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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a way to format websites to appear with high rankings for desired search terms.

Search engine optimization costs €500-1500/one-time project

Read the guides if you want to do search engine optimization yourself:
Search Engine Optimization Guide for Beginners
Search Engine Optimization Guide for Professionals
Quick SEO Guide – 10 steps to better visibility

Tyytyväisiä asiakkaita vuodesta 2012

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What is search engine optimization?

I believe that search engine optimization is one of the most important actions you can take for a website.

Search engine optimization is a way to format a website in a search-engine-friendly way. 

Google's job is to provide the best possible answer to every search. Whoever succeeds in doing that gets the best visibility.

  • When done by me, search engine optimization delivers results. I don't just report problems, I fix them.
  • My services are always project-based. Search engine optimization is not an ongoing service.  My clients often get visibility that lasts for years with a one-time optimization. See references.
  • The services always have a fixed price. Request a quote or see examples.

Google's official guidelines for search engine optimization:

In 2019, Google published guidelines on how to create high-quality, search engine optimized content.

This is what search engine optimization is:

How Google evaluates AI-generated content

Google has updated its Search Quality Rater Guidelines in January 2025.

Now, quality raters are instructed to give the lowest possible rating (Lowest rating) to content that is produced automatically or with generative AI (such as ChatGPT)

Who am I to talk about search engine optimization?

The best SEO specialists are found in Google's top positions. You can find this page in the top 5 for the keyword ”search engine optimization”.

I have been doing search engine optimization since 2015 for clients, as well as for my own side projects.

A few of these projects include:

Read below for references of projects I have done for clients.

Tapio Kauranen hakukoneoptimointi

SEO References

Toipumo's website to page one for the keyword "päihdekuntoutus"

Price level: around €500

In 2017, I optimized Toipumo's website for the keyword "päihdekuntoutus". The site has been visible on the first page of Google ever since.

The page quickly rose to the front page of Google and has been there for years.

  • Website loading speed optimization
  • A new page titled "mitä on päihdekuntoutus"
  • Building external links to the page

The keyword "päihdekuntoutus" is searched about 1,500 times a month. The page has received over 18,000 clicks in five years.

Toipumo sisällöntuotanto hakukoneoptimointi

Avalon Nordic ja Vestelli

"Jätevesijärjestelmä" sanalla ykköseksi

Avalon Nordic ja Vestelli ovat saman yhtiön omistamia. Molemmat sivut optimoitiin Googlessa "jätevesijärjestelmä" sanoille.

Hakukoneoptimointi hinta: noin 2000€

Jätevesijärjestelmä -sanat on molemmille sivustoille kaikista tuottavimpia hakutermejä.

Molemmat sivustot optimoitiin Google haussa parhaimmille sijoituksille.

Googlen ensimmäiselle sivulle mahtuu vain 10 linkkiä. Nyt Avalon Nordic ja Vestelli vie niistä kaksi.

avalon nordic

Energio "aurinkopaneelit" sanalla ykköseksi

Hakukoneoptimointi hinta: Toteutettiiin osana ulkoistettua digimarkkinointia.

Energio nousi hakukoneoptimointiprojektin ansiosta "aurinkopaneelit" sanalla Googlen ykkössijalle

Sija tuo kuukausittain tuhansia kävijöitä ja kymmeniä tarjouspyyntöjä.

Tehdyt työt

  • Shopify sivuston <title> ja meta tietojen muokkaus
  • Sivujen tekstien muokkaus
  • Backlinkkien lisäys
Instagram Story – 1

"Latausasema taloyhtiöön"

Hakukoneoptimointi + WordPress sivusto hinta: 2000€

IGL technologies Oy sai kokonaan uudet sivustot, johon luotiin opas taloyhtiöille sähköauton latauspisteen hankintaan.

Sivu nousi nopeasti Googlen etusivulle ja on ollut siellä jo vuosikausia.

