Over the past 10 years, the algorithms by which search engines rank websites have been regularly updated. They have added new elements and factors by which sites are evaluated.

To really understand how to improve the site in the direction of search engine optimization, in addition to a deep knowledge of the theory requires a lot of practice - dozens (and even hundreds) of sites, preferably in different topics that have passed through the hands of an experienced seo-specialist.

1. Semantics

Semantic kernel - these are the keywords that users are looking for sites in search engines. It is recommended to start the promotion process with this point, because only starting from semantics, you can make the most convenient, logical structure of the site.

1.1 Collection of token queries

Purpose: to collect a general list of queries for all services and product categories that the company deals with. Synonyms, different spellings are taken into account.

Process: a website, catalog, list of services is analyzed and a list of marker queries is formed. Then they are supplemented with possible synonyms, different spelling variants (in Russian or English, abbreviations, etc.). Semrush is used, and the output is analyzed (which words stand out as synonyms in the search, what competitors use in the text of pages, etc.).

Difficulties: more often than not, problems are related to the absence of important synonyms in the indicator semantics (token queries) that may have been overlooked. Because of this, a large cluster of queries may be missed, and consequently, traffic may be lost. For example, you sell smart watches. Analyzing Semrush, you can see that the phrase "smart watch" has synonyms: "smart watch", "smart watch", etc. At the same time, the query "smart watch" is more frequent (i.e. has more hits in the search) than "smart watch" - that is, users more often type this phrase in the search, which means that it should be given more attention on the catalog page.

Result: the indicator kernel will allow you to fully collect general semantics, as it will take into account all types of product/service names, as well as to evaluate competitors, their structure, without waiting for the collection of full semantics (which may take more than one week).

1.2 Collecting the full semantics

Goal: full coverage of key queries on the subject of the resource.

Process: based on the collected indicator semantics, the entire list of commercial phrases is collected. Various tools are used for this purpose - Semrush, Google Analytics, etc.

Difficulties: when collecting complete semantics, it is important to understand the differences between commercial and informational queries. If you collect the wrong list, then optimizing a landing page (i.e. a page that should be ranked in search results for a particular query) for it will not bring results, i.e. positions.

Result: a full-fledged semantic kernel, on the basis of which the structure of the site and product filtering is formed/refined, landing pages are optimized, the necessary competitors are analyzed.

1.3 Clustering

Objective: formation of groups of queries based on the semantic kernel, divided by common topics.

Process: the work can be based on the experience of a seo-specialist, as most often clustering is logically based on the division of queries into certain areas (e.g., the "smart watches" group, the "laptops" group, etc.). In this work, we use additional tools that, based on the output, analyze which queries occur more often on the same pages (i.e., can be ranked on the same page). This can speed up the clustering process as well as gain insight for groups where the division does not seem obvious.

Difficulties: if you do not understand the principle of clustering, one group may include queries that should not be combined or non-commercial queries. This will create problems with correct optimization of pages and site structure.

Result: a complete list of key queries categorized into groups that can rank within a single page.

1.4 Distribution by landing pages

Purpose: to allocate for each semantics group a corresponding page on the site, or to determine the number of new pages to create.

Process: gathering a list of pages on the site and specifying them as landing pages in the appropriate groups. For groups for which there is no appropriate page, a list of new pages to be created on the site is compiled.

Difficulties: there can be errors in landing page selection - for example, choosing a common section for a group with refined product parameters, etc.

Result: a complete list of groups with highlighted pages, which is used in building the structure and optimization of the site.

1.5 Adding position verification to the service

This point does not require a detailed description, because its essence is clear - you need to add semantics to the position monitoring service that you use in your work to monitor the results of optimization activities and track the dynamics of positions.

We use Topvisor service in our work, which is rapidly developing and has a very caring support team

2. Structure

After collecting the semantic core, we have an understanding of how users search for the products sold by the site or services provided. Semantics will also tell us if users are looking for more specific products or use different variants of product names. From all of this we will start to build the structure of the site.

Objective: analyze the current structure, identify errors in the formation of the hierarchy of sections-subsections, form a new structure

Process: on the basis of the semantic kernel the main sections (the main division of the catalog) are built, subsections are allocated in them (if necessary). If there is a structure on the site, the current division of the catalog is analyzed, the task for improvements and reorganization is formed.

Difficulties: may arise if there are errors in the collection of semantics or there is no understanding of the logic of catalog formation - for example, the general division is incorrect (e.g., incorrect queries are combined into one group, or, conversely, divided into unnecessary small sections), there are many unnecessary or unaccounted for in the structure of subsections, or they are not in their parent groups. The site engine (CMS) may require serious revisions to implement new landing pages.

Result: a logical and well-organized structure of the catalog / website, using which users will have no difficulty in finding the desired product or service.

3. Statistical services

To monitor the state of the site, as well as the dynamics of attendance on the site are installed codes of statistics services that allow you to collect and analyze information and data about the site.

3.1 Google Search Console

Tools from Google that allow you to keep an eye on the following website data:

promotional region
external links
page indexing
presence of errors on the site or filters
statistics of search queries and clickability of the site in the output, etc.

