Are you under the impression that SEO is too difficult and not worth your time? On the contrary, even its foundational concepts are simple to comprehend. Most website owners have a rudimentary understanding of this powerful tool; just by having some base knowledge on SEO you can easily outshine most competitors' efforts.

In this post, you will glean valuable insights into search engine optimization (SEO) that can be beneficial for newbies.

1. What is SEO?
2. How do search engines work?
3. How to use these SEO principals to show up on Google?

What is SEO?

SEO, an acronym for Search Engine Optimization, is the process of attaining natural and organic web traffic through search results on popular browsers like Google. It's a straightforward way to drive quality visits to your website with no expenditure required.

SEO is grounded in comprehension of the search engine algorithm, optimizing both internal and external website features, augmenting a website's ranking among natural search results to gain more traffic flow and finally achieving desired objectives such as e-commerce sales or brand promotion.

Although there are other search engines, Google reigns as the preeminent player in this realm. Consequently, most websites design their digital presence to be optimally visible on the first page of a Google search result - and understandably so, since this is the most cost-effective approach to SEO.

Furthermore, many website owners disregard the most important aspect of SEO: user intent. Ultimately, optimizing content for users is really what search engine optimization is all about since Google’s algorithm concentrates on providing a great experience for its customers.

How do search engines work?

Google's algorithm provides you with the optimum results in the blink of an eye. To do this, it trawls through its comprehensive index database to find webpages that best match your search query and displays them for you right away.

How does Google decide which search results to show first? Although their algorithm is a tightly-guarded secret, we know from the guidelines of SEO that website and web page rankings are determined by certain key criteria. These include:

1.  Relevancy

When you search for "Kwun Tong restaurants", would it make sense if the results showed restaurants in Sham Shui Po? Absolutely not! This is why Google will scour the web to find pages that best answer your query. However, don't expect to see only the most relevant page on top of each search result since there can be thousands upon thousands of matches when searching a general term - with more specific terms yielding narrower and thus more accurate results.

To decide which results to display on the top of a search, an algorithm is designed based on the following factors:

2. Authority: Is your page accurate and trusted

Wondering how Google understands if a website is reputable? It examines the number of links from other pages to that page (also known as "backlinks"), and more external links mean higher search engine rankings. To discover the authority of any site, you can turn to Ahrefs' web authority checker for an easy solution!

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3. Usability

Even if your page is authoritative and relevant, Google may not rank you high due to an inadequate level of usefulness. Notably, Google revealed in a separate article the distinction between "high quality content" and "useful content".

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For instance, if you search for "keto diet", Search Result A is an article crafted by the world's premier authority on the topic. Despite its high-quality content and plentiful external links, it lacks organization and contains terminology that makes it impenetrable to non-experts. In contrast, Search Result B may actually have a greater ranking than A despite being from a newer website with fewer outbound links--its structure is well organized, clear in meaning even for laypeople.

Organic Search Results VS Paid Search Results

Google search results can be broken down into two main categories: Organic Search Results and Paid Search Result. Natural search result is affected by SEO, while SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and PPC (Pay per Click) advertising refer to the more commercial side of things - the paid search result section. This part typically appears at either the top or bottom of naturalsearch results; its order is determined by how much a company pays for said keyword.

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How to use these SEO principals to show up on Google?

1. SEO Keyword Research

To optimize SEO on Google search results, you'll need to identify the two main categories of keywords: product and information. Product keywords are what users inquire when they're looking for a specific item - i.e., "free shipping tennis shoes", "Nike tennis shoes" or even "flat tennis shoes." Information keywords refer to queries that don't necessarily have anything to do with your product, such as "tennis serve tutorial” or “proper backhand style". If you want maximum visibility in searches related to your business, take the time to incorporate both types of key phrases into your website's content. But where can you find these perfect set words? With a little research...

a. Use Google Search Suggestions

b.  Use Keyword Reseasrch Tools

Google's keyword planning tool is the most widely-used free resource for researching keywords, and can be used to create both SEO strategies as well as campaigns for Google Ads.

Quickly enter the relevant details or product keywords of your search query and get access to a range of related keywords, as well as their associated search volume data and other metrics.

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If you're looking for the most effective SEO keyword tools, SEMRush (free with registration), KeywordTool.io (free) and Ahrefs (paid) are all highly recommended. Still don't know where to start? Check out our article on the topic: Boost Your Rankings Now: Try These 8 Incredible Google SEO Tools Today!

2. Create SEO Friendly Content

To increase the chances of appearing on the first page of a Google search, create content that is optimized for SEO. What makes content SEO friendly? Consider these points:

a. Create pages with remarkable, top-notch content.