  • Kokonaisen uuden sivuston rakentaminen
  • Avainsanatutkimus
  • Opas taloyhtiöille sähköauton latausaseman käyttöönottoon
IGL sisällöntuotanto latausasema

Muuttohaukat ja "muuttopalvelu"

Hakukoneoptimoinnin hinta: Toteutettiin osana ulkoistettua digimarkkinointia

Muuttohaukat nousi hakukoneoptimoinnin jälkeen Googlen kärkisijoille

Muuttohaukoille tehtiin koko sivuston kokoinen hakukoneoptimointiprojekti, jolla saatiin sivuston näkyvyys raketoimaan hakutuloksissa.

Suurimpia näistä saavutuksista oli top-3 sija

  • Muuttopalvelut
  • Muuttopalvelu
  • Muuttofirma
  • Muutto

sanoilla

ChatGPT Image Apr 1, 2025, 02_18_15 PM

Upek & "tiemerkinnät"

Hakukoneoptimoinnin hinta: 500-1000€

Tein Upekille hyvin pienen hakukoneoptimointiprojektin, jolla nostettiin sivusto "tiemerkinnät" ja "parkkiruutujen maalaus" sanoilla Googlen parhaille sijoituksille.

  • Sivuston auditointi
  • Tekninen hakukoneoptimointi
    • Latausnopeuksien korjaus
    • Mobiiliversion korjaus
  • Sivuston sisäiset korjaukset
  • Kaksi uutta hakukoneoptimoitua sivua
Instagram Story – 1

Hakukoneoptimointi - Minä vs. muut

Miten muut tekeeTapio Kauranen
Joudut maksamaan kuukausimaksua Kertamaksulla vuosikausiksi näkyvyys
Ei referenssejä tai todisteita tuloksista Katso referenssit tästä
Sekava hinnoittelu ja tarjous Katso tarjousesimerkki tästä

Search engine optimization pricing?

The price for website search engine optimization is typically around €500–€1,500 (one-time fee). Request a quote.

Search engine optimization is a project, meaning there are no recurring costs. Once done, search engine optimization delivers results for years.

The price of search engine optimization consists of, among other things, the following:

  • What is the current state of the website?
  • How extensive is the website?
  • How competitive is your industry on Google?

A typical SEO project

  1. Discovery
    • Find out how your website currently appears on Google
    • Analysis of current visitors. Where do they arrive from and who are they?
    • Analysis of potential website issues
  2. Keyword research
    • How much is each search term searched for?
    • What are the potential search terms to focus on?
  3. Action plans
    • Fix plan if the website has technical issues
    • Suggestions for on-page changes (headings, meta data, page structures)
    • Recommendations for further SEO development based on keyword research. Meaning, which words are worth creating content for.
  4. Modifications
    • Create changes and new content based on the plan
  5. Monitoring
    • Tracking results and a live dashboard

10 reasons to do search engine optimization

Search engine optimization helps people make a buying decision

  1. The first position in Google's organic search results gets an average click-through rate of 31.73%
  2. The first position is 10x more likely to get a click compared to the 10th position.
  3. The organic click-through rate for positions 7-10 is the same. By moving up just a couple of positions you can get more visitors.
  4. On average, by achieving one position better visibility you improve your click-through rate by 30.8%. However, this depends on which position you are moving up from. Moving from third to second position yields significantly better results, whereas moving from 10th to 9th position yields almost no benefit.
  5. A website title that contains a question gets an average 14.1% better click-through rate, than other titles
  6. Titles that are 15 – 40 characters long get the best click-through rate. According to the study, titles 15 – 40 characters long get 8.6% better results than other titles.
  7. URLs containing the search term get a 45% better click-through rate compared to other URLs in the same search
  8. Adding ”power words” to the title may decrease your click-through rate by up to 13.9%. These words include ”Ultimate”, ”Secret”, ”Best”, ”Greatest”, etc.
  9. Titles that evoke emotions may improve your click-through rate. Titles evoking positive or negative emotions can improve the click-through rate by up to 7%
  10. Writing a meta description helps get a better click-through rate. On average, pages with a description achieved a 5.8% better click-through rate than pages lacking a description.

