FAQ

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What is the difference between SEO and SEM?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the set of practices for improving organic search visibility without paying for placement. SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is an umbrella term that includes both organic SEO and paid search advertising (PPC) such as Google Ads. In common usage, SEM is often used as a synonym for paid search only.

How does Google's ranking algorithm work?

Google uses a system of algorithms that evaluates hundreds of signals to order results: content relevance and quality relative to search intent, domain and page authority (backlink signals), Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS), HTTPS security, E-E-A-T signals and behavioural data. Google continually updates its algorithms; official documentation is available on Google Search Central.

What is crawl budget and how does it affect indexing?

Crawl budget is the number of URLs Googlebot is willing to crawl on a site within a given period. Small sites rarely have crawl budget issues; large sites (e-commerce with millions of SKUs, session-parameter URLs, redirect chains) may have important pages left unindexed because the crawler skips them. Managed via robots.txt, XML sitemaps, reduction of parametric URLs and canonicalisation.

What are Core Web Vitals and why do they matter for SEO?

Core Web Vitals are three Google user experience metrics: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint - loading speed of main content), INP (Interaction to Next Paint - input responsiveness) and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift - visual stability). They are confirmed ranking signals included in the Page Experience Update. A "good" score on all three (LCP < 2.5 s, INP < 200 ms, CLS < 0.1) is a technical SEO prerequisite.

What is the difference between CPA and CAC?

These are two distinct metrics that are often confused. CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) measures the cost of obtaining any type of conversion (lead, sale, app install, download). CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) measures specifically the cost of acquiring a new paying customer and typically includes total marketing and sales costs. A low CPA can coexist with a high CAC if most leads do not convert to paying customers.

What is ROAS and how does it differ from ROI?

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) measures revenue generated per unit of advertising spend: ROAS = Campaign Revenue / Ad Spend. ROI (Return on Investment) is a comprehensive profitability metric including all costs (not just ad spend): ROI = (Net Profit - Investment) / Investment × 100. A high ROAS does not guarantee positive ROI if product or operational costs are high.

How does the canonical tag work and when should it be used?

The tag tells Google which URL to treat as the primary version when multiple pages with identical or very similar content exist. Used for: HTTP/HTTPS versions, URLs with and without trailing slash, pages with session or UTM parameters, syndicated content, product variants with minimal differences. The canonical tag should be placed only in the and must point to the definitive URL intended for ranking.

A backlink (inbound link) is a link from an external site to your own site. Google interprets them as editorial "votes of confidence": a backlink from an authoritative and topically relevant page signals that the content is high quality. Quality (source authority, context relevance, anchor text) matters more than quantity. Links acquired through manipulative practices (link schemes, low-quality mass guest posting) can be ignored or penalised.

What is structured data and how do rich results work?

Structured data (schema markup) is JSON-LD (or Microdata) code embedded in HTML to explicitly describe the type and content of a page to Google (product, article, FAQ, recipe, event). It enables rich results - enriched SERP formats such as featured snippets, review stars, prices, FAQ accordions - that increase visibility and often CTR. Implementation follows Google Search Central guidelines and schema.org.

How do you measure the success of an SEO strategy?

Key metrics include: organic traffic (Google Search Console or Analytics), average positions for strategic keywords (Search Console), organic CTR, impressions, conversions from organic channel and attributed revenue. For link building: number and quality of referring domains. Indexing coverage (indexed vs. total pages) and Core Web Vitals are also monitored. No single metric suffices - evaluation is multi-dimensional.

What is search intent and why is it fundamental?

Search intent is the reason behind a user's query: informational (wants to know), navigational (wants to reach a site), transactional (wants to buy/act) or commercial-investigational (wants to compare). Aligning content type and format to intent is a ranking prerequisite: Google favours content that best satisfies the query's intent. Writing a blog article for a clearly transactional keyword rarely works.

What are tracking cookies in the context of digital marketing?

Tracking cookies are small text files stored by the browser to identify a user across sessions, follow their path across multiple sites (third-party cookies) and attribute conversions to marketing campaigns. The ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC and its amendments) and the GDPR (EU Regulation 2016/679) govern the conditions for their use. This material describes general principles: for assessments on the specific consent obligation applicable to your implementation and jurisdiction, consult a qualified professional.

How does multi-touch attribution work in digital marketing?

Multi-touch attribution distributes conversion credit among all touchpoints in the user journey rather than assigning it to just one. Main models: last click (all to the final channel), first click (all to the first), linear (evenly distributed), time decay (more weight to recent ones) and data-driven (based on historical statistical data). Model choice impacts budget decisions: the last-click model tends to overestimate bottom-of-funnel channels like branded paid search.

What is Google Search Console and how is it used for SEO?

Google Search Console (GSC) is Google's free tool for monitoring a site's organic performance. It provides data on queries (keywords driving impressions and clicks), average positions, CTR, index coverage (indexed pages, errors), sitemaps, mobile usability and Core Web Vitals. It is the primary tool for diagnosing indexing issues, monitoring the impact of algorithm updates and identifying optimisation opportunities.

An effective link building strategy is based on creating quality content others want to link to (link earning), digital PR (press releases for industry sites, original research), editorially relevant guest posting, broken link building (finding broken links on third-party sites and proposing your content as a replacement) and reclaiming unlinked brand mentions. Manipulative link building tactics (link buying, link farms, exchange schemes) violate Google guidelines.