How to do Search engine optimization
What is Search engine optimization?
SEO Definition – SEO is simply Search engine optimization, but what does it mean?
Search engine optimization is a word used to represent the act of someone doing things to make content (websites, articles, videos, posts, products, etc.) easier to find by search engines.
The meaning of search engine is not only limited to Google, Bing, Yandex, Baidu, -. Search engines also refer to search forms on a platform. For example search form on youtube.
In its development, this word does not only represent that action (Content is easier to find when searched through search forms) but almost everything that is done to make content easily visible to others is called SEO. If you open a YouTube page then you will immediately be able to see several videos.
Then how do you think that video is immediately visible while other people’s videos are not? It’s all influenced by algorithms that correlate with the SEO of the content.
In other words, SEO can mean matching content preferences with the requirements applied by the algorithm for content to appear first. Be it in search, display order, feeds, or recommendations.
Each platform has a different algorithm, therefore the SEO actions applied are different. The algorithm itself is like quality control, if your content is easy to read you get a score of 100 if it is easy to access it gets 80, and so on, then the score is averaged. if the result is 90 or 100 then your content is considered good and the content will be rewarded with exposure. And vice versa, if based on the assessment it turns out that the value is small, the content will be considered bad and it will be difficult to get exposure.
Here's how to do seo
To make it easier for you to understand seo, we will explain it using examples.
Someone who deliberately gives a title to the content, with a title that people often type in searches, is called doing SEO. People who intentionally add descriptions, add interesting photos, hashtags, etc. can be called SEO actions. Here are the things that can be categorized as doing SEO and the reason.
- Determining the content title
- Make a description
- Adding hashtags
- Create content thumbnails
- Giving media to the content
- Determining the Font
- Ensuring the readability of the content
- Ensuring access speed
- Include a reference link (outbound links)
- Referenced articles (backlinks)
- Ensuring the author has authority
1. Determine the content title
When you create content, you can give the content any title. For example, you can give the title “uvcavcavjchadcvh” or the title “how to make a cake”. which title do you think between the 2 examples above will be easier to find in searches and algorithms? the answer is of course the second title.
When someone wants to find out how to make a cake, they will type “how to make a cake” in the search form and not “uvcavcavjchadcvh”.
The act of you determining the title is what is called SEO. Then how can we know what people type in searches? To find out what people are looking for / typing in searches you can use Our free SEO tools.
In addition to search, the right title will also make your content appear in the feed, display order, or recommendations. This is due to the algorithm. Each platform has a different algorithm but some things are similar, namely reading your content.
For example, the relevance algorithm. When you watch a YouTube video about cooking, it doesn’t take long for your home feed to show videos about cooking. To determine which videos should appear, the algorithm will read the content you just watched and search for similar content in millions of other videos and then select the best ones to show you.
For the algorithm to know what the content is about, it will read the title, decryption, tags, etc. So when you give the right title, your video will be easier for the algorithm to read and will be shown to others without that person searching in the search form.
2. Make a description
A description or meta description is a brief explanation of the content. On certain platforms, the description can also mean a full explanation of the content. For example, in YouTube videos, you will find a description box that you can fill with a large number of words.
Descriptions will help algorithms better understand what your content is about. For example: when you see a video and then at the bottom of the video there is a description, you will be able to immediately know what the video is about without the need to play it. The algorithm will act the same as you, to understand the content better, the algorithm will analyze the description.
3. Adding hashtags
Hashtags are like footnotes that categorize the content. You can easily tell what the content is about by looking at the title and hashtags. Hashtags will also help algorithms understand your content and categorize it according to the topic.
When you read an article or watch a video on youtube /TikTok you will often find hashtags that are generally marked with a hash mark (#). hashtags are like categories, which will group your content by topic.
For example: in an article, there is a hashtag “car” then we can conclude that the article is discussing the topic of cars. The algorithm will read the same and categorize the content into car topics. So that when someone searches about cars or needs car content recommendations, the content will be displayed.
4. Create content thumbnails
Creating a good and relevant thumbnail is also part of SEO. When you look at the feed on YouTube you will tend to play videos that you find interesting. And you will assume whether the video is interesting or not from looking at the thumbnail. Like a book, you can be interested in reading a book just because you see the book cover is good.
In today’s era, people tend to analyze based on visuals, people can know what the content is about just by looking at the thumbnail, instead of reading the explanation first.
On certain platforms such as youtube, Pinterest, TikTok, Fb, and the like, the thumbnail is an important factor for algorithms to give good grades.
5. Giving media to the content
What is meant by media content here is images, videos, or audio contained in the article. Media will help readers understand the material in the article better.
