All posts by : Rachel Wisdom

Search engines have one goal: to provide their users with the best search results for their search queries. After all, Google is “just” a service provider that must meet its customers’ expectations to remain successful in the long term. Therefore, the search engine giant is constantly working on improving its algorithm, constantly seeking factors that provide reliable information about the relevance of search results. The signals that users themselves “send” are crucial for Google search.

Big influence of user signals on Google ranking

The world of search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly evolving, and one of the newer elements gaining importance is user signals as a ranking factor on Google. User signals refer to the behavior of users on a website and how they interact with search results. These signals provide Google with important information about how relevant, useful, and trustworthy a website is to users. Learn more about how user signals influence search rankings here:

1. Click-through rate (CTR)

Google measures how often a search result is clicked. The simple calculation: The more clicks, the better a search result appeals to searchers, as it appears more relevant. Of course, pages listed high in the rankings naturally have a higher click-through rate than lower-ranking pages. Therefore, the click-through rate should not be overestimated. However, it can cause ranking changes if a lower-ranking page receives more clicks than a higher-ranking one.

2. Time spent on the page

The time spent on a page tells Google how relevant it is for searchers. The longer the time spent on a page, the more informative, entertaining, or at least interesting a page appears to be. However, this data should also be treated with caution. In individual cases, a long time spent on a page can also indicate that it’s particularly confusing, requiring a search for the desired information. However, it can generally be assumed that most visitors won’t even bother with such chaotic pages.

3. Bounce Rate

The bounce rate tells Google what percentage of visitors who reach a website via a search engine result page (SERP) leave the website on the landing page. These visitors, therefore, generate only one page impression. This user signal highlights the complexity of assessing user behavior. Simply classifying a page with a high bounce rate as irrelevant would be simplistic.

People who Google are often looking for very specific information. Once they find it on the page they clicked on, they leave satisfied without further interaction. Therefore, the bounce rate can increase even if the visitor is satisfied. If they don’t find the information they’re looking for, they also leave the page and return to the search results. This also increases the bounce rate.

Return-to-SERP rate

More interesting than the bounce rate alone is the return-to-SERP rate, which measures how often a user returns to the search results from a clicked page. If the user then clicks on another search result, this signals to Google that they obviously didn’t find what they were looking for on the previous page.

Due to the analysis issues described above, Google likely links the bounce rate to a time reference. Only visitors who leave particularly quickly, for example, within ten seconds, are included in the bounce rate value. This excludes visitors who immediately found what they were looking for and therefore left the website on the landing page.

4. Social Signals

Social signals are a fairly reliable indicator of relevance. These include posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as their interactions. On social networks, only compelling content gets liked, shared, and commented on. Therefore, the more often links to a particular page appear there, the more helpful, interesting, or entertaining it must be.

For Google, the intensity of use of one’s own social media profiles is also an indicator of the topicality of an internet offering.

5. Pages per session

This signal indicates how many pages a user visits during a session on a website. A higher number of pages per session indicates that users continue to browse for further relevant content on the page. Google may view this as a sign of a comprehensive and useful website.

6. Repeat visits

When users return to a website regularly, this can indicate valuable and trustworthy content. Google may view repeat visits as a sign of established authority and high user satisfaction.

User signals can be optimized in many ways.

To send Google optimal user signals, real added value is essential. But to offer this, you need to know your target audience and understand their needs. Of course, good content and a user-friendly website can also positively influence the user signals discussed above. This type of search engine optimization is even explicitly encouraged by Google, as it improves content and usability without resorting to dubious methods.

Here’s how to optimize the individual factors:

1. Increase click rate

A page only has a few seconds in the search results to convince a searcher to visit it. The page title and the maximum two-line description ( meta description ) take up the most space. Each website operator usually determines these themselves, which allows for considerable creative freedom. Because the title and description are the first points of contact with a page, they should be worded carefully.

The title should convey the page’s content as concisely as possible in a few words. Therefore, the website name should be placed at the end, not at the beginning. The title element should be no longer than 55 characters (excluding spaces), otherwise it will be truncated.

The description specifies exactly what the visitor can expect. It is a brief synopsis or preview of the content. For optimal wording, it helps to follow the AIDA principle: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Depending on the industry, special characters such as checkmarks and asterisks can draw attention to the description. The description will be truncated if it exceeds 156 characters (including spaces).