To add a site to the GSC, you must confirm site rights in one of three ways:

Add a meta tag to the home page of the site;
html file in the root of the site;
add a txt record to DNS.

3.2 Google Analytics

The statistics service allows you to analyze various site metrics - total number of visitors and visits to the site, traffic by traffic source, conversion by site, time on site, etc. To connect, you need to add Google Analytics code to the entire site to collect detailed statistics for each page.

In our experience, Google Analytics is not that difficult to learn and the toolkit is quite extensive.

4. Regionality

For any commercial website, sales region is the most important ranking factor. To sell products in New-York, you must have an address in that region and be geo-located in Google.

What does it take to do that?

4.1 Contact page

Any commercial site must have a page with full contact details. Without it, users will not be able to orient themselves in which city you operate, and are very likely to leave the site (provided that they can find it, because without a region on the site can not get a binding in the PS for ranking in the right city).

The contact information on the website should contain as much detail as possible about all the ways to contact the company:

full address of the company's office (with postal code, office number, etc.)
telephone numbers (preferably with the area code of the city to which the company belongs) and, if possible, a toll-free telephone number for consultations
e-mail addresses
opening hours of offices and site operators (if any)
links to all social networks in which the organization is registered
detailed travel schemes (visual, textual, options for travel by public transportation, car, etc.).

The presence of contact information in the footer and header allows you to be sure that when you go to any page of your site, the user will immediately understand what region you are in, and if necessary, without unnecessary clicks can find your phone number or office address, or, for example, call you (if he went to the site from a cell phone). Also, each page of the site will have your contact information in the content, which will help to improve the ranking of pages in the relevant region.

Most often in the header of the site companies add their phone number for contact, and in the footer - full contact information (address, phone number, hours of operation, etc.).

4.3 Region in Google Search Console

In the Google Search Console service, in the "Search Submission" section, there is an item "Regionality". In it, the user can set the required region for ranking, as well as check the availability of the required region.

4.4 Google Business

Google Business also allows you to participate in map search and get linked to the required region. To be added to Google Business, you will need to confirm your organization's data via a code sent to your company's office address (by postal letter) or by calling the phone number specified in the organization's card.

4.5 Region in meta tags

Having a mention of the city in the Title meta tag helps improve the page's ranking in the relevant region, as well as for queries that include your region.

4.6 Promotion in 1 region

If you are engaged in selling goods and providing services in one region, it is enough to carry out all the above works on the regional binding of your resource. Usually there are no difficulties with one region when promoting a site (provided that you have a real physical address in that region).

4.7 Promotion in several regions

If a company has several offices in different cities, or is engaged in the delivery of products to other regions, promotion within a single site may be difficult.

For example, when you need to specify regions in meta tags, it is not always possible to list all the cities you need. This problem is often solved by creating regional subdomains or subfolders. In this situation, it is possible to create a separate site (subfolder) for each city in which you want to improve ranking, and by generating and swapping addresses to uniquely personalize each site (subfolder) for the corresponding region.

5. Technical optimization and indexing

It is a set of works to eliminate technical errors of the site, which negatively affect the indexation and subsequent ranking of the site.

5.1 Server responses

What we're checking:

correctness of site responses - 200 for existing pages, 404 or 410 for deleted pages
presence of 301 redirects from non-main mirror, from duplicate pages
correct 404 page design

5.2 Checking redirects

that we're checking:

redirects from site to www (or vice versa)
redirects from http or https (depending on which protocol your site is on).
redirect from pages with a slash at the end to pages without it (or vice versa).
correctness of redirects - setting 301 responses

5.3 XML sitemap

that we're checking:

xml map availability
link to the map in the robots.txt document
no errors in xml map validity checking
Having the correct protocol (http or https - depending on which protocol your site is on)

5.4. HTML sitemap

that we're checking:

html map on the site
map link in the footer
no unnecessary pages in the map

5.5 Robots.txt

that we're checking:

xml map link
uncluttering
no ban on indexing styles, images

5.6 Parsing the site

that we're checking:

broken links
presence of links leading through 301 redirects to the final url

5.7 Saved copies (Google)

that we're checking:

evaluation of site content indexation
availability of text in the saved version
lack of large through-blocks on the website in the text copy
Checking saved copies in Google search

5.8. <noindex> tags.

that we're checking:

presence of noindex tags in important blocks, content

verification tools:

Manual search by html code

5.9. Display:none

that we're checking:

presence of arrays of non-unique hidden content

verification tools:

visual code evaluation through the browser

5.10. Pagination

that we're checking:

presence of unique meta-tags on pagination pages
unique h1 headings
no ban on indexing (in robots.txt, noindex nofollow tags)
correct canonical that does NOT lead to the main section page (reasons)

verification tools:

page code inspection
robots.txt document check
Use of browser extensions (e.g. bookmarklets or SEO bars)

5.11. h1-h6 headings

that we're checking:

no h1 duplicates on pages
excessive number of h2-h6 tags on pages
header tags in end-to-end blocks, in templates

verification tools:

page code inspection
Use of browser extensions (e.g. Seo Meta in 1 click)