For example: Take a look at the two articles below
- Computer Components
In a computer, the commonly used components are 1. monitor, 2. CPU, 3. keyboard, and 4. mouse.
- Computer Components
In a computer, the commonly used components are 1. monitor, 2. CPU, 3. keyboard, and 4. mouse.
Which of the two examples above helps you understand computer components better? I believe the answer is article example no. 2.
Because of this, the media becomes important for algorithms to determine the quality of your content. Whether your content can help or not.
6. Determining the Font
Take a look at the three example sentences below:
Sentence 1
By 2023, there will be a large increase in the number of electric cars in the world. This increase occurred because people became aware of the environmental damage caused by mining and the use of gas-fueled vehicles.
Sentence 2
By 2023, the number of electric cars in the world will increase in large numbers. This increase occurred because people became aware of the damage to the environment caused by mining and the use of gas-fueled vehicles.
Sentence 3
By 2023, the number of electric cars in the world will increase in large numbers. This increase occurred because people became aware of the damage to the environment caused by mining and the use of gas-fueled vehicles.
Which of the three sentences above is the most comfortable to read? When you create an article with a font that is difficult to read, it will certainly make people uncomfortable. Because of this factor, the algorithm will also assess the font you use.
7. Ensuring the readability of the content
Readability means how easily people can read and understand the information in your content. Consider the two sentences below:
- Every morning the sun will rise from the east and head west, then set on the west side. The sun will reappear on the east side in the morning.
- The sun is on the west side which was previously on the east side, it will appear in the morning and then set in the west because it was previously on the east side.
The two sentences above explain the same thing, namely the circulation cycle of the sun when viewed from the earth. However, you will find it easier to understand sentence no. 1 compared to no. 2. this is what is called content readability. Content readability can also mean grammar in English, typos in word writing, and foreign terms that are not common in the academic world.
The more your article is easy to understand, the algorithm will give a good value, which of course will affect your ranking on exposure or search results.
8. Ensuring access speed
No one likes to wait, including waiting for your content to appear. When you click on an article link, it will be more comfortable if the article opens quickly. Generally, people will immediately close a content if the content is loading long enough to appear.
Because of this factor, the algorithm also assesses the quality of your content and provides an assessment based on access speed. The longer the content takes to load, the algorithm will give a small value and this will affect your exposure.
9. Include a reference link (outbound links)
Referral links are links that go to articles where you get references or proof that what you say in the article as evidence. With a reference link, the reader will be more confident about what you are saying. Referral links are also often called outbound links.
For example, you create an article that discusses electric cars with brand A, then you say that this A car can go from 0 to 100 km in 3 seconds. Then how do people believe what you say?
There are two ways: The first way you show the reader that you have tested car A directly. Or the second way you add a link to the car manufacturer’s website. Where the manufacturer has conducted direct testing and displays the test results in its report.
With this in mind, referral links are important for algorithms to determine whether your content contains valid information or not.
10. Referenced articles (backlinks)
Referenced articles mean that your content is recommended or referenced by others. They also include your website link in their recommendation. In other languages, it is called a backlink, which is a link to your website/content that is placed on someone else’s website.
This factor is quite important for algorithms to determine the quality of your content. For example, if you want to make a cake, then your friend, your partner, your teacher, or even someone you don’t know recommends a menu on how to make a cake in the same article. What happens is that you will assume the menu can make a delicious cake. Even though you haven’t tried it yourself.
From the above understanding, that’s why backlinks are important for SEO. Algorithms will consider your content more useful and good if more and more people make it a reference/recommendation.
11. Ensuring the author has authority
When your car breaks down whose advice do you think you will follow, 1. the advice of a farmer. 2. the advice of a fisherman, 3. the advice of a literature teacher, or 4. the advice of a mechanic. I am sure you will choose to follow the advice of a mechanic. Why then?
The simple answer is that you think a mechanic is more competent to talk about cars. It is from concepts like this that algorithms make who the content writer is important. If the author of the article is not clear about his identity, or unclear about his competence, the algorithm will consider the content as a reference.
So optimizing the author’s authority is one of the important things in SEO so that the content gets better exposure.
A visual example of content SEO
Now from the explanation above, do you understand what the definition of SEO is? In short, SEO is all the things you do to make your content easier to find and visit by others.
Consider the following two examples
The articles and videos in both columns convey the same information. However, the content in column 1 does not apply SEO, while the content in column 2 applies SEO (the examples are deliberately contrasting to make it easier for you to understand what SEO is).
After seeing the explanation and examples above, do you understand SEO? If there are things that you still don’t understand, please ask in the comm