2. Increase length of stay

Anyone who provides relevant content doesn’t really have to worry about dwell time. However, there are a few small adjustments you can make to maximize the results. Generally speaking, more content also requires more time. Short articles like those in “Bild” don’t retain visitors for very long. A certain article length can therefore be beneficial, provided the text consistently provides usable information and not just hot air. Anyone who artificially inflates their articles will likely reap the opposite effect, and users will abandon their site.

Paragraphs and subheadings

To prevent long texts from discouraging and alienating visitors, they should be well-structured with paragraphs and subheadings and enriched with images. Photo galleries, infographics, statistics, etc., can further increase dwell time. The most important information should always be at the top of an article. This way, the reader immediately recognizes that it’s worth reading on.

Demand interaction

Blogs should encourage their readers to interact—first and foremost, of course, by leaving comments. Comments can be encouraged by actively encouraging them at the end of an article. This shouldn’t be a general request, however, but rather a specific question, for example, about personal experiences with a topic.

Support via live chat

Another way to increase dwell time and simultaneously reduce the bounce rate is to offer support to your visitors. This works particularly well with live chat. One click is all it takes for the visitor to contact the site operator. Online shops, in particular, benefit from this service, which increases the likelihood of a purchase.

In principle, however, such live chats are suitable for anyone willing to answer visitors’ questions about the website’s content.
Instead of a live chat, you can also display a message box and answer questions via email. Alternatively, a forum where like-minded people can exchange ideas on a topic can increase the length of stay.

3. Reduce bounce rate

Bounce rates are always high when searchers don’t find what they’re expecting. A good title and description are, therefore, the first step toward a low bounce rate. After that, the page itself must be compelling.

As already explained, visitors who bounce particularly quickly are the most problematic. This reflex is often triggered by pages that load too slowly, regardless of their content. Long loading times are doubly detrimental: They themselves are a negative factor for Google rankings, but the increased bounce rate also drags the page down. Optimizing page speed is therefore important for several reasons.

The right first impression

First impressions are also important: If a page appears chaotic to visitors, they’ll quickly return to the search results without further consideration. The same applies to poor design. A clear design with a good structure that guides the visitor’s eye is recommended. The page layout should be intuitive, so they know where to find something within seconds. Clear categorization also helps with orientation.

Easy navigation

Particular attention should be paid to navigation. Only if it is clearly visible and easy to use will visitors continue to visit other pages on the website. By placing internal links to further information or related articles at the end of an article, you can entice visitors to visit additional pages, which significantly reduces the bounce rate.

Pages that require sensitive interactions—that is, those that want to sell something or request the submission of personal data—must be designed with particular care. Visitors must trust them to take action. Design and clarity are particularly important here. Furthermore, visitors should be transparently informed about why data is being requested and how it is being processed. This reduces skepticism and builds trust.

4. Increase social media interactions

To increase visibility on social networks and traffic from them, you should make things as easy as possible for your visitors. If there are social buttons at the end of an article, texts will be shared significantly more often. After all, just a few clicks are enough. However, if the visitor has to laboriously write a recommendation to their friends and followers on the network themselves, the article must be of outstanding quality for them to take the time to do this.

Competitions

Also popular are contests that require a person to like a Facebook page or tweet with a link to the contest to participate. The lower the hurdle, the more attractive the prizes and the higher the chance of winning, the more people are willing to participate.

Free consideration

Similar to entering a contest, social media activity can also be required for content approval. This is already done for additional offers such as free eBooks. In exchange for a tweet “as payment,” the eBook is available for free. With the WordPress plugin Social Locker, entire pages can be placed behind an “interaction barrier.” Only those who post, like, or share can read the entire article. In principle, this is a great way to achieve more interaction on social networks, but by no means suitable for every industry. A less social media-savvy target audience is likely to be put off by such requirements, which in turn negatively impacts the bounce rate and dwell time.

Conclusion: Content and usability are the be-all and end-all

Optimizing user signals has become a crucial factor not only for improving visibility and search engine rankings but also for providing a better user experience. The way users interact with your website says a lot about how relevant, useful, and trustworthy your content is. The multitude of user signals, from CTR to dwell time to bounce rate, provide valuable insights that help search engines like Google assess the quality of your website.