5.12. alt and title of images

that we're checking:

presence of filled in alt and title tags
no duplication in tags
no overspamming in tags

verification tools:

page code inspection
Use of browser extensions (e.g. Seo Meta in 1 click)

5.13. secure connection

that we're checking:

https version on the site
checking ssl certificate validity
checking if redirects to the https version of the site have been set up and are correct
no ssl certificate installation errors

5.14. noindex nofollow tags

that we're checking:

presence of noindex nofollow tags in page code
assessment of the necessity of installed tags (if any)

5.15. Mirrors and subdomains

that we're checking:

presence in the index of PS indexed site mirrors
presence of subdomains (technical, duplicating the main domain, etc.) in the index of the PS

5.16. Garbage pages in the index

that we're checking:

availability of administrative pages (admin login pages, etc.)
availability of pages with dynamic parameters - sorts, filters, etc.

verification tools:

analyze the site index via Google Search Console
Comparser

5.17. Correctness of site indexing

that we're checking:

number of indexed pages in Google

verification tools:

analyze the site index via Google Search Console

5.18. Duplication of content

that we're checking:

presence of full or partial duplication of page content

verification tools:

analyze the site index via Google Search Console

6. Loading speed

This metric in recent years has become one of the key metrics for all PS. Algorithms take it into account in ranking, and in Google's panels there is data on the evaluation of site loading speed. Accordingly, if there are problems with this indicator, it is possible to lower the site in rendition, as well as an increase in the number of bounce rates from users who did not wait for the page of your site to load and left it.

6.1 Analysis of download speed

The PageSpeed and GTMetrix tools allow you to estimate the loading speed of website pages. The services also display tips for troubleshooting problems on the site (types of errors and ways to solve them).

6.2 Optimizing JS and CSS

It is recommended to simplify JavaScript and CSS codes by removing unnecessary elements and shortening function names. It is also common to use methods of merging several css or js files into one to reduce the number of http requests to the server.

6.3 Optimization of images and other visual objects

It is important to keep track of what size images are placed on the site. It is not recommended to use too large file sizes. In addition to image sizes, you can use delayed loading - lazyload, which loads images as the user scrolls the page.

7. Micropatterning

Micropartitioning is the markup of your organization's structured data that allows search engines to better understand the content of your site. It allows you to improve your site's snippets and display blocks in a user-friendly format (e.g., photo carousel, Q&A, instructions, etc.).

Services are used to verify the correctness of the embedded micropartitioning:

7.1 schema.org micropartitioning

This type of markup is supported by Google and allows you to markup many types of data on the site. All markup variants can be seen in the dictionary https://schema.org/. The most popular and important markup types for websites are described below

7.1.1 Organization

Organization micropartitioning is the markup of your company data. It includes the name, region, and website address of the organization.

7.1.2 Contact details

The contact information markup allows you to design the address, phone, email.

7.1.3. "Breadcrumbs".

"Breadcrumbs" is useful to design on the site in order to display the navigation chain of the site sections in the snippets of the PS. This helps the user to better navigate through the search results.

7.1.4 Product cards

Micro-marketing allows you to design structured data with information about each product of the site - price, name, product image, reviews and rating.

In the PS this markup is displayed in a different format from the standard snippet - a separate line contains the product price, product rating (if available on the page).

7.1.5 Images

Image micropartitioning should contain image addresses and tags describing them. Thanks to this markup it is possible to improve the ranking of the site's images.

7.1.6 Medical organizations

For websites of medical organizations (private clinics, diagnostic laboratories, etc.), there are several separate types of micro markup, such as:

MedicalOrganization - allows to mark up data about the organization with the medical specialty.
Physician - markup used for data on physicians working in a medical organization. It allows to specify the physician's specialty.

7.2 OpenGraph

This type of markup is useful primarily for managing the appearance of preview links to site pages when reposting in social networks. It allows you to specify a title for the page link, description, image, and site address.

8. Displaying the site on mobile devices

Optimization of the site for mobile devices is recommended to be performed in the first months of the project launch and regularly maintained, monitored and analyzed.

Given the statistics of websites, traffic from mobile devices overtakes desktops in many directions, primarily in the b2c segment. On this basis, you can't do without a convenient adaptive version of the site, and therefore it is extremely important to know how it should look like so that users can comfortably use the site and all its functionality.

Google indexes the mobile version of the site (Mobile First Index), not the desktop version. Therefore, checking the mobile version after edits is very important.

8.1 Adaptability or mobile version

Displaying the site on mobile devices can be customized through adaptive site design, or creating a mobile version.

The plus side of the adaptive version of the site is that the main version of the site is edited with styles, and no new design for mobile devices is required.

The advantage of the mobile version is that when you create a separate mobile subdomain, you can maximally simplify and simplify the site, removing unnecessary functionality of the desktop version. Conversely, you can add functionality that is not available on the desktop, but may be useful for mobile devices.

But it is important to consider the disadvantages of the mobile version - you constantly need to monitor both versions of the site, make changes twice.