Source:  https://backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats

SEO as a service includes

To get your website to the top positions in Google search results, these actions are typically taken.

Competitor monitoring

How do your industry competitors currently appear on Google? What actions have they taken?

Comprehensive report on the top 10 competitors

Keyword research

In which searches does your site currently appear? What keywords do people use to search for your services?

Comprehensive report on search terms

Technical SEO

Does your site work on all devices? Are there issues with the site's code? How fast do the pages load?

Fixing website issues

Content SEO

Is your website's content formatted according to SEO guidelines?

Content optimization and new content creation

External links

Even the best-optimized page won't be visible if no external links point to it.

You will get 3-5 external links from my extensive link network.

Analytics & dashboards

A tracking tool for monitoring and improving search visibility.

Automated email report, plus a dashboard

hakukoneoptimoiniti

SEO starts with analyzing the current state & making fixes

Let's see how the website currently appears on Google, how your customers search for your products, and what the potential visibility is.

  • Loading speed: We test the website's loading speed with GTmetrixGoogle Pagespeed Tool and Pingdom Tools. We fix the speed if the site scores below 90/100 points.
  • Code errors. Is the website coded correctly? Does the site load any unnecessary, slowing files? We fix the errors.
  • Meta data. Meta data can be used to provide Google with additional information about the site. For example, a description. We make sure that every page has its meta data in order.
SEO auditointi

Technical Audit

The audit reviews and checks the most critical aspects of search engine optimization. Below is a list of actions:

  • Robots.txt. Does Robots.txt prevent search engines from crawling the pages?
  • Robots meta tags. Do Robots meta tags prevent search engines from crawling the pages?
  • HTTP error codes. Are there, for example, 404 (page not found) errors?
  • XML sitemaps. Is the XML sitemap built correctly and has it been submitted to search engines?
  • Site structure. Is all content less than 2 clicks away? Are there pages that are not linked to at all?
  • Site speed. Google PageSpeed Insights and Pingdom Tools test.
  • Mobile compatibility. Google's mobile test and testing the page on a phone/tablet.
  • Google indexing check. Which pages search engines have indexed.
  • Comparing index to sitemap. Does the number of pages in Google's index differ from the XML sitemap?
  • Brand searches. Does the site rank 1st when searching for the page with its own URL, brand, or company name?
  • URL structure. Are the URLs short and user-friendly? Does the URL contain the keyword?
  • Page content. Is the page content extensive enough (over 300 words)? Does the content bring value to users (page visit duration)?
  • Page keywords. Keyword research. Which search query is each page optimized for? Is it possible to optimize the page for a better keyword with higher search volume?
  • Is there duplicate content? Does the same content appear multiple times within the site, and has the duplicate content been fixed with a canonical tag?
  • Is the content copied? Is the text on the site copied from other websites on the internet?
  • Is the HTML code validated? Are there serious errors in the HTML code?
  • Titles, metas, alts, and other tags. Are the aforementioned set and clear? Are there typos? Does the page keyword appear in the tags?
  • Overview of current search engine visibility
  • Trustworthiness (Page Authority and Domain Authority metrics)
  • External links (backlinks). Number of links, whether the links are from trustworthy sources. How can more high-quality backlinks be acquired?
  • Social visibility. Visibility and shares on social media. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn
  • Top 10 competitors for the same searches. Comparison of the site and competitors, including social media visibility, backlinks, number of overlapping searches, average positions in search results.
avainsanatyokalu

Keyword Research

The idea of SEO keyword research is to find out what words people use to search for your services.

SEO keyword research is the process of identifying the search terms and phrases that your target audience uses when looking for information online. With keyword research, I can optimize your content so that it better answers user queries and improves your visibility in search engines.

