Chunk your content to ease reading

Research shows only 20% of web page content gets read. Chunk your content to help your users quickly scan your content and find what they are looking for.

Break up walls of text, and use:

• Use headings. Break content into sections with a subheading.
• Use bullet points. Break text into lists to help us scan.
• Use Numbers. If you're creating a list, then use numbers.
• Images. Images can help explain and break up wall-to-wall text.
• Short Paragraphs. 2-3 sentences per paragraph is a good rule —one main idea per paragraph.
• Use Bolding or Italics when appropriate.

Here's the deal: to rank in 2021, Off-Page SEO is also an important piece of the puzzle. So, our next chapter covers the nitty-gritty of link building.

What's a valuable backlink link?

Sites that are relevant to your target audience but have a higher Google rank than you do now provide the most valuable backlinks.

Doing this will put you in front of your target audience on a site they already know and trust. Your presence on a domain with authority signals to Google that you are a trustworthy site as well.

The signals to look for are:

1) Topical Relevance

The linking page should be about a similar topic as the page it links to, but not from a direct competitor.

2) Domain and Page Authority

A backlink from a high-authority page is more valuable than one from a low-authority page. A link from the New York Times would be better than a backlink from your friend's blog. PageRank is Google’s system of counting and scoring backlinks.

Typically, trustworthy sites link to other trustworthy sites, and spammy sites link to other spammy sites. So, beware of those spam emails promoting backlinks.

How to work out Page Authority?

Google used to list public PageRank scores, but in 2016 they discontinued it. This means there's no official metric by Google, but these free tools can help with estimation:

MozBar

MozBar scores:

• Domain Authority (DA): measures the strength of the entire site's backlinks.
• Page Authority (PA): predicts the ranking strength of a single page.

Ahrefs’ Backlink Checker

Ahrefs' Backlink Checker scores:

• Domain Rating (DR): measures the quantity and quality of the entire site's backlinks.
• URL Rating (UR): rates a specific page's backlinks.

From the results above, we can see that their scoring metrics are different for the same page. So, avoid cross comparing SEO tool scores. Stick with one when determining link authority.

Your aim is to find sites in a similar niche that are not direct competitors to you and have a higher score than your site.

3) Unique Domains

Getting backlinks from multiple different sites is also vital for SEO. One study demonstrates a clear correlation between the number of domains that link to you and higher rankings. So, domain diversity should also be part of your strategy.

4) Nofollow links

If the link has a <rel="nofollow"> attribute, it tells search engines not to follow that link. So, Google doesn't pass authority to the linked page. We should use nofollow links for:

• Links in comments: it helps fight comment spam.
• Links to websites you would not want to endorse.
• Affiliate and sponsored links: Buying backlinks violates Google's rules. Using the Nofollow attribute doesn't.

Facebook, Twitter, Yelp are places to add links to your website because they can help potential clients find your website, but they don't count as votes for your website.

So, for your link-building strategy, prioritize getting followed outbound links. To save outreach time, install NoFollow, a free chrome extension, to highlight if the site uses nofollow links on a page.

A healthy link profile will have a balance of nofollow and follow backlinks in its link profile. Plus, there's still benefit in nofollow links as they can:

• Drive referral traffic - which can have a positive indirect effect on SEO.
• Serve as a hint. In 2019, Google would treat nofollow links as hints to better analyze and understand them.

5) Anchor Text

Anchor text is the clickable words used to hyperlink pages. It helps spiders to know what the linked page is about.

The different anchor types include:

• Brand name: "iamrobert".
• Exact match: "SEO keyword guide".
• Partial match: "beginner SEO tutorial".
• Generic: "read more".
• Naked URL: https://www.iamrobert.com/blog/seo-keyword-research.

In general, when you want to rank for a specific keyword, you want that anchor text containing the keyword. One industry study shows an exact or partial match to your web page's overall topic correlates with improving ranking.