8.2 Major errors

What are the most common problems on the site and what should be the first thing to look out for?

Presence of horizontal scrolling. Often occurs when the size of some elements are strictly set in the code and they do not adapt to the size of the user's screen. Because of this, the content of the page can be stretched horizontally, which is critical for the convenience of users and the perception of the page by robots. Google Search Console has a separate item where you can see the list of pages with horizontal scrolling - it is recommended to regularly check and fix this error.
Close proximity of elements. Especially relevant for buttons, forms, etc. If the user, when trying to click on one element, accidentally falls on another and goes to the wrong place, it will create a negative experience of interaction with the site. He is unlikely to stay on it for a long time, and even less likely to return.
Small content font. Mobile devices are compact means of viewing web resources, but that doesn't mean that text should be reduced to too small a size. A golden mean is important - so that the text is not too large, and at the same time not to reduce it too much.

8.3 Usability of the adaptive/mobile version

Pop-up banners. It is not recommended to add a lot of banners with pop-up elements, because on mobile devices they most often cover the entire screen, it is more difficult to close them than on the desktop.
Site Menu. On mobile, it is usually not possible to create a menu header in the same way as on desktop. Instead, the main links of the site are usually placed in a drop-down menu. It is important that it is available on all pages of the site.
Forms of interaction. They should be as simplified as possible. There is no need to leave those fields that are most likely not important to you. The user should be able to quickly fill out the form and submit it.
Phones. When displayed on mobile devices, when clicking on a phone, the user must be able to make a call from their smartphone immediately For this purpose, phones are tagged with tel:.

9. Commercial factors

9.1 Contacts

The company must have contacts in the region in which it trades or provides services.

Tips:

contact information is placed on a specially created page, which should be accessible within one click from any page of the site (i.e. in the through menu).
key data should be duplicated in end-to-end blocks - in the header and footer of the site. For example, phone numbers in the header, address in the footer.
the more means of communication - the better (Skype, Viber, Whatsapp, etc.). at a minimum, you need to understand the characteristics of your audience, which messengers they use more often, and in them necessarily have the ability to communicate.
social networks (Facebook, Twitter LinkedIn) - all links to them should be placed on the site, both on the contact page and in through-blocks. and, of course, it is important to have and constantly maintain accounts in social networks.
how to get to the office - describe in text how it is better to reach you by private car, by public transportation, on foot, or even better - draw graphic schemes. Also add interactive maps from Google.

9.2 About the company

Complete and reliable information about the company increases the level of trust in it, so this point should be paid attention to and place all the necessary information. If there will be a lot of it, the page can be divided into several subsidiary pages.

What's important to put on the site:

credentials. Emphasizes the fact that you are an officially registered company and trade in compliance with the law.
certificates and licenses. To emphasize that you are engaged in legal activities, and the quality of goods, services and competence of employees meets quality standards, post on the site all certificates, licenses, diplomas of employees and other documents available to the company.
information about the people who work for the company will help potential customers see who they will be dealing with when they come to you for services or goods.
Photographs - these can include various types of graphic materials:
- office photos;
- portfolio of works;
- photos of satisfied customers with the company's products, etc. All this will allow the client to get to know the company, its services and products even more closely.
company history. If there is something to tell about the years of work - when and how the business started, in what directions it expanded, etc. - be sure to share it. For a potential buyer, this will be an additional advantage, as a successful business indicates the presence of regular customers and a satisfying product or service.
clients. If there are important, large and popular companies in the company's portfolio, it is worth mentioning this on the website as another plus in favor of choosing your company

9.3 Guarantees

Be sure to add information about all the guarantees that you can provide to a potential buyer - quality guarantee on products or services rendered, terms of return, exchange of goods, terms of warranty repair or service.

9.4 Reviews

If you run a social media site, you probably have a section on it where customers can share their opinions about you. Post them on your website so customers can read them. When working in b2b, thank you letters from customers/companies are common - these should also be posted on your website.

9.5. FAQ

This section will be useful no matter what your sales or service business is. Gather the most popular customer questions, write out simple and straightforward answers to them, and combine them into one section where the customer can clarify any points they don't understand.

9.6. Shares

Promotions and special offers are popular tools to stimulate sales and increase interest in the company. It is necessary to organize regular sales, offer discounts to regular customers.

Stock tips:

Keep your offers up to date - remove information in a timely manner after the end of the sale to avoid misleading customers
if you make a discount on specific products - it is important to highlight it in (pages with the list of goods of a certain category) and on the product cards themselves with bright and eye-catching signs, blocks.
information about promotions should be present not only in a specially created section, but also on other pages of the site. This can be realized by creating an end-to-end block with banners.

9.7 Means of communication

If possible, a company should always be in touch with its customers so that they don't have to wait for an answer to their questions. There are many tools that can help you not only respond to customers promptly, but also receive instant alerts when questions arise.