Initial Steps

  • Define: What do we want to achieve? (e.g., more traffic, better conversion).
  • Audience: What is your typical customer like?
  • Analyze competitors: We look at competitors' sites and what optimization measures they have taken.

Tools for Keyword Research

  • Google Keyword Planner: A free tool that helps you find new keywords and see their search volumes. More information

Keyword Analysis

  • Search volume: I find out how many searches a specific keyword gets per month.
  • Competition: I assess how tough the competition is for that particular keyword.
  • Relevance: I ensure that the keywords are suitable for your content and target audience.

Selecting and Implementing Keywords

  • I select keywords that offer a good balance between search volume and competition.
  • I integrate keywords naturally into the page content, headings, meta descriptions, and URLs.
  • High-quality and informative content is key in search engine optimization.

Monitoring and Optimization

On-page search engine optimization

On-page search engine optimization refers to actions taken within the website (and not, for example, outside the website).

On-page optimization ensures that your website's structure, content, and technical features are optimal so that search engines can better understand its content and provide visitors with relevant search results.

Basic principles

  • Clear site structure: A structured and logical website hierarchy helps search engines index your content more efficiently.
  • Responsiveness and speed: I ensure that your website works smoothly on different devices and loads quickly, as this affects both user experience and search engine rankings.

Optimization measures

  • URL structure: Use clear and descriptive URLs that contain keywords. This improves both search engines' and users' understanding of the site's content.
  • Meta data: Optimize titles (title tags) and meta descriptions so that they contain the most important keywords and attract clicks in search results.
  • Internal links: Build a strong internal linking network that guides visitors to your most important pages and helps search engines find and index all parts of your site.
  • Image optimization: Add image alt texts, reduce file sizes, and ensure that images are responsive.
  • Heading structures: Use clear heading levels (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure content and highlight important keywords.

Technical optimization

  • Sitemap and robots.txt: Create an XML sitemap and ensure that the robots.txt file guides search engines to the right places.
  • HTTPS and mobile-friendliness: Ensure that your site is secured with HTTPS and optimized for mobile use, as these are important ranking factors.
  • Analytics and tracking: Utilize tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your site's performance and identify areas for improvement.
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SEO-optimized content production

SEO-optimized content creation is usually included in the price of the SEO project.

New content is created for your website for search terms you do not yet rank for on Google.

One page is optimized for one search term. For example, this page you are reading now appears in the search for "search engine optimization", but not for "digital marketing", even though the topics are somewhat related.

SEO content creation is not always easy. To succeed, you need to know a lot about consumer psychology and internet behavior.

Good SEO content includes these things:

  • Optimized for one search term
  • The headline is interesting
  • Meta data encourages clicks / is better than others
  • Content is clear and informative
  • Contains images/lists/tables or other easily scannable information

Off-page SEO

Off-page optimization focuses on actions that improve your website's authority and visibility outside of search engines.

This process is based on strong external signals, such as high-quality links, social media, and brand awareness, which together support your website's rankings in search results.

Link building

  • High-quality inbound links: Aim to acquire links from trustworthy and relevant websites. High-quality links act as "votes" for search engines, strengthening your site's authority.
  • Guest blogging and collaborations: Publish articles on industry blogs and seek collaboration opportunities that naturally lead to link creation.
  • Natural link profile: Invest in a diverse link profile that includes both high-quality and local sources.

Social media and brand visibility

  • Activate social media channels: Utilize social media platforms to share content and interact with your audience. This helps increase brand awareness and earn natural links.
  • Content marketing: High-quality and informative content attracts both visitors and other websites to share your materials, supporting off-page optimization.
  • User reviews and recommendations: Encourage customers to leave positive reviews and recommendations, which increase your brand's credibility.

Local SEO and brand reputation

  • Local directories and listings: Register in local business directories, such as Google My Business, so that customers can find you more easily.
  • Review management: Actively monitor and respond to customer feedback. Positive reviews support both local visibility and search engine rankings.
  • Collaboration with local operators: Network with regional businesses and organizations to gain more visibility and links.

