Search Engine Optimization in Luxembourg (SEO)
You've got a website, but how's it doing in search engines? Where does it show up, and is it bringing in enough quality traffic? In other words, are your web investments paying off in tangible ROI?
Chapter 1
Search Engine Optimization, what is it exactly?
Known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or organic referencing, natural referencing in Luxembourg, like elsewhere, is about getting your website to appear in search engines and ideally, on the first page of results. It's all about using techniques to improve visibility and, ideally, reaching the holy grail of showing up among the top results on Google's first page.
SEO is the heart of every web project
In Luxembourg, many businesses still overlook the SEO of their website. However, any new web project must implement a strategy for natural referencing to hope to exist. If your site is already designed and optimized during the conception phase, a big part of the work is already done, and you will get significant results in terms of positioning. If your site is already online, all is not lost: there are solutions! It will just take some time to invest in optimization work and make modifications on various levels (content, structure, architecture, link building, etc.) to achieve the same results.
In summary, think about your project and its referencing as a whole. Don't put all your eggs in one basket with just an attractive design because it's not the beauty of your website that will bring you visitors.
Why Google ?
Google dominates the search engine scene in Europe, holding over 90% of the market share, and Luxembourg is no exception, with a whopping 89% (Source). With such a significant presence, you might wonder if it's even worth mentioning other search engines like Bing, Yahoo, Ask, or AOL. When people talk about "search engine optimization" (SEO) or "ranking," they automatically think of Google. Its main job is to help internet users quickly find information by providing a list of relevant websites.
So, how does it work?
Google has these super smart algorithms that are kind of like secret agents. They crawl all over the internet, checking out links on millions of pages to figure out what's on each site. When you search for something, Google looks through its huge database to find pages that match your search words. Then, it shows you a list of results on what they call the SERP (Search Engine Result Pages).
In a nutshell, when you're planning your website and how it shows up on Google, remember it's not just about having a pretty design. It's about making sure your site has what people are looking for.
Don't mix up SEO and SEA!
SEA (Search Engine Advertising) is all about paid methods of getting your website noticed (like sponsored links or ads). It's basically advertising on search engines to show up above the "natural" results. Getting started with SEA is pretty quick, unlike SEO which takes longer-term effort. So, in a nutshell, neither of them is free.
Chapter 2
Why is Search Engine Optimization is important?
Not being present or being poorly ranked on search engines means few or no visitors. And without visitors, there's no contact and your revenue suffers. Your ranking is never random, and if you want to appear (and stay...) among the top results in this web jungle, it's a long-term job ahead.
Can you still afford to skip it?
Increasing your traffic, but not just that...
So, the equation is pretty simple: lack of visibility = few customers. And let's go even further. Today, you can easily analyze your number of visitors using any statistical tool. But are your visitors qualified? Do they really represent your target audience? Will they "convert" by visiting your site? This is what SEO is for: generating targeted and qualified traffic that will boost your market share and bring you an unparalleled return on investment while increasing the visibility of your brand.
Chapter 3
How Google ranking works?
In 2019, there are hundreds (yes, really!) of factors that affect how Google ranks websites, and they're constantly evolving. While some are still controversial and others are considered "indirect" ranking factors, such as meta descriptions, we can categorize them as follows:
SEO Basics:
- On-page: All about what's on your website and how it's set up, technically.
- Off-page: Relates to what happens around your site, like other sites linking to yours.
- User and social signals: Focuses on how users interact with your site and its content, including social media activity (like number of tweets, Facebook likes, or Pinterest pins.)
The connection between "cause" and "outcome"
To rank well in Google's Luxembourg search results, it's essential to understand that it's mainly the correlation between these factors that will boost your visibility. While the list may seem overwhelming, some of these factors aren't too difficult to implement or improve. For others, let's not kid ourselves, it's going to be a long journey ahead, requiring a precise methodology to achieve your goals!
Chapter 4
How to implement your SEO strategy in practice?
