Answer the question first. Then help people find you.
Someone searches for a solution and lands on your page. Do they find something useful or just another sales line? Good search engine optimisation starts with what your audience needs. Your technical setup, content, links and usability should all support that. These questions can help you decide what to do next.
Find a questionSEO · Content · Backlinks · Ranking basics
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Where should you start?
8 practical questions.
Choose a starting point.
Where should I start with SEO?
What to know
Choose one important page and one specific question your audience has. Check whether people can reach the page, get a clear answer and see a sensible next step.
SEO · Content and links
What to check
- Can Google reach and index the page you want to appear in search? Use URL Inspection and the Page indexing report in Search Console. An intentional noindex directive, for example on a thank-you page, is not necessarily an error.
- Do the page title, heading and content describe the same service or solution? Show relevant first-hand experience and give useful details instead of repeating a search term.
- Can people find the key information and contact you easily on a phone? Link to your other guides where they explain the next step.
Practical tip
Start by improving one page thoroughly. Publishing lots of near-identical pages with little value of their own does not make for a better answer.
Does Google really have exactly 200 ranking factors?
What to know
The well-known number is not a complete public Google checklist. Google describes many signals and systems, but it does not publish a definitive list with fixed weights for every search that you can work through.
SEO · Content and links
What to check
- Does the page match the question behind the search and give a useful, reliable answer?
- Can search engines find and understand the content? Do verifiable sources, internal links and relevant external recommendations help put it in context?
- Does the page work well for people, especially when it comes to loading, reading and navigating on a phone?
Practical tip
A green speed score alone cannot guarantee a top ranking. Useful content can still be held back by technical problems. Look at how the two work together.
What makes a good backlink within an article? And what does “link juice” mean?
What to know
A backlink is a link to your page from another website. A contextual backlink sits within an article. It is especially useful when it gives readers access to a relevant explanation, source or solution.
SEO · Content and links
What to check
- Do the article, its readers and the destination page fit together?
- Do the link text and surrounding content make clear why the page is useful?
- Would you still find the link useful if you expected no ranking benefit?
Practical tip
“Link juice” is a simplified term for the potential transfer of link signals. Google uses link analysis systems, including PageRank. That does not give you a publicly measurable balance or a guaranteed ranking gain from any individual link.
Where is a sensible place to start looking for free backlinks?
What to know
Start with real connections, such as existing profiles, relevant partnerships and content that answers a specific question. Being free does not make a link valuable. An arbitrary directory listing may do nothing for the people you want to reach.
SEO · Content and links
What to check
- Are the web address and other details correct in your existing business profiles and relevant membership listings? Check what each provider actually offers for free.
- Has someone genuinely mentioned your work but omitted a relevant link or included an outdated one? A polite request to correct it may be worthwhile. The publisher is under no obligation to add a link.
- Have you made a guide, checklist or tool that answers a question people already have? Share it where it is useful, disclose your connection to it and follow the community’s rules.
Practical tip
A clear solution to a real problem is a better starting point than an offer of “100 free backlinks”. The content and readership are what matter in guest posts. Mass guest posting and link exchange schemes are poor long-term substitutes.
Can sponsored articles and native ads be worthwhile?
What to know
Yes, when readers can clearly recognise the advertising and the content gives them something useful. Native ads are paid placements designed to fit their editorial surroundings. A convincing article needs verifiable information. Personal tests and experiences must be genuine.
SEO · Content and links
What to check
- Does the publication reach the right people, and does the article give them more than a marketing promise?
- Can readers recognise the commercial purpose? A visible advertising disclosure and a technical link attribute serve different purposes.
- Are paid links marked appropriately? Google prefers rel="sponsored" and also accepts rel="nofollow". Avoid packages that promise guaranteed ranking points or supposedly safe dofollow links.
Practical tip
Judge a placement by its subject, audience, quality, cost and relevant visits or enquiries. A high score from a third-party tool does not establish the quality of a placement or its impact on Google rankings.
Is a page better if it gets more links than it gives?
What to know
The Google sources linked here do not establish a fixed ratio of inbound to outbound links as an SEO goal. Google explicitly recommends linking to helpful external sources. An outbound link does not automatically harm your page.
SEO · Content and links
What to check
- Look at the individual page, the article and its context as well as the number of links or domain metrics.
- Check whether readers are likely to need the solution being linked to. A general-interest publication can run an article that is directly relevant. That does not make every link from it valuable.
- Link to evidence and sources where they help people understand the subject. Avoid putting nofollow on all editorial links just to try to conserve “link power”.
Practical tip
Relevance is a useful criterion. It does not imply a fixed share of off-topic links or an artificial “natural mix”. Metrics such as Domain Rating and Domain Authority come from third parties, not Google.
Do videos and social signals help my Google rankings?
What to know
A clear video can explain a task better, and social media can bring the right people to your content. Both can be useful. That does not translate to an automatic ranking boost for every video or a fixed number of SEO points for each like.
SEO · Content and links
What to check
- Does the video genuinely help with the topic, for example by showing how to complete a step on screen?
- If you want the video to appear in video search, can it be found, is it embedded appropriately and does it have a suitable thumbnail? An indexed page does not guarantee an indexed video.
- Do social posts lead to relevant visits, use of the guide or enquiries? Assess those results separately from likes and follower counts.
Practical tip
Use a video where it makes the content better. Avoid weighing a page down with decorative embeds simply because someone recommends video as a ranking tactic.
What does the Yandex leak tell us about search engines?
What to know
In a statement on 31 January 2023, Yandex confirmed that code fragments had become public. According to the company at the time, they were outdated, differed from the deployed version and included parts that had never been used in production.
SEO · Content and links
What to check
- Distinguish between a feature appearing in code, whether the system uses it, and the weight it receives.
- Check before applying observations about Yandex to Google. They are different search engines.
- Check SEO advice against current, reliable sources and what helps your audience, rather than supposed secret formulas.
Practical tip
The real lesson is how to evaluate sources. A long list of features does not give you current ranking instructions. Verifiable fundamentals and a helpful answer are a better basis for your website.
Guide by GLEB IT · Gleb Diesen. Sources checked on 28 October 2026. This guide introduces the topic. It does not disclose the full workings of search algorithms or guarantee rankings. Technical link attributes do not replace a check of advertising disclosures and legal requirements for the specific publication.
From search
to a relevant enquiry.
A useful page should be easy to find and make the next step clear.
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