The foundation for successful user signal optimization lies in creating high-quality content tailored to the needs and interests of your target audience. A clear and intuitive website, fast loading times, mobile optimization, and interactive elements all help improve the user experience and encourage user engagement. By listening to user feedback and continuously working on improving your website, you can increase user satisfaction while positively impacting your search engine rankings.

The progressive evolution of search engine algorithms toward incorporating user signals demonstrates that search engine providers strive to provide their users with the best possible experience. This means that those who value high-quality content and a positive user experience will be rewarded in the long run. Optimizing user signals should therefore not only be viewed as a strategic approach to boosting search engine rankings, but as a fundamental step toward building a strong online presence and providing real value to users.

In the US, users have been selling and buying through Facebook’s Marketplace feature since fall 2016. Now it’s coming to Germany, threatening other providers like Shpock and eBay Classifieds. We’ve taken a look at Facebook Marketplace and show you what you can expect.

What is Facebook Marketplace?

Essentially, Facebook Marketplace is an online flea market. That’s nothing new. However, some users might be pleased that you no longer have to leave Facebook to access it. Facebook’s basic idea is to pool the numerous sales groups, thereby giving individual sellers greater reach for their listings.

It’s designed to be incredibly easy to use. You can sell anything you no longer need on the platform free of charge. The format is primarily aimed at local sales. In addition to Germany, the feature is currently being rolled out in 16 other countries. However, sales here don’t cross national borders. Facebook justifies this restriction by saying that most users only search for local listings in their area anyway.

You can sell anything that complies with Facebook’s trading guidelines. So, theoretically, you could even list cars or real estate.

How does the marketplace work?

Facebook Marketplace is a platform where you can buy or sell used items. Before using the platform, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the site’s trading policies.

To access the Marketplace, log in to Facebook via your browser. Then click on “Marketplace” on the left side of your News Feed. The Marketplace will open in a separate window with its own navigation bar, allowing you to filter products by category.

Payment isn’t handled centrally via the platform, but rather privately between sellers. If you want to sell a product, click “+ Create new listing” and then “Sale item.” Here you can add photos, set the price, and enter other information. Finally, click “Publish.”

Interestingly, there are no fees for either buyers or sellers. This aspect makes the marketplace a serious competitor to platforms like eBay Classifieds.

Facebook Marketplace offers a straightforward way to buy or sell used items and proves to be a practical addition to the variety of online trading platforms.

Method of payment

While users in the US already pay via Facebook Messenger, German users still have to handle the payment themselves. Prepayment and PayPal are available here, as is already common practice in many sales groups. Our tip: it’s best to use PayPal because you can always get your money back in cases of fraud.

When and if Facebook will roll out payment via Messenger in Germany has not yet been confirmed.

The marketers among you are surely already excited, as the platform is a prime advertising opportunity, as users are already searching for products there, and the intent to buy is already there. Unfortunately, we, or rather, Facebook, have to disappoint you, because advertising is not currently planned for the Marketplace. In the US, only a few tests were conducted. The results of these tests have not been published either.

What do commercial traders need to pay attention to on Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook Marketplace offers you, as a business retailer, a great opportunity to showcase your products to a broad user base. However, there are some important points to keep in mind to ensure the best possible experience on this platform. Here are some tips for you:

1. Policies and Terms of Service: Make sure you fully understand and adhere to Facebook Marketplace’s policies and terms of service. These rules define what types of products and services you can offer on the platform.

2. Clear and accurate product descriptions: Create detailed and precise product descriptions. Potential buyers should understand exactly what to expect from your products. Include information about the condition, size, color, brand, etc.

3. High-quality images: Use high-quality images to present your products clearly and attractively. Good images pique buyers’ interest and help them make an informed purchasing decision.

4. Honest condition information: Be honest and transparent about the condition of your products. If there are any signs of wear, clearly state this in your description.

5. Pricing: Set reasonable and competitive prices for your products. Compare similar listings on the marketplace to ensure your prices are fair.

6. Fast response time: Respond promptly to inquiries from potential buyers. A quick response time demonstrates your professionalism and your interest in a successful transaction.

7. Trustworthy profile: Make sure your Facebook profile appears trustworthy. A complete profile with clear information about your business can boost buyer trust.

8. Payment and shipping options: Clarify in advance which payment and shipping options you offer. Clearly communicating this information will avoid misunderstandings.