It's essential to diversify your anchor texts by using different anchor types, so Google views your links as natural and not manipulative. Brand-heavy anchor text is a sure bet that your link profile is genuine.

Good vs Bad Links:

This table will help you estimate the backlink’s value, and if is worth chasing.

Avoid Link Schemes

Dodgy link building is the easiest way to destroy your website's search engine visibility.

Google Penguin algorithms penalize sites that attempt to manipulate rankings by paying for links or building links with keyword-rich anchor text.

If you do hire an SEO agency, ensure you understand very clearly the work they are doing. If they are building backlinks, ensure they follow Google's guidelines and techniques aren't link schemes.

Avoid Low-Quality Business Directories

Many Taiwan digital marketing companies promote how they will add your site to a business directory. These are often low-quality and spammy.

If you want to list your site on a directory, be very selective and check its reputation. Think:

• Is it well known?
• Do you expect to get referral traffic?
• Is it relevant to my business?
• Does it review submissions?
• Does it rank on the first page for your keyword?

So, before agreeing, if the answers are mostly "No," the link is probably low quality and could be spammy. It's an old-school technique that no longer works.

How to build backlinks?

You're producing high-quality content and want to promote your content. There are several organic approaches you can take that produce results, such as:

1) Build Linkable assets: 

Ultimate lists, infographics, original research, free tools – all of these things build link-worthy content.

2) Guest Posts

It means authoring an article for someone else's site. The published post contains a backlink to your site, and they get free content. Win-win.

The best guest blogging sites will:

• Reach your target audience.
• Large, engaged audience.
• An online authority that shows up in organic search.
• Content with topics that relate to your business.

6 Steps to Choose a Guest Blogging Platform:

1. Find a Relevant Niche. Use search to help you find ones that are relevant to you. For example: "your niche" + "write for us."
2. Check the site to see it matches your brand. Read their guest post guidelines and check existing articles for brand fit.
3. Verify it's a follow link in the author's bio.
4. Verify Moz's domain's authority score.
5. Qualify the site traffic with an SEO tool. Ubersuggest or Spyfu (US/UK).
6. Contact the site owner with your guest post pitch.

3) Local SEO (GMB & Citations)

Local SEO can help build trust and credibility.

Set up Google My Business (GMB) as this helps your brand appear as a rich result in search.

Check online reviews and listings on:

• Facebook.
• Yelp.
• TripAdvisor.

Plus, other review sites help boost local SEO because they revolve around your location.

NAP stands for Name, Address & Phone Number. NAP citations mention your business online. Ensure your NAP details are accurate and consistent across all platforms. However, it can be difficult with a bilingual company name.

4) Stalk your competitors.

Backlink data is publicly available through SEO tools. Discover your competitors' best backlinks and extract the ones that are the most relevant. For example, perhaps a site has created a list of the top manufacturers in your industry, but your company isn't on it. Reach out to that site. Make a case for inclusion.

5) Other awesome strategies.

• Featured in industry trade publications.
• Feature on DesignRush directory that lists b2b firms.
• Seeking out contacts in your industry who'd be happy to share your content.
• Guest Speaker on a podcast.
• Participating in an industry community such as a forum.
• Hosting events (in person or virtual).
• Help A Reporter Out [HARO]: get featured in niche articles that require expert insights.
• Press Releases.
• Social media marketing (nofollow): promote content, join discussions and comment on relevant posts.
• Forums and Q&A sites (nofollow): engage in conversations on sites like Quora or Reddit. A well-placed link that adds value can drive a lot of traffic over time but avoid mindless spam at all costs.

Pro Tip: Download this free definitive guide to link building with over 184 techniques.

Off-page search engine optimization is deeper than just building links. It's about building a brand, trust, and authority.

Now, it’s your turn

Follow our advice, and your site will begin to outrank the competition.

If you’re looking to learn more about SEO, we have the following beginner guides:

• Keyword Research (start with this).
• On-Page SEO.

If you looking to take your site’s SEO to the next level, then contact us.