A product or service page should be designed to attract customers, not just visitors. This means focusing on the advantages and capabilities that a customer would gain from purchasing it. As an example, take a look at Baremetics' website—it's clear how well-crafted this page is in showcasing the benefits of its products and services.

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b.  Update your site

According to a research by Hubspot, websites that post content frequently are rewarded with 55% more visitors than those who don't. What's more, these sites tend to achieve higher rankings as they have twice the number of backlinks compared to those without regular postings.

What makes this even better is such practice isn't just restricted for news and discussion forums - it can be applied across different types of sites! We've seen Xccelerate, an up-and-coming technology institute in Hong Kong; First Page, a local SEO consultant; plus many others leveraging blog contents on their platform.

If you are looking at gaining traction within Google search results by 2023 - then its high time you get your creative juices flowing and start producing quality materials regularly or risk being lost amongst all sorts of new entries appearing daily!

3. Do On-site SEO/Technical SEO

To make your webpages more visible on Google and other search engines, SEO Onsite Optimization is an essential strategy. Here are a few of the most vital techniques to master:

a. Write a meta title and meta description for each page

Incorporating your keywords into the Meta Title tag and Meta Description of each page will significantly enhance optimization. Remember, this isn't just for Google; these tags are also seen by users, so they must be written to convey both keywords and an engaging description of what's on that particular page. Doing so should help optimize search engine visibility while also increasing user interest in clicking through!

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b. Use keywords but don't spam them

When you utilize a keyword in your page, optimizing it to Google's standards is key. Too much repetition and the search engine will penalize; too little usage and you may be overlooked. Utilizing an ideal amount of emphasis on your chosen words will make sure that Google notices all the hard work you've put into building great content!

c. Use related keywords and phrases

For example, if you produce a piece of writing about "digital marketing", then to further enhance the essay structure and creativity, utilize phrases similar in meaning such as "Internet marketing" instead.

d. Optimize photo file size and write alt texts for them

Identifying what an image is can be a challenge for Google, so to boost your SEO ranking, it's critical to include accurate descriptions of the content inside each image with file names and alt tags. Additionally, reducing the size of an uploaded image via TinyPNG or similar services will help increase website loading speed. All these steps are vital in optimizing images on your site; thus allowing you to realize greater visibility from search engines.

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e. Create a great user experience

Despite being a subjective concept, user experience significantly impacts your SEO results. When usability is an issue, potential users become discouraged from visiting the website and are unlikely to link or recommend it elsewhere. Consequently, this makes it challenging for you to rank atop Google's search engine pages.

4. Do Off-site SEO

SEO off-site optimization mainly entails the formation of external links; research has demonstrated that the amount and caliber of these external links have a noteworthy impact on PageRank.

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a. Link Authority

Building a link from an authoritative website is far more beneficial for your website's page rank than acquiring backlinks from small and low-authority websites. Two factors that gauge the credibility of any given site are Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA). To determine these metrics, use various online tools such as Ahrefs' Website Authority Tool or Moz's SEO Analysis Tool - both of which were highlighted earlier.

b. Link Relevancy

By incorporating relevant external links into your website content, you can experience a notable boost in SEO value. For example, if you article is about "keto diet", an backlink from a food blog may be more valuable than a backlink from a

c. Make useful resources that other pages want to link back to your page

If you've found this article to be helpful, why not share the knowledge with a link on your website, blog post or social media page? Not only does it benefit others by giving them access to valuable resources such as industry research reports, visual tutorials and free tools - but is also helps increase visibility for your own site.

Summary

I'm sure that after reading this short article, you will have a good understanding of what SEO is––not just a basic definition. You'll also know how to get the ball rolling and start optimizing your website's organic traffic! The last thing you wanna do is to pay some SEO agency and don't understand exactly what they are doing, so I'm glad you made it to the end.

你是否認為SEO太難而不值得付出龐大的資源？其實SEO並不複雜，至少SEO基礎部分還算簡單易明。大多數擁有網站的人通常對於SEO常識知之甚少，其實你只要知道一些基礎的SEO知識就可以讓你跑贏大多數競爭者。

在這片文章中，你會學到以下幾個知識點，對於SEO新手入門是值得借鑒的。

1. 什麼是SEO？
2. 搜尋引擎以及SEO如何運作？
3. 如何優化SEO，出現在Google搜尋結果第一頁？

什麼是SEO？

SEO的意思代表 Search Engine Optimization（搜尋引擎優化）。簡單來說，就是從自然非付費搜尋結果（Organic Search）中獲取流量的技術和過程。更嚴謹的定義可以表述為：SEO是在了解搜尋引擎排名機制的基礎上，對網站內部及網站外部進行調整優化，改善網站在自然搜尋結果裡的排名，獲取更多的流量，達到網站銷售和品牌建設的目標。

