Search engine optimization is a broad and ever-evolving digital marketing method. However, despite its many changes over the years there are a few core fundamentals that have remained very much the same. In this article, we’re going to highlight the three pillars of SEO – and why neglecting one of them will topple the other two and render your efforts crumbling.
The three pillars of SEO
If you type: ‘the three pillars of SEO’ into Google, you’ll find a number of conflicting articles. Some will say:
- Technical SEO.
- On-page SEO.
- And Off-page SEO.
Whereas other articles will say:
- Relevance.
- Authority.
- And Experience.
Both are true. However, in this article, we’re going to focus on relevance, authority, and experience – and how technical, on-page, and off-page SEO fit into it.
Pillar one: Relevance
The first pillar is relevance. In order to succeed in SEO for your chosen focus keywords, you need to ensure that the content on your website and the products / services that you offer are all relevant.
To do this you must conduct extensive keyword research and then optimise your website accordingly (hence on-page SEO).
This means updating your titles, meta descriptions, image alt txt, and the body of content on your website (to name a few) with organic keyword placement.
This is how you establish your relevance – indicating to both Google and your website visitors who you are, what you do, and how you are relevant to those specific search terms.
Pillar two: Authority
The second pillar is authority. Being relevant isn’t enough. If Google is going to recommend you to their users and start driving more traffic to your website, you need to establish yourself as an authority in your field. This largely comes down to off-site SEO activities.
These off-site SEO activities include (but are not limited to) link-building; developing a strong back-link profile from reputable and relevant websites.
Each high-value backlink that points towards your website counts as a ‘vote’. The more votes you have the more likely Google is going to be to recommend your website to their users and afford you more traffic.
This is where you start to see why each pillar is so important:
- Having a strong backlink profile with no relevance (poor on-page SEO) is not enough to get you ranking. You can only be deemed as an authority if the website visitors who use your website have their expectations met with a quality and relevant website that helps them achieve their goals.
Pillar three: Experience
The third pillar is experience. This is where technical SEO comes into play. The fact is, having quality, relevant content on your website with lots of backlinks is all well and good, but if the user-experience is poor, then the time spent on your website will be minimal.
For example:
- Slow page loads speed = high bounce rate.
- Un-intuitive website navigation = less time spent on site.
- No mobile responsive design = less time spent on site.
- A confusing design with poor contrast and spacing = less time spent on site.
The above examples of UX each send signals to Google. If very few people stick around and make a purchase or sign up to your services, then Google will get the impression that your website is not worth recommending.
There are many technical SEO tasks that can be carried out to improve the overall user experience and if you neglect these, your other pillars will tumble.
Conclusion: People First
It all comes down to Google’s recent ‘people-first’ algorithm update. If you go above and beyond to create a relevant website that meets user expectations and provides a superior on-page experience, and indeed you come highly recommended by other websites, then you will invariably rise in the Google SERPs.
Fail to invest in the above three aspects of your online presence and you will struggle to actualise your true potential. With an SEO agency in Dubai on your side, you’ll have no trouble competing with your biggest rivals. Build a strong foundation upon which your online presence can thrive!