It is recommended to have the following forms on the website for this purpose:

Callback order form. The client will not have to call himself. it is important to promptly respond to such requests. If you can't implement 24/7 feedback, it is better to specify it in the form - in what hours operators can make calls at the client's request
Online chat rooms and counselors. For most of the younger generation, any means to replace live interaction is more likely to be prioritized. So provide them with the opportunity to ask questions online so you don't miss out on a potential customer. Promptness in getting a response is also crucial here, so be in touch and indicate when an operator is available.

9.8 Site Search

The item is relevant for sites with a large number of pages, but the search will not prevent any resource.

It is desirable to organize it as convenient as possible, so that it understands and corrects different types of user errors, can search for goods by name, article, etc.

9.9. Delivery

A list of where, how, and for how much you can deliver the product plays an important role in your purchasing decision. It is imperative that you describe all the details of how your product will be delivered. This may include the following items:

Methods of delivery of the goods. Describe who will deliver the goods - own delivery service, delivery by courier or transportation companies

If there are several possible ways, you need to describe each of them.

Describe the estimated timeframe for delivery. If there are several delivery methods, please specify the timeframe for each of them.
Shipping Cost. Specify the amount of the order at which shipping will be free and how much it will cost to ship by different methods.
Security measures to ensure that goods are delivered safely. Most relevant for valuable or fragile goods, but useful for all products. For example, you can show the packaging of goods, post a video of how you do it, what means you use to transport valuable goods, etc.

9.10. Payment

Describe all options by which customers can pay for the product or service:

Is online payment possible on the website?
is it possible to pay to the courier upon delivery?
Is it possible to pay at the shipping company upon receipt of the package?

For b2b spheres, please describe in detail how the payment process is carried out - by contract, after agreement with the operator, whether it can be cash or only bank transfers.

10. Landing page optimization

Landing page - one of the most important pages of the site, as it is likely to get the user when searching for the desired product or service in the PS, so it should pay special attention.

Let's describe the main types of landing pages, and what you should consider on them to increase the chances of getting conversions at the time of conversion

10.1 Home page

This is the "face" of your website and therefore of your company. It should reflect your advantages, strengths, describe what you do, what you sell and why a potential customer should turn to you.

Let's list the key elements that are recommended to be placed on the homepage:

The company name is an obvious element that should be present on the page. It is advisable to add your business logo to it.
The main menu of your catalog or service. Highlight the main items and link to them from the home page
Company Benefits. Clearly, succinctly and accessibly list all the business advantages that can incline a buyer in favor of contacting your company
Interaction Forms. It is recommended to place forms for questions, or ordering a callback
Banners. They can contain promotional offers, or links to seasonal sections that will be regularly updated based on current demand
Popular services/goods or new products. Catalog - an important element of sales of any site, so in a compact form its placement should be provided even on the main page. Usually it is implemented by displaying the most popular products, or novelties in your catalog.

10.2 Catalog listings

Product listing has the main purpose of presenting the list of products of the selected category as conveniently as possible.

How to make the listing as effective as possible:

First of all, meta-tags of pages should be worked out - thanks to them, the user, firstly, will be more likely to find you in search, and secondly, will be able to get brief information about the product you sell already from the output (via snippets).
Text on the page. This item is not mandatory. Its necessity is determined solely on the basis of competitor analysis, as unnecessary content can lead to negative consequences. If after analyzing the competitors and the niche as a whole it is decided that it is necessary to have text, it is important to prepare it in compliance with all the requirements for content:
- first of all - the material should be written for users, not for the PS. That is, it should be useful, informative
- keywords are important to take into account in the text, but do it in appropriate places and in correct grammatical forms
- it is important to take into account all LSI words - that is, those phrases that are related to this group of queries.
Assortment. It is important to analyze the output of competitors to understand what number of products will allow the catalog to compete with other companies. One page should not have fewer products than competitors, and at the same time do not overdo the quantity, as it can reduce the speed of page loading;
Product filtering. Having filters in the catalog allows users to simplify product search, as well as to create additional pages by certain characteristics and attract more traffic.
Product previews are blocks with links to cards. It is important to work them out competently, taking into account competitors and the specifics of the business - analyze what other companies display, display colors if available, the code or product article, if it is important in this area, product images, prices (mandatory), rating, product status (in stock, on order);
Useful services for the user - sorting the list by price, popularity, name; the ability to add the product to comparison or favorites;
Linking. Add links to related sections, related products, you can also display popular products of the category.
If you need to draw attention to certain products, it is useful to add prominent labels - these can be "Promotions", "Hits", "New Products".

10.3 Product cards

The product card should describe the specific product in detail, contain related information about shipping and purchase terms and conditions, and buttons to order.

Below we will outline the key facets that need to be considered in optimizing product cards.