當然，搜尋引擎不止Google一家。但它作為搜尋界的一哥，人人都想登上Google搜尋結果第一頁，所以絕大部分的網站只會為Google作出優化。這做法能以較少的資源來獲取最大的效益。

此外，不少網站擁有者忽略了SEO的重點：搜尋意向，並去為排名而優化。其實SEO本質是要為用家而優化內容，因為Google演算法是為了用家體驗而設的。

搜尋引擎以及SEO如何運作？

當你在Google進行搜尋時，Google演算法就會實時的向你展現他認為最好的結果給你。

具體來說，Google會去他的索引庫進行掃描，索引庫裡會有無數的頁面，它會找到一些符合你搜尋條件的結果展現給你。

那Google是如何決定最好的搜尋結果呢？

儘管Google沒有公佈他的內部演算法，但是基於它的專利和指導手冊，我們知道網站和網頁的排名跟下面幾個因素有關：

1. 相關性

如果你搜索“觀塘影樓”，你不會想要看到出現深水埗酒樓的頁面。所以Google會去搜尋跟你關鍵字最相關的頁面。但是Google也不會把最相關的頁面展現在第一名，因為每個搜尋結果都有無數個相關頁面，而且搜尋字眼越廣就有越多相關搜尋結果：

為了決定哪個搜尋結果排在前面，演算法會依據下面幾個標準：

2. 權威性：你的頁面內容是否準確並且值得信賴

那Google又是如何知道網站或者頁面值得信賴呢？它會看其他頁面鏈接到這個頁面的數量（也叫作”反鏈/Backlinks”），外部的鏈接越多，排名就越可能靠前。想知道一個網站的權威性非常簡單，使用Ahrefs的網頁權威性查詢工具就可以了。

3. 實用程度

你的網頁可能相關性很強權威性也比較高，但如果不夠有用，Google也不會把你排名靠前.

實際上，Google公開發佈過文章說明“高質量內容”和“實用內容”的區別。

舉例來說，你搜索“生酮飲食”，搜尋結果A是世界上最知名的生酮飲食專家寫的文章，因為內容質量很高，所以有很多人鏈接到這個頁面，但是這個頁面內容沒有很好的組織並且有很多普通人看不懂的專業術語；搜尋結果B 是一個網站新寫出來的一篇關於生酮飲食的文章，也沒有很多外部的鏈接，但是他的內容條理清晰，組織的很好，普通人都可以看懂。實際上，搜尋結果B可能會得到比結果A更高的排名。

自然搜尋結果 VS 付費搜尋結果

Google搜尋結果分為兩個部分，分別是自然搜尋結果（Organic Search Result）和付費搜尋結果（Paid Search Result）。

自然搜尋結果是Google基於上面介紹的關於搜尋結果的影響因素，當我們討論SEO時，我們說所的都是自然搜尋結果。相反，當我們討論SEM（Search Engine Marketing）或PPC（Pay per Click）廣告時，我們是指付費搜尋結果。

付費搜索結果一般出現在自然搜尋結果的最上端或者最下端。付費搜尋結果和自然搜尋結果是完全獨立的，付費搜尋結果的排名一般是由廣告主願意為一個關鍵字付的費用高低所決定的。

如何優化SEO，出現在Google搜尋結果第一頁？

1. SEO關鍵字研究

總的來說，SEO關鍵字分為兩大類：（產品關鍵字）關鍵字用戶用來找到你所售賣的產品；（信息關鍵字）你的目標用戶還沒有專門搜尋你所售賣的產品

舉例來說，你有一個專門賣網球鞋的電商網站。

你的產品關鍵字可能是：“免郵網球鞋”“Nike網球鞋”“平底網球鞋”等

你的信息關鍵字可能是：“網球發球教程”“合適的反手球方式”等

如果你想SEO出現在Google搜尋結果上，你就需要同時優化這兩大類關鍵字，滿足最常出現的搜尋意圖。

那如何找到合適的關鍵字呢？

a. 可以利用Google搜尋框的推薦詞

b. 可以利用專業的關鍵字工具

最常用的免費關鍵字工具就是Google的關鍵字規劃工具，雖然它是用來幫助用戶建立Google Ads用的，但是也可以用來做Google SEO關鍵字研究

只要輸入你想查詢的產品關鍵字或者信息類關鍵字，就會得到一些相關的關鍵字以及搜尋量等指標。

當然也有很多第三方的SEO關鍵字工具推薦，比如SEMRush（免費，需登記）、KeywordTool.io（免費）及Ahrefs（付費）等等。如果想認識更多SEO工具，可以參考8個最重要的免費官方Google SEO工具及用法。

