Methodology for SEO setup

At Letras Laetas, we use an on-site SEO methodology in three simple steps:

1. Website audit. We analyze the structure, content, and the way search engines are seeing your website.
2. Technical error correction. Based on the previous analysis, we proceed to correct any technical errors your website may have.
3. Report of completed changes. Once we make these changes, we prepare a report on the modifications and what they are expected to achieve, for example, ranking first on Google for a specific term.

1. Website audit

There are multiple tools for auditing a page’s SEO. The purpose of using them is to quickly detect a website’s areas of opportunity and proceed with its optimization.

2. Technical error correction

These are the main technical factors corrected in on-page SEO. If you are not familiar with the terminology, you can read more details on our blog:

Indexing and crawlability

• Sitemap.xml: This file contains all the URLs on your website and helps the search engine understand its structure and which content it should index. It can be described as your website’s index in the eyes of the search engine.
• Robots.txt: Unlike the previous file, this one tells the search engine which pages it should not index; for example, the login page.
• 404 page: If a user searches for a path that does not exist within your domain, for example, tiendademaria.com/pordeciralgo, they will reach this page, which will tell them that the content does not exist and invite them to visit another page on the site.
• 4xx and 5xx status codes: These refer to HTTP responses that are client or server errors. For example, verifying that there is enough storage space for a resource.

Redirects

• Non-duplicated HTTP and HTTPS: An SSL certificate verifies that a page is official. When installed, the site URL changes from HTTP to HTTPS, and it is necessary to make sure the installation has been done correctly.
• www and non-www versions: It is necessary to establish whether our website will be hosted on the domain with or without www, and to make an appropriate redirect to the preferred version without duplicating content.
• 301 and 302 redirects: If you change the URL of a page on your site; for example, if María changed tiendademaria.com/productos to tiendademaria.com/productos-y-servicios, the first address must redirect to the new one to avoid losing visits and authority.
• Pages with rel=“canonical”: If María’s site has an ecommerce with options to filter by price, best sellers, etc., this tag should indicate which page is the original to prevent search engines from identifying it as duplicate content.

On-page SEO: Tagging pages and images

Titles: The title is the name of your content. Ideally, it should be attractive, descriptive, contain a keyword, and have a specific length.

Meta descriptions: This is a tag that provides a brief summary of what each page contains. It is only visible in search engine results.

ALT text in images: Although we cannot see this tag, images should contain ALT text, which is what appears if a person’s internet connection is slow and images do not load. This tag is also added for accessibility reasons. With it, visually impaired people visiting your site can understand what your image is about through an audio tool.

3. On-page SEO report

An on-page SEO report may include the changes made to a site and what was achieved by making them; for example, how the site appears in search engines in terms of titles, meta descriptions, and the other aspects mentioned above.

Methodology for SEO maintenance

Our methodology for off-page SEO is divided into the following steps:

1. Creating a blog on the website

Having a blog helps you communicate with your potential clients. It is a very subtle and non-invasive form of advertising that provides them with useful information and keeps you in their minds for when they decide to buy something related to your business activity.

2. Research of relevant keywords

Before writing content for your blog, it is important to conduct keyword research. This will help you understand how users are searching the web for information related to your activities. A keyword study will help you determine:

• Ranking difficulty: Some words are more competitive than others, which makes them harder to rank for. By understanding the difficulty, you can choose the terms for which it is more feasible to appear.
• Long-tail keywords: Longer terms or keywords that are easier to rank for. For example, instead of trying to rank for “flower shop,” María may decide to target “flower shops in Mexico City with home delivery.”
• Related questions: Today, many users use search engines like an oracle, so you can use questions as subheadings in your content.

3. Writing and uploading optimized content

Once your intentions and the words you want to rank for are clear, the next part of the process is to write optimized articles and upload them to your site with the corresponding SEO parameters and tags.

4. Link-building strategy

Once those articles are on your site, they need to be set in motion through different social networks, internet forums, and other channels so more people can see and share them. It is also important to look for other websites that discuss topics related to your activity and get them to link to your page.

5. Off-page SEO report

Finally, unlike on-page SEO, you can measure the results of your content strategy quarterly by reviewing which positions you have gained in search engines. For example, in María’s case: “floral arrangements for weddings” ranking 1st on Google, “flowers for quinceañeras” ranking 3rd on Google, etc.