Off-page SEO is a long-term strategy that requires continuous monitoring and updating. When you invest in high-quality link building, social media visibility, and developing your brand's reputation, you strengthen your site's position in the competition and improve search engine rankings.

Backlinks

Links from other websites are the hardest part of search engine optimization.

A single high-quality link from another website can double your visibility. “High-quality” means that the site covers the same topic as your site and does not look like spam.

Effective ways to get high-quality links:

  • You can get links from my link networks
  • You can get a link as a reference from this page
  • You can ask your clients to add your website as a reference on their sites
  • You can write guest posts for other websites' blogs

Below is described what a good link means

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And these, on the other hand, are bad links

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SEO Tracking

It is important to track SEO. Often, results appear several weeks or even months after the actions have been taken.

Monitoring search engine optimization is easiest to do using Google Search Console and a paid tool, Wincher.

  • How search term visibility develops daily
  • Search volume trends / how many searches per month
  • How competitors appear in search
  • What is your % share of the entire search market (Share of voice)

SEO guide & how to do SEO yourself

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a way to structure websites to rank highly for desired search terms.

Read the guides if you want to do search engine optimization yourself:
SEO Guide for Beginners
SEO Guide for Professionals

History of Search Engine Optimization

  • Early Stages: The roots of search engine optimization date back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when search engine algorithms were much simpler. Website rankings were often determined based on keyword density and visibility.
  • Google and Algorithm Updates: Google became the number one search engine because it produced the best results for every search. Algorithms, such as Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird, began to emphasize content quality, user experience, and natural link profiles. These updates aimed to combat search engine optimization manipulation and provide users with more relevant results.
  • Modern methods: In recent years, search engines have become better at understanding users' search intent, and search engine optimization has evolved to include comprehensive content marketing, technical optimization, mobile optimization, and user experience improvement.

The future of search engine optimization

  • Personalization and user experience: Search engines are developing their algorithms to be increasingly personalized. Optimizing the user experience will become even more important, as search results are tailored based on individual user data and behavioral patterns.
  • Growth of mobile and voice search: The rise of mobile devices and voice-controlled searches is driving development towards mobile-friendly and voice-optimized websites.
  • The role of artificial intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize SEO strategies as search engines become better at analyzing content, understanding context, and predicting user needs. AI-powered tools help optimize content in real time and anticipate changes in search engine algorithms.

How does artificial intelligence affect search engine optimization?

  • Search engine algorithms: Search engines, especially Google, use AI and machine learning (such as RankBrain and BERT) to better understand user queries and content context. This means that content quality and relevance are more important than just keyword usage.
  • Data analytics: AI tools help analyze large amounts of data and find new keywords, trends, and optimization opportunities, enabling the design of more precise and targeted SEO strategies.
  • Personalization: AI enables the delivery of personalized user experiences, making the tailoring of website content for different user groups more effective. This can improve user engagement and website conversions.

How AI-generated content affects search engine optimization

  • Quality assurance: AI can be used to create large amounts of content quickly, but ensuring quality is key. Search engines value natural content that provides added value to users, so simply focusing on quantity is not enough.
  • Optimization and personalization: AI can analyze user data and optimize content in real time. This enables content personalization and better engagement, which can improve search engine rankings.
  • Risks and challenges: Excessive use of AI-generated content without human editing may lead to a decline in quality, which can negatively affect the site's SEO value. Additionally, search engines may detect artificial content, which can lead to penalties.
  • The importance of creativity and the human touch: Although AI offers powerful tools for content creation, human-made artistic and targeted content remains a competitive advantage, as it can better meet the needs of the target audience.
avainsanatyokalu

What is keyword research

Keyword research is the process of finding out what words people use to search for your services on Google.

