Deciphering SEO referrers: definition and use

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Referer

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Le referer is a key concept in natural referencing, also known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Understanding how it works and what it entails will help you optimise the presence of your website on search engines and attract qualified traffic.

With this in mind, we offer you a detailed analysis of the referer concept and the best practices for taking advantage of it.

What is a referer?

The term "referer" refers to theauthority that a search engine gives to a website or web page, based on a number of relevance criteria. This authority translates into improved positioning of the site in search results, such as Googlewhich increases its visibility and, potentially, the number of visitors.

Several factors influence the authority of a site, including :

• The quality and relevance of the content, such as the articles in the blogvideos or podcasts.
• L'user experience offered by the site, in terms of navigation, loading and display speed, and accessibility.
• The quantity and quality of inbound links (or backlinks) from other well-known websites and/or websites specialising in the same subject. These links demonstrate the added value of the content and its contribution to the digital ecosystem.

How do you analyse the referer?

A number of SEO tools, both free and paid, can be used to assess a website's SEO performance. The key indicators to monitor to determine a site's authority include :

PageRank

Initially created by Google, this criterion measures the popularity of a web page based on the quality and number of links pointing to it. PageRank ranges from 0 (very low authority) to 10 (maximum authority). While interest in this indicator has been waning for several years, it is still relevant for assessing the strength of a website. backlink.

Trust Flow

This index, developed by Majestic SEO evaluates the trust placed by search engines in a page's incoming links. The more a link comes from a reliable and recognised source, the higher the Trust Flow will be high, generally between 0 and 100. This criterion is particularly useful for distinguishing quality links from artificial or "spammy" links, which are detrimental to referencing.

The Citation Flow

Still offered by Majestic SEO, the Quote Flow measures the potential impact of a link on a page, regardless of its origin. It takes into account the popularity of the linking page and the number of external links it contains (the more it has, the less 'value' each link has). Again, the scale goes from 0 to 100.

Domain Authority

Frequently used by SEOs, the Domain Authority (DA) is an indicator designed by Moz. It assesses theglobal authority of a website on a scale of 0 to 100, based on the data collected by its own index of links. The DA is particularly useful for comparing the performance of different sites and determining which has the greatest SEO weight.

How can we improve referrals?

To optimise your online presence and boost the authority of your site in the eyes of search engines, you need to adopt a number of best practices:

Produce and optimise relevant, high-quality content

Publish regular textsInclude relevant keywords in your titles, sub-titles and meta tags, as well as internal links (links pointing to other pages on your site). Take care to include relevant keywords in your titles, subtitles and meta tags, and to create internal links (links pointing to other pages on your site).

Enhancing the user experience

Make sure your site is quick to load, easy to navigate and accessible on all types of device (computers, smartphones, tablets). Don't forget to set up a system for sharing content on social networks, to encourage word-of-mouth and interaction.

Obtaining quality backlinks

Seek partnerships with other complementary sites that are experts or influential in your field. Offer them link exchanges, guest-blogging or exclusive interviews, for example. You can also use social networks to promote your publications and encourage sharing. Finally, don't hesitate to submit your content to specialised directories, forums and other platforms for the exchange of information.opinion.

Monitoring and adapting your SEO strategy

Regularly measure the progress of your audienceYou can use this data to monitor your content, your rankings in search results and your authority (thanks to the indicators mentioned above). Draw lessons from this data to adjust your content strategy, from internal networking as well as technical optimisation as required.