Natural referencing or SEO is a process that aims to increase the visibility of your website pages in search engines. To reach position and appear first in the SERP, there are a few technical rules to follow as well as a good dose of work, regularity, and patience. It’s not an easy task! Improving your natural referencing or referencing a site is not within everyone’s reach. This is why it is recommended to be accompanied by a professional who will be able to advise you and support you in your strategy. If, on the contrary, you have some knowledge of SEO and you feel ready to do this work yourself (or part of it), here are 14 tips to help you see things more clearly!
1 – Structure your texts with Heading Tags
Your fixed pages and blog posts should all be structured with heading tags . They help organize your text and make it more understandable for your audience and for Google robots . They scan your pages regularly. Without this heading markup, it will be difficult for them to understand the subject of your page or article.
There are a total of 6 heading tags . You have probably already noticed them on your CMS. They are known as: H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 and H6.
The H1 tag corresponds to the title of your page or article. Only one is necessary, no more, no less! It must include your query or a secondary query.
H2 and H3 tags structure your text. They are subtitles and sub-subtitles. They come in pairs or more, but never alone. One of your H2s must include your main query and you can insert secondary queries in your H3s.
H4, H5 and H6 tags are less used because they can make your content heavier. Instead, prefer using bullet points if your text is long and needs to be aired out.
2 – Take care of your title and meta description
The word title refers to the title that appears in blue in Google search results . In SEO jargon, this page is also called the SERP (Search Engine Result Page). Take the time necessary to write your title, because it is the first link between you and your audience . Be careful, however, the text must be short (599 pixels), you are limited in the number of words. This title must be catchy and make you want to click to find out more. It must include your main query.
The meta description , on the other hand, refers to the small text that appears under the title . If you don’t write it yourself, Google does it for you and the result can be more or less successful. This short text, limited to 920 pixels, must set the tone! Describe what your page or article is about and be convincing.
Written correctly, these two elements will allow you to attract your target and increase your click rate. To help you write these two texts, connect to this SERP simulator . It will help you visualize the whole thing and ensure that the word count is respected.
3 – Choose a query per page and per article
The rule is simple in SEO: one page = one query
This means that every fixed page on your site should have its own query. Even your contact page! The same goes for your blog posts.
What does a query look like? Here are some examples:
- caterer for barbecue Brittany;
- web editor brittany;
- foot reflexology training vannes;
- organic vegetable producer belz;
- Morbihan seaside hotels.
It is simply a search intention that will allow the Internet user to arrive on one of the pages of your website . This query can take different forms: one or more words and even a question when you write a blog article.
How to make your own fruit kefir?
What are the benefits of royal jelly?
Which tent to choose for camping with children?
To choose your query well , you must put yourself in the shoes of your target . List all the words and questions that come to mind. Keep the most relevant ones! Then look at the search volume and competition of each query. If your site is young and still not very powerful, there is no point in selecting a very competitive query.
4 – Avoid keyword stuffing
If this practice was once widespread, it should now be banned! Keyword stuffing consists of overloading a page with strategic words , in order to improve its positioning. Also called keyword stuffing , this technique is penalized by Google, which considers it as Black Hat , a process aimed at deceiving algorithms to improve the natural referencing of a site.
There are two types of keyword stuffing:
- visible keyword stuffing;
- hidden keyword stuffing.
In the first case, it is about inserting the keywords in the body of the text, excessively. In the second case, it is about hiding these same words by playing for example on the colour of the text or the size.
In both cases, the algorithms will be able to detect it. The penalty can be severe, ranging from simple downgrading to the total disappearance of the site.
5 – Link your texts together
Internal linking is a natural referencing technique that aims to link several pages or several articles together. The objective is simple, it is to keep the reader as long as possible by making them navigate your pages.
The more time the Internet user spends on your site, the more interesting Google algorithms consider it to be and the more notoriety you will gain.
A good internal mesh should allow easy and efficient navigation . You must guide the Internet user in a fluid and user-friendly manner in order to guarantee them a good experience on your site. Use links sparingly, only when necessary and relevant to the subject being discussed.
6 – Take care of the quality and relevance of your texts
As you know, the hunt for bad content has been open for a long time. Several times a year, Google updates its algorithms, during Core Updates. The goal? To improve the evaluation and ranking of websites by fighting against misleading practices, poor quality content and plagiarism.
As we saw at the beginning of this article, your content must be structured by HN tags . Each page, each article must have a title , a meta description and internal linking , but that’s not all.
Your content must be unique, relevant, coherent and carefully written . Have you decided to tackle a specific topic? Cover it in full, show your expertise on the subject and answer the initial question or the title of your article. Vary the lexical field, use secondary queries and keywords related to your topic.
Content that ranks well is usually between 1000 and 2000 words . So take the time to work on longer articles, even if it means publishing less frequently. As long as you are consistent everything is fine!