Meta tags. As in the case with listings, competently optimized meta-tags will help increase the chances of conversions from PS. It is recommended to include in the tags only useful information - price, whether there is delivery, brand. If the site has hundreds/thousands of products, the task of filling meta-tags is often solved by generating a template that consists of important words from keywords and unique elements that will be different for each page (e.g., product name, price, color, etc.).
Product image. The quality should be high, it is desirable to give the user the opportunity to enlarge the image. The more images of the product - the better.
Product Description. Includes product name, characteristics, article number.
"Breadcrumbs. They help the user to see the nesting of this product, as well as quickly return to previous sections.
Share on social media buttons. The element primarily shows the loyalty of the audience, which they show through posting information about the purchased product on their pages in social networks.
Price. One of the key elements of the card and product information. If there is a discount on the product - highlight it, and also indicate what benefit the buyer has (in percentage or in the amount of the discount).
Product ratings. Product rating, number of ratings and reviews left will help the user to evaluate the quality of the product.
Shipping. Post shipping information - preferably in a date format when the customer can receive the item if they order today.
Possible product variants. Place links to all product variants - colors, sizes, other characteristics (e.g., battery volume variants for chargers, sizes for clothing, etc.).
Linking. On the product page you can additionally place various linking options - related products, products that are often bought together with the viewed product, etc.
Payment Information. Briefly describe how you will be able to pay for the product, you can also provide a link to a page with full information about payment methods.
Information about warranties and returns. Specify the warranty period for the purchased goods, methods and conditions of return.
Useful services - the ability to compare products, add to favorites
Video reviews. Especially useful for electronics and other appliances.
Additional product information. Instructions, certificates.
Item Status. Specify whether the item is in stock or available to order. If the item is out of stock at the moment - the user can leave his e-mail address to receive information when the item will be available.

10.4 Service

The service page, unlike the catalog page, should be based more on content and examples of work. Users will not be able to see the finished result of their request, so it will be important for them to carefully describe the entire process of providing the service, what are the advantages of this company, as well as to familiarize themselves with examples of work that the company has implemented for other clients.

Content. You need to describe the entire process of performing the service in a concise, informative way, without unnecessary water and excessive calls to action. Tell how punctual you are, how responsible you are, and how you treat every client - and users will want to turn to you.
Examples of work. A portfolio in the service industry is important because customers can't see the result, as in the case of buying a specific product. But you can show them how you have done custom work for other clients. If the company does not customize certain products (i.e. there is no specific result to show potential buyers), but provides services (consulting, selection, etc.) - post photos of clients, testimonials in the form of texts, thank you letters, video testimonials. This will help the buyer build trust in you.
Frequently Asked Questions. If you understand at the stage of describing your services, what questions are often raised by possible clients, write them down on the page and give succinct answers to them
Request Forms. Place a simple and easy-to-understand form through which users can leave a request for a service or a callback for details. Try to avoid unnecessary fields - the easier it is to fill out, the more conversions you will get from the form. If you need more details to get a request - make additional fields optional.
Calculator. For areas in which the performance of the service consists of several stages, contains the cost of materials, formulas for calculating dimensions, etc., a convenient solution for the site will be the implementation of calculators through which users can find out the approximate cost of their order. If the calculator will output an average value - be sure to indicate this in the window with the results, so that there will be no misunderstanding with the user who will later turn to you for a service and will receive a different calculation of the cost, completely different from the calculated on the site.
Certificates. Place on the pages with the description of the service all certificates, licenses, confirming the quality of the materials used in the work, as well as the competence of the employees providing the service.

These pages are narrowly sorted search results by certain characteristics. They are useful primarily because they can collect additional traffic on low-frequency queries and, based on the reduced demand for such semantics, the output of these pages to high positions will be easier than the main sections (especially if your site is still young and optimization work has just begun).

First of all, such pages should match the characteristic that was specified by the visitor in the search bar or in the filter box on your website.

What you need to consider in this group of pages:

Meta tags. As with other pages on the site, they are of key importance in the ranking of these pages. Therefore, meta-tags, firstly, should correspond to a specific characteristic and its meaning, and secondly, be unique on the site.
Semantic URL. Often filtering results, like sorting pages, form dynamic addresses with search results for a particular characteristic, and these in turn are not indexed. Therefore, in order for filtering pages to be ranked correctly, it is necessary to use semantic URLs in the formation of addresses.
Number of products. It will be useful for the user to immediately understand how extensive your assortment is according to this filter property, so it is recommended to display the number of products on the page. If the user came to the filtering page not from the search, but through the use of filters on the site - show the number of possible product variants immediately in the filtering block - next to the value of each characteristic.
Relinking. As in all catalog nodes, it is also important on these pages. You can place links to all types of pages that, in your opinion, may be useful to the visitor when searching for the desired product, for example, on pages with related types of filter of the same property, or, conversely, on other properties of the product, etc.

10.6 Information content

The infomercials for commercial services website are beneficial in the following ways:

In addition to commercial queries (i.e. queries aimed at buying a product or ordering a service), any niche has groups of informational queries, thanks to which users can familiarize themselves with certain products or services. Info queries cannot be ranked with commercial queries on the same pages (because users' needs are different), so an information section is created on the site. It allows you to cover all semantics on the sphere of your company's activity.
When selling or providing services, a company should have a clear understanding and knowledge of the niche. By posting informative articles, you let the user know that you are not just selling the product or service in question, but that you have extensive knowledge in this area, which shows your level of expertise.