9. Customer reviews and feedback: Collect positive customer reviews and feedback to build your credibility. Buyers often rely on the opinions of others before making a purchase.

10. Customer Focus: Provide excellent customer service. Be helpful and courteous to build a positive relationship with your customers.

Facebook Marketplace can be an effective platform for you as a business retailer to showcase your products and reach new customers. If you follow these tips, you can build a positive reputation and operate successfully in the marketplace.

How secure is Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook, of course, states that users have nothing to fear. Ultimately, however, Facebook Marketplace is only as “safe” as Facebook itself. Everyone has their own opinion and their own sense of security.

What’s certain is that you decide how much others see of you, which is up to you and your privacy settings. Communication between users takes place via Facebook Messenger or the Marketplace itself. To buy or sell products, you must be at least 18 years old.

Marketplace kills the eBay star?

The signs certainly point to this. eBay’s user numbers have been stagnating for some time, and the platform is struggling to stay relevant. Facebook is entering the market with a much larger user base (2 billion active users worldwide; 550 million users are already active in sales groups).

One might even assume that Facebook is shooting itself in the foot with Marketplace, because what will become of the many sales groups? These will remain and will even be strengthened with the new feature.

All ads you post in one of the groups can also be displayed on the Marketplace at the same time, increasing reach and reaching more potential buyers. It remains to be seen how this will be received by users who use groups to stay among their peers.

But what about eBay? Could the most well-known online flea market soon be extinct? Not necessarily. Sure, Facebook seems like an invincible opponent, but the social media giant has already tested the “Daily Deals” feature in the US, which also integrates offers from the eBay platform into the Marketplace. Users can only see the offers there. The transaction then takes place via the eBay website itself. So it smacks of cooperation rather than displacement.

Conclusion

The Marketplace makes Facebook more of a sales platform, but it could also enjoy similar popularity here as it does among US users. According to Facebook, over 18 million listings were posted there in May 2017 alone.

Sometimes there’s not much difference between success and failure. However, for your company to measure the impact of its actions, it needs KPIs. But what are KPIs, and which ones are truly important for you? In this FAQ article, we’ll show you what these three magic letters mean and explore 10 questions related to them.

Key Takeaway – The most important things in brief:

• Definition and meaning: KPIs are performance indicators used to measure, control, and evaluate various activities in companies in order to monitor and control their efficiency and success.
• Application examples: In online marketing, KPIs are used to measure the performance of advertisements, newsletters, or social media campaigns, for example, based on leads, conversion rate, or generated traffic.
• Customization and selection: KPIs must be tailored to a company’s specific goals and strategies. Choosing the right KPIs depends on the company’s individual goals and the measures used.

1. KPI: Definition and Scope

Key Performance Indicators – or KPIs for short – are performance indicators that are used to measure, control, and evaluate activities in various areas. 

In online marketing, for example, you gain important insights into whether your ads, newsletters, or social media campaigns are generating the desired number of leads, conversion rates, or traffic. The collected data allows you to continuously adjust your (advertising) activities toward your goals.

As a conversion optimization agency, we are happy to help, support, and advise you on your project.

2. What are KPIs? – a simple explanation

Essentially, you and your company will target specific goals; using KPIs, you then measure and demonstrate how effectively your employees, processes, or activities have performed so far. Or, figuratively speaking, KPIs serve as your company’s navigation system, giving you an overview of your current situation. They convey whether you’re still on the home stretch toward success or whether measures need to be taken to get your activities back on track.

3. What are important KPIs?

Whether in sales, marketing, or human resources, KPIs are used to measure success in all areas and are therefore just as diverse. Key performance indicators that you might encounter in various departments include the following:

• Products sold in a specific region ( Local SEO )
• Traffic that is directed to your website via your TikTok advertising
• Return rate of a specific product
• Number of followers gained in the last month
• Sales generated by a newly launched product in a specific period
• Takeover rate after probationary period/training

4. What are KPIs used for?

Key performance indicators are essential for your company for several reasons. To understand this, ask yourself the following question: If you don’t measure your activities, how will you know whether your measures will ultimately be successful or ultimately fail? This is precisely where performance indicators come in. KPIs show how close or far you are from achieving your desired goal. This makes it clear how successful or unsuccessful the previous performance of your employees, processes, advertisements —or whatever you want to measure—has been. 