2. SEO友好的內容

總的來說，你的網站內容越好，出現在Google搜索結果第一頁的可能性就越大。究竟什麼內容才能算是SEO友好（SEO Friendly）呢？可以注意以下幾點：

a. 為你的產品或者服務頁面製作高質量的內容

產品或者服務頁面的主要目標就是把用戶轉化為潛在客戶，所以頁面需要集中在產品或者服務的特點或者優勢上。

舉例來說，我們看看Baremetics這個網站。儘管他不是一篇文章，你可以看到它的頁面設計優良並且突出顯示自己產品的優勢和特點。

b. 定時發表文章/部落格內容

有研究發現，定期發佈內容的網站會獲得比不定期發佈內容的網站多55%的流量。這些網站的相對排名亦會比較高一些，因為它們的反鏈數量比不發佈內容的網站多一倍。

今時今日，經常發佈文章的已經不再局限於新聞網站或討論區（hk01，Baby Kingdom等）。許多其他類型的網站都有自己的網誌，例如創新科技學院Xccelerate及本港另一位SEO顧問First Page。

如果你想在2021登上Google搜索結果第一頁，那定期製作高質量的博客內容時必不可少的，不然就會被每天出現的內容所埋沒。

3. SEO站內優化（On-site SEO/Technical SEO）

SEO站內優化是保證Google可以找到你的網頁並把它展示在搜尋結果頁面上。我們簡單介紹一些最重要的站內優化方法：

a. 寫好標題標籤及描述標籤

在你的標題標籤（Meta Title）及描述標籤（Meta Description）裡包含你的關鍵字

這個是最重要的一部分：頁面的標題標籤會告訴Google你這個頁面在說什麼。當然，你的標籤並非寫給Google的，是寫給用戶。所以，網頁標籤同時需要含有關鍵字及有效地描述頁面裡的內容。

b. 在你的頁面內容裡適量地重複使用關鍵字

Google會知道你的頁面在強調這個關鍵字，但是要注意頻率，不要太多也不要太少，否則會有反效果。

c. 使用同義詞及變體

比如你發佈一篇關於“digital marketing”的文章，然後你也可以用同義詞“Internet marketing”之類的進行替換。

d. 優化圖片

比起識別文字，Google很難識別一張圖片到底是什麼，所以它會依靠圖片名稱或者是alt標籤信息是識別圖片。此外，圖片的檔案大小會直接影響網頁的加載速度，從而影響SEO排名。所以上載圖片前，先以檔案名稱及alt標籤來描述圖片內容及以TinyPNG或相似的服務來壓縮圖片。

e. 用戶體驗

儘管用戶體驗是非常主觀的，但是它也會間接影響你的SEO效果。

說到底，如果你的網站很難用，用戶就不會去分享，你的網站也不會獲得很多外部鏈接和推薦，也不會有機會登上Google搜索結果第一頁了。

4. SEO站外優化（Off-site SEO）

SEO站外優化主要就是建立外部鏈接，有研究顯示外部鏈接的數量和質量對Google排名佔有很大的影響因素。

a. 鏈接的權威性

來自權威網站的鏈接會給你的網站傳遞更多的權重（page rank），比起來自低權重小網站的反鏈重要。有兩個指標可以衡量一個網站的權重，一個是網站權重（domain authority）一個是網頁權重(page authority)。網上有不同的工具來查看DA及PA，例如剛介紹過的Ahrefs的網站權重工具或Moz的網站SEO分析工具。

b. 鏈接的相關性

如果外部鏈接跟你的網站內容相關，會帶來更多的SEO價值。

c. 製造爭取外部鏈接的資源

其他網站比較可能鏈結某幾種資源，如行業研究報告、可視化的教學指南或者是一些免費的工具。如果你覺得此文有參考價值，不妨在你的網頁、部落格、FB或YouTube引用及鏈結此文。

總結

對於SEO新手來說，希望看完這篇簡短的介紹讓你對SEO有個整體的認知，而不是僅僅知道什麼是SEO這樣一個簡單的定義，也希望你可以知道如何開始著手優化SEO。我建議三個步驟開始你的SEO優化：

1. Google搜索你行業本身的關鍵字，了解客戶平時會搜索什麼有關的資訊
2. 編寫及發佈一些SEO友好的內容或頁面
3. 電郵一些網路雜誌投稿以建立一些外部鏈接

對SEO優化感興趣的話，不妨Follow IG及攢好FB專頁來緊貼THE BLOG MSHK的最新動態。