In order for the information section of your website to benefit your company and attract new audiences, you should take special care in its creation. Below we describe the key points:

10.6.1 Information semantics

In order to create useful content that is in demand, it is necessary to correctly collect relevant queries and assess their level of commerciality - that is, semantics should have a purely informational nature. Collecting this semantics requires a certain amount of experience, so it is recommended to use the services of competent professionals in this matter.

10.6.2 Topic disclosure

In order for an article to answer all the questions that are implied in the topic, after collecting information semantics, it is required to dive into the topic and evaluate the articles in the issue. Next, it is necessary to make a detailed plan, including a description of the entire structure of the article, nuances on the disclosure of the topic, the need for graphic materials, tables, comparative analyses, etc.

10.6.3 Unique images

In any article, regardless of the topic, it is useful to place graphic materials. These can be images of a product, service, diagrams, schemes, videos. But all of this should be unique, so you should treat this issue responsibly and prepare all the necessary information.

10.6.4 Authorship of articles

This parameter gained a lot of importance after the Google update that took place in 2018. It introduced such a concept as E-A-T (expertness, authority, trustworthiness). Websites that are engaged in providing services in areas that affect the health and well-being of potential customers should pay close attention to the content they place on their site. This should be evidenced by the following data:

certificates and licenses of the company. They make it clear that the company has the right to engage in this activity and has obtained all the necessary permits, as well as confirmed its competence in this matter.
authority of the content authors. Articles and other texts posted on the site should have an indication of who is the author of the article and what level of knowledge he or she has on the subject. This point also indicates that the material is expert and can be trusted.

These requirements apply to sites from topics such as medicine, finance, and education. If your business is one of these, you should take this into account when placing content on your site.

10.6.5 Formatting of articles

This item refers to the elements of design and layout of articles that enhance the usability of the article materials:

Easy layout, formatting. Write subheadings that will describe and draw the user's attention to the next block of text. Provide convenient indents between blocks so that the text in different paragraphs does not merge.

Highlight key thoughts in the text in italics, bold, color - users will be able to see the main conclusions, critical information. All this should not be too much, so that the text does not turn out too motley and the really important points are not lost in all this highlighting.

Use comfortable line spacing, proper text and background color of the article, simple text font.

Article content. It helps to familiarize with the structure of the article on the first screen of the page and quickly go to the necessary paragraph, if the visitor does not want to read the whole article.
Marked lists and numbering. These are used to make enumerations in the text easier to understand.
Images, graphs, tables, charts. All these tools will allow the user to better perceive the information, memorize it and read your material with great interest.

11. Relinking

The maximum benefit will come from linking, which makes it easier and easier for the visitor to use the site and find the information they are looking for through related links on the page. By trying to make the linking useful, you are more likely to get clicks on these links, and this will give the link-acceptors more weight.

11.1 Correct site structure

The structure of the site is formed based on the work described at the beginning of the article - the collection of a competent semantic core. In a properly formed structure there are parent sections, subsections, tag pages, etc. Within one parent section automatically builds linking between related sections, category pages in turn have links to parent sections, related sections and child pages. All this is displayed in the main menu of the site (catalog or list of services), as well as "breadcrumbs".

11.2. "Breadcrumbs."

This block, which is usually placed on all pages of the site (except the main page), reflects the nesting hierarchy of the current page, helping to understand what topic or group it belongs to and, also, gives the opportunity to go to the top level page or the main page.

11.3 Links from the main

The main page of the site usually contains links to the main sections of the catalog (or key services), add popular products and new products. This ensures the transfer of link weight to important sections and accelerates the indexing of new products in the catalog.

11.4 Recommendation blocks in listings, cards

These blocks, in addition to the distribution of weight between pages, allow you to increase the depth of browsing the site, and if you carefully work out the list of links also increase the average check of purchases on the site. For example, on the page of tonometers advise to buy an additional adapter, and when ordering interior doors - give a link to the installation service.

12. External optimization

The presence of links to the site from other resources - an important ranking factor. The main thing in it is to adhere to the rules and carefully build up the link mass, so as not to bring on the site sanctions PS.

12.1 Analysis of external links via GSC service

Google's webmaster tool allows you to check links from external resources leading to your site. In addition to the link itself, the pages on which the link is established, as well as the anchor, are available.

12.2 Analysis via third-party services

Third-party services (e.g. Megaindex, Ahrefs.com) more often have a more recent list of links, and also allow you to evaluate competitors' links, which is impossible to do in GSC.

12.3 Handbooks and catalogs

Directories are resources that allow you to link to your website for free. In addition, in directories users can find your company in the relevant business area or on the city map. It is recommended to have a card of the organization on popular for the relevant city directories and catalogs, as well as to monitor the relevance of the posted information. When changing the address, phone number or the main mirror of the main site (for example, when moving to https), it is necessary to check all external resources and update the information in them.

12.4 Analyzing the link profile of competitors

To make a link buying plan, it is important to consider which scheme your competitors in your topic follow. This analysis will allow you to take into account all types of sites and popular buying schemes to get the maximum results from it.

Third-party services such as Ahrefs or SeRanking are used to analyze competitors.