5. Which KPIs are important for my objectives? 

KPIs should always be selected based on the company’s defined goals, developed measures, pursued strategies, and other individual requirements. Therefore, a general answer as to which key performance indicators should be used is not possible. They must always be selected and adapted to your company’s individual needs.

This becomes especially clear when you look at practical examples: For a blogger, the number of clicks on their posts might be crucial, whereas for an online retailer, the conversion rate might be crucial. Even within a department, different departments will track different KPIs. While keyword ranking, among other things, is a key performance indicator for search engine optimization (SEO), search engine advertising (SEA) primarily revolves around the costs incurred when a click on the corresponding ad occurs.

6. How do I choose the right KPIs?

There are numerous KPIs, so deciding which ones are best isn’t necessarily a quick one. Simply measuring randomly won’t yield much added value, apart from a pile of useless data. Therefore, you should first consider what goals you actually want to achieve with your chosen measures. 

As an online shop, you may have added a new product to your range and now want to test how it impacts your customers through a newsletter. A useful performance indicator in this case would be the click-through rate, which tells you how often your customers ultimately clicked on the product in the newsletter. It is therefore a first meaningful indicator of the product’s appeal. Other KPIs, such as the open rate, may also be useful for drawing further conclusions.

You can safely ignore other key performance indicators that aren’t related to this product or the advertising campaign, because you should always keep in mind: quality over quantity. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a pile of useless data again.

Ask yourself these questions to create KPIs

• What is our goal?
• Why is this important?
• How is progress measured?
• What options are there for influencing the situation?
• Who is responsible for the outcome?
• How do I know when I have achieved this goal?
• How is progress towards the goal monitored?

Characteristics of KPIs

Strategic
It is important that you can identify with the goals and vision of your company.

Simple
KPIs should be both easy to measure and easy to understand. You should know how to record and calculate KPIs. This allows you to contribute your own ideas and innovations.

Actionable:
You should understand how you can influence key performance indicators. An effective KPI drives decisions without raising further questions.

Cascading
KPIs extend from the very top down to you as an individual. This spreads the strategic corporate goals throughout the company. This creates clear responsibilities, generates synergies between departments, and enables effective communication at all levels.

Easily measurable:
Key performance indicators must be measurable—but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be quantity-based (like the number of products sold per month). Qualitative KPIs like customer satisfaction or employee engagement are also surveyed. It’s important that KPIs are always based on solid goals, based on your company’s vision.

Evaluate on time.
KPI results are presented in reports. The right frequency is crucial. Too many reports could overwhelm you, while too few could lead to trends being missed or you getting off track.

Visibility:
Visibility throughout the organization is also crucial for effective KPIs. Just as with cascading KPIs, general awareness of goals and metrics boosts your commitment and effort.

7. KPIs in online marketing: What can I measure?

A key advantage of online marketing is the ability to track and measure almost everything. Here, too, KPIs vary in relevance across different areas—from social media to SEA to employer branding. In social media marketing, for example, you’re more likely to find the number of new followers per month for your newly launched Instagram ad or the rate of shares on Facebook as metrics. In search engine advertising, you’re more likely to find CPC, i.e., the cost per click on your ad, or CPA, i.e., the cost of a desired action. 

8. How can I measure KPIs?

One of the most popular tools for tracking KPIs is Google Analytics. By simply integrating a tracking code into your website’s HTML code, this web analytics tool allows you to collect vast amounts of data and analyze your website in the process. Data collection begins when you implement the tracking code on your website. 

9. What is a KPI dashboard?

And how can you present your company’s key performance indicators without immediately throwing in the towel with all the numerical confusion? With the help of KPI dashboards . If your KPIs are your navigation device, then the corresponding KPI dashboard is your onboard computer. All important information is bundled in one place – but at the same time, it’s visualized in such a structured way that you get a direct overview of the measures you’ve developed and their current progress.

What makes a good KPI dashboard?

A good KPI dashboard is characterized by the fact that it shows you all the key metrics and information you need at a glance. It’s designed to be clear and easy to understand, so you can quickly understand the performance of your project or company.

