Entries by Stephan M. Czaja

Crawled: What It Means When Google Crawls a Page

If the term “crawled” appears in Search Console or an SEO tool, it simply means that a Google bot has visited the page and read its source code. Without this step, even the best page remains invisible to search engines, no matter how compelling the content is or how much work has gone into the […]

Google’s Algorithm: How Rankings and Updates Work

The Google algorithm is not a single program, but rather an interplay of hundreds of signals that collectively determine which page appears in which position in the search results. For businesses, this means that rankings should never be viewed in isolation, but always in the context of their overall visibility strategy. Our example of the […]

Page Speed: Why Load Time Affects Rankings and Users

Page Speed describes how quickly a website actually becomes usable for visitors, from the initial render to full interactivity. Google has cited this aspect as an integral part of its algorithm for years and measures it using specific metrics. Our article on technical SEO provides a broader overview of crawling, structure, and load time; this […]

Sitemap: What the XML File Does for Google and Crawlers

A sitemap is a website’s “map” for search engines. It lists all relevant URLs and provides crawlers with information about which pages exist, how important they are, and when they were last updated. The close relationship between a sitemap and robots.txt becomes apparent when crawling any large domain. Our article “Webmaster Tools Basics” provides a […]

Robots.txt: How the File Controls Crawlers and AI Bots

The robots.txt file is one of the oldest control files on the web, yet it is often configured incorrectly. It specifies which areas of a website search engine crawlers are allowed to visit, and it increasingly determines whether AI systems use content for training data or live responses. Our article on crawling and load time […]

SEO: A Complete Guide to Search Engine Optimization

SEO, short for search engine optimization, encompasses all measures designed to increase a website’s visibility in search results and, increasingly, in AI responses. This overview explains key terms such as “domain” and “ranking” and provides links to all of the agency’s in-depth articles. What is SEO? SEO encompasses all measures that make a website easier […]

FAQ: Content Format and FAQ Schema as Structured Data for SEO

FAQ stands for “Frequently Asked Questions” and is both a standalone content format and a technical markup format for search engines. When used correctly, FAQs support both traditional on-page optimization and citability in generative AI systems. FAQs as a Content Format As a content format, an FAQ compiles the questions users actually ask about a […]

E-E-A-T: How Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust Influence Rankings

E-E-A-T is Google’s framework for evaluating the quality of content and its creators. It is incorporated into nearly every SEO strategy and is scrutinized particularly closely for sensitive topics such as health, law, or finance, as the SEO/GEO audit regularly demonstrates. What does E-E-A-T stand for? E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust, and […]

Generative AI Models: How ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews Are Changing Visibility

Generative models generate their own, tailored responses to a query—rather than simply providing links, as a traditional search engine does. For businesses, this fundamentally changes the rules of the game when it comes to visibility and makes Generative Engine Optimization a new must-have discipline. What are generative AI models? Generative models are AI systems that […]