Google is the most popular search engine in the UK and most other parts of the world. In the United States, nearly 70 percent of web users are estimated to use Google Search to browse the web. In the UK, the search engine’s market share is even bigger as nearly 90 percent of people search information on the world wide web by using Google. In order to benefit from search engine optimisation (SEO), your website should therefore comply with Google guidelines. But what does Google say about SEO? Does it even approve it? Let’s see.
Google General SEO Guidelines
Google is OK with SEO. It says that an SEO specialist can be a wise investment and that they can help improve your website visibility. But it also warns on potential negative effects of unethical SEO providers in the form of decline in search results ranking or even removal of your website from Google’s index. According to Google general guidelines, you can benefit the most from SEO services that:
- provide advice on content development and structure
- offer help in technical aspects such as hosting and coding
- take care of keyword research
- help you with online business development
- provide useful information on particular markets
- provide SEO advice and training
When to Hire an SEO Specialist
According to Google, the best time to hire an SEO specialist is when you are planning to launch a new website or to redesign the existing one in order to make sure that your site is search engine friendly from the start. But existing websites can benefit from SEO as well, Google says.
What is Google Friendly Website
If you want your website to be likeable to Google, it should:
- have quality content that provides valuable information to the visitors of your website
- be accessible by making it easy for the web spiders to crawl and gather information
- include relevant keywords within relevant pages but avoid unethical, deceiving methods such as keyword stuffing
Google also recommends to make sure that other websites with relevant content link to yours because each link increases the weight of your website. However, Google also warns that its algorithms can tell the difference between natural and unnatural links. Backlinks from spam or unrelated websites and excessive link buying can negatively affect your website’s ranking in Google search results.
Bottom Line
In order to meet Google requirements and make your website likeable to the search engine, don’t simply hire an SEO specialist and hope that they don’t use any potentially damaging techniques. Unfortunately, there are many SEO providers who don’t hesitate to use manipulative tactics which do more harm than good. You are therefore recommended to take some time and educate yourself about SEO. Hire a specialist only if you are absolutely sure that they don’t use any unethical techniques which could get you in trouble with Google and other search engines.