  • Where your company's products are searched for (Google, Bing, YouTube, or other media)
  • What searches people use to try and find your products
  • What devices people use to search for your products (Desktop, mobile, tablet)

With this information, each of your pages can be targeted to the right Google search.

Most common problems and answers in search engine optimization

  • Keyword research failure
    It is possible to misinterpret keyword research and choose completely irrelevant and challenging words to optimize. You might spend a lot of time and energy on words that do not actually produce results.

  • Lack of high-quality content
    Low-quality content, spam, or low-quality content generated by AI can get your site into trouble. Google's goal is to provide the most relevant result for every search. If your site does not provide any benefit to the visitor, Google can remove it from search results entirely.

  • Slow website loading time
    Your website should load in under 2.5 seconds, because people don't have the patience to wait for loading times over 3 seconds. 

  • Poor mobile-friendliness
    Regardless of the industry, nowadays 70% of your website visitors are on mobile devices. If your website doesn't work on mobile, it won't show up on Google either.

  • Unclear URL structure
    Strange and unclear URLs make the website harder to use and thus also hurt your visibility in search engines.

  • Neglecting meta data optimization
    Meta data is not officially mandatory, but it is one of the easiest ways to achieve good search visibility. Meta data consists of the title and description that appear directly in Google's search results. With a well-optimized title and description, you can help people click your link instead of others appearing in the same search.

  • Misuse of heading tags
    Multiple H1 headings or incorrect heading order on a page can negatively affect your website's search engine optimization. It also makes it harder for visually impaired and blind people to use screen readers on the site.

  • Lack of internal links
    Every page should have at least one link to another page within the site. This helps people navigate to the next section or complete a desired conversion on your site.

  • Weakness of external links
    Every page should also have a link to an external website. This could be, for example, a source link to quoted text or something else.

  • Neglecting image optimization
    Large, unoptimized images slow down the site and do not support SEO

  • Lack of a sitemap
    Search engines cannot find all pages without an XML sitemap.

  • Errors in the robots.txt file
    An incorrectly configured robots.txt can prevent important pages from being indexed.

  • Failing to utilize analytics tools
    Without analytics, it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of SEO efforts.

  • Neglecting competitor analysis
    You do not know how competitors are performing, which can lead to a weak strategy.

  • Old and outdated content
    Content that does not match current search trends can lose rankings.

  • Overuse of keywords (keyword stuffing)
    Excessive repetition of keywords can lead to penalties from search engines.
    Answer: Use keywords naturally and focus on quality instead of quantity.

  • Neglecting local SEO
    Businesses will not reach a local audience without proper local signals.

  • Lack of social media visibility
    A weak social media presence can limit content distribution and link potential.

  • Lack of brand reputation management
    Negative reviews and a weak brand image can affect SEO.

  • Website security issues
    Lack of HTTPS can weaken visitor trust and rankings

  • Weaknesses in user experience (UX)
    Poor navigation and unclear site structure reduce user engagement.

  • Broken links
    Broken links, meaning links that do not work, are a bad sign in search engine optimization.

  • Excessive use of advertising links
    Links to external sites are good, but excessive use can limit visibility. Do not stuff pages full of links to other sites. 

  • Publishing duplicate content
    If you publish the same content on multiple different pages or copy content produced by someone else, Google will likely not display your content with a good ranking in search results. 

SEO auditointi

Download a free SEO audit template

The easiest way to test the items in the audit template is to use Screaming Frog SEO Spider.

A free desktop tool that analyzes the shortcomings in your site's search visibility.

I use this audit template myself with every new client. The goal is to get every item green before moving on to the next phase.

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Mobile-first search engine optimization

Since 2019, Google has not taken desktop versions of websites into account at all. Source: Google's blog post on the topic.

All speed and usability tests are performed on the mobile version. Therefore, the usability and speed guarantee primarily includes optimizing the mobile version, as Google does not take the desktop version into account.

  • You need to score over 90/100 in Google's speed test to get a green result.