Good KPI dashboards are characterized by the following features:

• Clarity: A good KPI dashboard impresses with its clear structure and intuitive layout, which makes it easy to grasp the most important information at a glance.
• Relevant KPIs: It shows only those metrics that are directly related to your goals and strategic decisions to enable a targeted assessment of performance.
• Regular updates: Through continuous updates, the dashboard ensures that you always have access to current and accurate data so you can take timely action.
• Visualizations: Graphs and charts illustrate complex data and trends, allowing for faster and easier interpretation.
• Time series: Using historical data, you can analyze developments over different periods of time and respond to changes.
• Customizability: The dashboard can be adapted to your individual needs by adding, removing, or rearranging KPIs.
• Link to goals: The selected KPIs are directly linked to your company’s strategic goals to capture progress at a glance.
• Easy navigation: The clear user interface allows effortless navigation between different KPIs and views.
• Efficiency: By centrally displaying relevant information, the dashboard saves time and makes it easier to focus on key action steps.

10. What KPI dashboard tools are available? 

• Geckoboard offers you the possibility to display data from over 60 web services in real time.
• Thanks to its optimized mobile version, Tableau is particularly suitable for use on mobile devices.
• Klipfolio is an online dashboard platform that also gives you insight into your data in real time.
• SimpleKPI focuses primarily on keeping the design process of your KPI dashboard as simple as possible.

Conclusion: KPIs – the companions to the success of your activities

By now, you should know that there’s a lot behind those three magic letters. KPIs not only reveal the success or failure of your activities, but they also help you determine your status quo and help you get erroneous measures back on track.

For this reason, you’ll encounter them in almost every area and department, which, conversely, also means that you can’t simply randomly select a few performance indicators to achieve your desired success. Instead, it’s now up to you to identify your goals and the KPIs needed to achieve them, paving the way for your measures to safely reach your desired goal.

This should answer the question “What are KPIs?” For more news and information, please subscribe to our newsletter. Want to delve deeper into the topic of online marketing? Then our online marketing seminar is just right for you.

Are your keywords fighting an internal battle for ranking positions? Does one URL sometimes rank over another for a particular keyword? Learn how to identify and counteract internal keyword cannibalization in this article.

Key Takeaway – The most important things in brief:

• SEO Effects: Keyword cannibalism can be both positive (more traffic opportunities) and negative (wrong URL ranks, ineffective ranking) for SEO.
• Causes of the problem: Competing subpages for the same keywords lead to relevance problems, ranking losses, and complicate SEO analyses.
• Detection: Tools such as Sistrix or the Google Search Console help to identify affected keywords and URLs.
• Solutions: Merge content, remove or deindex unnecessary pages, use unique keywords, and internal links.

What is keyword cannibalization?

Keyword cannibalism is one of the more complex topics in SEO, and it’s not inherently bad. For example, if your domain ranks in the top 10 for a keyword with two pages, this can actually be extremely positive for you, as it gives you even more opportunities to attract relevant traffic. 

It is becoming increasingly common for more than one page of a domain to rank in the top 10 on Google.

If the wrong URL ranks for your keyword, it can hurt your domain and the achievement of your online marketing goals. If URL A and URL B rank for your keyword sometimes, or if two URLs rank at the same time but neither performs particularly well, this is negative keyword cannibalization, and you should take action to address it. 

Why you should avoid keyword cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization occurs when different pages on your website compete for the same keywords. This phenomenon poses a significant problem for Googlebot and your SEO efforts, as it can significantly impact the relevance and effectiveness of your content. Here are some reasons why you should avoid keyword cannibalization at all costs:

• Relevance issues for Googlebot: If multiple subpages of your website are optimized for the same keyword, Googlebot will have difficulty identifying the most relevant and important URL for the corresponding semantic context. This can lead to none of your pages achieving optimal rankings for that keyword.
• Ranking losses: Keyword cannibalization can cause previously well-ranked pages to fall back in the Google index. Even new SEO measures can be ineffective due to keyword cannibalization, as they don’t deliver the desired ranking improvements.
• Inefficient content use. If your domain is indexed with multiple URLs for a single search term, traffic is spread across different pages instead of being concentrated on one page. This leads to users encountering different content and potentially taking different actions when searching for the same topic. This makes strategic and efficient content use impossible.
• Complicated SEO analysis and reporting: Duplicate rankings for the same keyword complicate the evaluation of your SEO efforts. URLs and keywords that appear multiple times in search results are difficult to analyze and evaluate, making it more difficult to create SEO reports and analyze your website’s performance.