7 – Check for duplicate content and plagiarism
Automating content production is all the rage. If you use artificial intelligence to write your texts, be sure to check all the sources and rephrase ! Why?
The risk of plagiarism is high.
Algorithms are able to recognize AI-generated text.
The use of artificial intelligence is penalized by Google and considered spam.
Remember that the content produced by AI comes from what it finds on the internet! Be vigilant! Systematically check for duplicate content and plagiarism. Rather than doing it wrong and risking a fall in the meanders of Google results, use a professional web editor.
8 – Hunt down obsolete content
Do you have many blog posts? Consider updating them regularly ! Evaluate the value of your pages. If you have outdated content or changes to make, don’t wait. By making changes, you show that you are serious. Several strategies are possible:
- Rework the content of your blog posts.
- Redirect your article to another, more relevant one.
- Use the “no index” tag to deindex your page.
- Before deleting or deindexing a page, check its popularity and whether it is a source of backlinks for your website? Get help from a professional who can guide you in your content strategy.
9 – Choose beautiful URLs
The URL corresponds to the address of your page , it is unique . The name you give it is essential for your natural referencing . Forget URLs that are too long with special characters and numbers. Prefer short URLs containing your main query.
To name your URL, you need to enter the slug . This is a very simple step that will allow Google robots to better understand the subject of your page and better reference it in the search engine results.
10 – Take care of your images
Before uploading your images to your wordpress site or another cms, think about naming them. Why? Because Google robots also look at your images and infographics . Simply giving them a name contributes to better understanding and better SEO . To do this, use the hyphens of the 6, remove accents, articles and special characters. Insert your main query in the name of your image.
Choose the right format for your image:
- JPEG: for images;
- PNG: for logos and transparency;
- GIF: for animated images.
Finally, complete the ALT attribute . This is a short text intended to describe your image. This action will allow you to reference your image, but also to transcribe it orally for the visually impaired.
11 – Take into account the experience of EEAT and YMYL
Until 2022, we talked about EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Today , the term has evolved and we talk about EEAT (or Doble EAT). The change? An extra E to evoke the experience ! We are not talking about the user experience here, but about the experience of the author of a website, of the one who writes his articles and offers his services. If, for example, you have a travel blog and you give advice on a destination, the fact of having been there yourself brings real added value to your text. Google sees it and values it.
How does this happen? By adding photos of your own, by telling your own anecdotes.
The term YMYL (Your money your life) refers to topics that impact health , well-being , finance and security . The author’s experience is essential here , because bad information can have disastrous consequences for the user.
They have significant importance for your credibility and ranking. Don’t neglect them.
12 – Regularly audit your site to improve your natural referencing
An SEO audit is a bit like a health check-up ! But if we often wait until we have pain somewhere to go to the doctor, in SEO, it is better to avoid it.
What is an SEO audit?
An SEO audit is an in-depth analysis of your website that highlights its strengths and weaknesses. It takes place in three stages:
- technical analysis;
- content analysis;
- popularity analysis.
When should you audit your site?
At the time of creation or redesign , if you observe an abnormal drop in sales and traffic , before creating new content for your blog. However , it is strongly recommended to keep a constant eye on the functioning of your site and correct anomalies as soon as they arise.
13 – Make sure your pages load quickly
Always keep in mind that a fast and efficient site is a space in which the Internet user navigates and remains. On condition of course that it offers a quality user experience .
The loading time of your site, on a laptop or mobile, is an important criterion in natural referencing. The display speed is in fact taken into account by Google robots.
There are several factors that can influence your website’s loading time:
- the weight of your images;
- the weight of your videos;
- your site’s server;
- unnecessary plugins;
- excessive redirects;
- HTML codes;
- javascript and css content;
- browser caching.
This list is not exhaustive and there are of course other elements to take into account. To evaluate the speed of your site, you can consult the Page Speed Insight site which will give you the loading time on phone and computer as well as a list of recommendations.
14 – Choose good quality backlinks
A backlink is a clickable link from another website pointing to yours. It is a recommendation and a sign of trust from one site to another. Obtaining backlinks is an integral part of a good SEO strategy and greatly contributes to improving the natural referencing of your site. There are two categories: good and bad backlinks.
A good backlink is above all:
- A link that comes from a website whose theme is close to yours.
- A link that comes from a site with some authority.
- A do-follow link that Google robots will be able to follow to arrive on your page.
- A contextualized link is inserted naturally into the text.
A bad backlink is, on the other hand, a poorly contextualized link coming from an unserious and unreliable site, whose theme is very different from yours.
Conclusion
In conclusion, improving your SEO in 2024 requires a strategic approach that incorporates the latest trends, high-quality content, and user experience enhancements. By following these 14 tips, you can boost your online visibility and drive more traffic to your site. Partnering with the best SEO agency will provide you with expert guidance and tailored strategies to maximize your results and stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