12.5 Placement of links on info resources

Information resources most often place "eternal links" in the content of the material (i.e. links that are not removed from the article). These sources are useful because you can choose a site that corresponds to the topic, and the link from it will have weight as thematic and useful. If the resource has a good attendance, there may also be targeted transitions to your site.

12.6 Placement in mass media

The media can include news portals, which most often have a regional affiliation. When choosing this site should focus on resources that have the same region as your site. News sites most often post press releases with company news, as well as reviews of services or products of your site.

12.7 Posting on forums

Forums - a useful free source for targeted transitions. High probability of transitions in case of competent placement. At the same time for forums it is important to have live active accounts on the sites and beforehand to do at least minimal work to increase the activity of this account on the forum - otherwise it is possible to remove the link as spammy. This method is more complicated than the previous ones, as it requires preparatory work or a list of active accounts that are regularly maintained and leave useful messages on various branches of the forum.

12.8 Exchange with business partners

Link exchange is another free way to get external links to your site. In this method you need to discuss the possibility of exchange with those companies that are your partners. If they agree, you will need to place a link to them (for example, in a specially created for this purpose section "Our Partners"), and they in turn will link to your site.

Having your own account in social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Tiktok, etc.) allows you not only to maintain live communication with your audience, to inform them about news and innovations of the company, but also to place links to the pages of the site and increase site traffic due to user transitions from social networks.

12.10. Free question-and-answer services

Some of the most popular services with user questions are answers.yahoo.com and able2know.org. By having an account on these sites and regularly updating it (answering users' questions about your products or services), you will allow you to show potential customers how well you know about your product, help users with their choices and get additional leads to your site.

13. Behavioral factors

Behavioral factors take into account the behavior of users on your site. They reflect how useful, user-friendly and informative the site is, whether it is easy for visitors to find and purchase (or order) what they are looking for.

13.1 Refusals

Bounce rate is a quick exit from the site (e.g., viewing only the login page, staying on the page for a small amount of time, no interaction with forms). The indicator reflects how well the page met the user's expectations, whether he received an answer to his request, whether he found the desired product or products. It is important to evaluate the reasons for rejection (for example, the product was out of stock, inconvenient design, lack of forms for interaction, insufficient information about the product) and eliminate them, because a large number of rejections negatively affects the evaluation of the site of the PS.

The analysis helps to understand which pages attract users more often in search (entry pages), as well as on which pages users often end their visit to the site without converting. It is necessary to understand the reasons why failures occur on these pages, trace the user's path and eliminate all possible causes and difficulties in interacting with the site.

13.3 Viewing depth and time on site

Parameters that should also be analyzed are the depth of browsing (how many pages per visit users will view) and time on the site. In attempts to influence these indicators to a greater extent, the main thing is not to get carried away:

Do not make it difficult to navigate the site by splitting one topic into multiple pages or making the purchase process more complicated, as this can lead to rejection
Do not try to artificially force the user to spend more time on the site (through too much content or long boring videos about the product or service), as the user may get lost, distracted, and not make a conversion.

13.4 Snippets

This is a block with the description of the page, which is displayed in the PS and briefly introduces the user to the content of the page. If this content answers the user's query, they will click on it and go to your site. Snippets can be influenced by the following tools:

Page Title. It is displayed as a snippet title and reflects the relevance of the page to a given query.
Description. This element is more often used in Google snippets, but sometimes can be displayed in Yahoo. It should describe the content of the page and give information about the product and company.
Micropropagination. Allows you to display the rating, product price, image in the snippet. Also "breadcrumbs", designed in micropartitioning, will be reflected in the snippets in text format (not in the format of the site url) and show the nesting of the page in the structure of the site.
Favicon. Site icon, which should be memorable, bright and eye-catching. Also match the logo of the site.

13.5. CTR

CTR is the click-through rate of a snippet, which reflects the percentage of clicks (i.e. click-throughs to the site) in relation to the number of times the site was displayed. A high CTR is achieved by designing the snippet (in the ways described above) - the more useful the description of the page in the issue and the more attractive the offer, the more likely the user will click through to your site. If you see that the indicator is low, you should pay attention to the site's snippets and engage in their finalization. The higher the level of clickability - the more relevant your site to the query, so the position will increase.

In addition to the number of clicks, PSs also take into account the time between clicking on the site and returning to the search results page. If this indicator is small ("short click"), this transition may amount to a bounce. For PS it is a signal that your site did not respond to the user's request and he was dissatisfied. The less often visitors to your site will return to the search ("long clicks"), the higher the site will be ranked.

14. What has changed on SEO in 2022?

- There is more organic traffic from Google. Accordingly, users began to click more on search strings in the output. There was a special struggle for the so-called "zero answers" (extended snippets) in the output.

- Special attention to the most significant related words (LSI). With each passing year, search engine algorithms are gravitating more toward searching for meaning rather than searching for a query in a "bag of words" on a page. Major algorithm releases on these topics were in 2020-2021, but in 2022 the influence of factors has only increased.

- There were several SPAM updates on Google during the year, the purpose of which was to weed out unscrupulous and junk sites from the search engine.

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