Process and structure
When it comes to putting your SEO strategy into action, it's important to have a clear plan and organization. Start by focusing on the structure of your website: Google prefers things to be well-organized! This means having a logical layout and a well-structured sitemap. A good website structure also includes appealing visuals and easy navigation, making it user-friendly. When your site is easy to use, visitors are more likely to stick around and explore, leading to higher page views.
On-page SEO
On one side, there's the technical "on-page" stuff, which includes various elements. Some of these can act as barriers to your site's SEO. Slow performance, imperfect redirects, broken links (like those annoying 404 errors), and messy URL grammar are examples of things that can affect how search engines see your site and impact its ranking. Identify these issues and fix them if necessary.
And on the other side, there's content, because as you've probably heard before, "Content is King." For top-notch writing quality, it's crucial to define the topic of each page on your site. This helps determine a list of keywords and work on your "long-tail" (or secondary phrases). Using generic keywords puts you in competition with millions of other results. But by focusing on a combination of keywords that individually attract fewer visitors but are specific to certain searches, you ensure that your visitors aren't just stumbling onto your site by chance. Remember, "the small streams make the big rivers" has often proven true.
Off-page SEO
To gain visibility, you also need to gain credibility. The benefits of having an incoming link (backlink) to your site are undeniable, but it must be of quality! The relevance of the source is therefore an important variable in Google's eyes for ranking your site in search results.
And what about shares on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.?
They represent an exponential curve of potential readers/visitors and will help you expand your visibility and extend your communication. How can anyone ignore these social signals in 2019? In any case, they demonstrate your "influence" and thus promote your "Domain authority" (if your domain authority is higher than that of your competitors, your site is likely to be better positioned).
Monitoring and reporting
Don't let your personal opinions cloud your judgment when it comes to implementing the factors mentioned earlier. Stick to the facts. There are plenty of tools out there that can help you keep track of things like:
- Your keywords
- Your brand
- Your conversions
- How popular your website is (domain authority)
- How many people visit your site
- How many visitors leave your site quickly (bounc rate)
- Your backlinks
SEO takes time, so it's important to keep an eye on things. By staying on top of the process and following through with each step, you'll see real results in how well your site ranks on Google.
Chapter 5
How much does it cost to do SEO?
Big question... especially when you consider the SEO offers on the market. From the Silver, Gold, Premium packages to the wonderful "Be the 1st on search engines in 48h", you can easily find something for €500. But do you really think you'll get tangible results? Even though it's annoying, a real SEO expert will tell you straight up: "it depends!". But let's try to be a bit more specific.
Define your needs
Depending on your business, you'll need to decide if optimizing just one page showcasing your flagship service is enough, or if it's necessary to optimize 10 categories featuring 1,000 products from your shop. Both have a cost, but one isn't necessarily more expensive than the other. Your goal and the efforts you're willing to put in to achieve it are the foundation on which the SEO strategy can be built. Remember that for successful SEO, it needs to be long-term. It's only by being aware of this that it will truly be effective.
What skills are needed?
- A copywriter, to write quality content and work on keywords, titles...
- A translator, if your site is in multiple languages. They should have the same skills as the copywriter and not just translate word for word.
- A webmaster who has all the abilities to insert elements properly.
- A designer or graphic designer, who will work to enhance the user experience of the site.
- A developer: to fix technical issues on pages.
- And of course, an SEO advisor who will guide the whole team and ensure goals are met.
So, how much does it cost?
The cost of SEO depends: yes, but mostly on you! Your approach to visibility on the web can perfectly be internalized. Do you have the skills within your company? Take advantage of them! The cost will be calculated based on the working time of your employees. If you don't have the skills (or the time to do it), then you'll need to outsource. For a "one-shot" deal, you'll get a complete check-up that will address the most blocking issues for around €3,000. For a "long-term project" over a minimum of 12 months, you'll get tangible results starting from €1,200/month.
Regardless, and to wrap up: watch out for pitfalls and avoid scams. No one can guarantee you'll be in the top position on Google in 1 month for €500. Educate yourself, train yourself to understand the stakes and the scale you want to give to your project. And ultimately, isn't the ROI the most important thing?