Keyword cannibalization often occurs gradually

Websites thrive on new content, and content marketing is (rightfully) receiving increasing attention. Creating new pages and addressing new topics as part of content management is usually part of the SEO strategy. No matter how good new content is, it carries the risk of keyword cannibalization. This often happens gradually. Webmasters first create a product page and then report on the new product in their blog, or a topic is covered on two pages, each from a different perspective. 

Which page should rank? If you don’t answer this question, or can’t answer it, Google won’t be able to answer it either, and your competitors, who have a clear answer, will rank better than you.

What indicates keyword cannibalism? 

Many sites are affected by keyword cannibalization. To detect keyword cannibalization, you should monitor your rankings. You can do this, for example, with Sistrix, the Google Search Console (GSC), or with a simple site command in Google Search. 

How to resolve keyword cannibalism and achieve better rankings

Once you’ve identified keyword cannibalization, you can often resolve it quite easily. Take a close look at your pages. Why are there two pages on the topic of “cat tree,” and which page is actually meant to rank for that specific keyword and generate sales? Why are two pages ranking for “vinyl wallpaper”? Is one of them truly optimized for the keyword, or do I need a new landing page specifically optimized for the topic? Also consider the potential conversion rate and user experience.

If you have too many pages on a topic, there are several options. For example, you can merge the content of page A and page B. One of the two URLs can then be deleted and redirected to the existing page via a 301. 

If you can’t merge content and delete pages, you can also set the less relevant page to “noindex .” This way, users can still access the page via the site’s navigation, but it will no longer compete with the other similar pages in the Google index. 

What can you do to prevent cannibalism from occurring in the first place?

Always consider the following points to avoid keyword cannibalism in the first place:

• Specify the main keyword for a URL: There can only be one URL for this keyword. Make sure you don’t create any additional pages for this keyword. 
• Link internally with unique link text: Always link your URLs internally with the page’s main keyword. Never link two different pages with the same link text. 
• Create new pages for keywords that are important to you and for which you have not yet defined a specific page. 

Always keep in mind: If you don’t have an answer as to which page should rank for which keyword, how is Google supposed to find the answer? 

Our conclusion on keyword cannibalization

The problem of keyword cannibalization offers many opportunities to optimize and better structure your website. It’s worth taking a look here. Various tools can help you track down affected URLs and resolve keyword cannibalization. And by optimizing your content marketing strategy so that there is always a unique main keyword per URL in the future, you can prevent keyword cannibalization from occurring in the first place.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date on the world of online marketing and receive guides like this directly via email, please subscribe to our online marketing newsletter. If you need help from an SEO agency or assistance with your content strategy, just contact us – we’d be happy to help!

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Google indexing

Google uses an automated process to find, analyze, and display websites on search results pages. Googlebot crawls the internet and collects information about websites’ content, structure, and technical details. This data is stored in the Google index.

If your new website isn’t found on Google, it hasn’t been indexed. There are many possible reasons for this:

• Website set to “noindex”
• No or incorrect sitemap
• Domain redirection is incorrectly configured
• Missing or incorrect confirmation of ownership
• Poor loading times or technical errors
• Too little content
• Not mobile-friendly
• Missing internal links

If you submit your website correctly to Google, you can avoid many of the causes mentioned above. After a successful check, your site will be indexed and can be displayed in search results.

Optimize your website for Google login.

Before you submit your website to Google, it should meet the basic requirements. Google evaluates your site according to clear criteria. If these criteria aren’t met, you’ll have a hard time getting visible in Google search. Three key aspects are very important:

1. Technical requirements

Before submitting your website to Google, make sure your domain is running on HTTPS. This will let Google know your website is secure. If your hosting provider doesn’t offer automatic HTTPS encryption, consider upgrading.

It’s also a good idea to optimize your website’s loading time. Use tools like Google PageSpeed ​​Insights to identify problems like overly large images or slow scripts.

Remember that more than half of users access websites via mobile devices. Google also uses mobile-first indexing. Therefore, your website should also be optimized for mobile devices – keyword mobile SEO. Additionally, create a sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console so that all subpages can be crawled and indexed correctly.

2. Content quality

High-quality content is an absolute must! Write copy that engages your target audience and avoid duplicate content. Use tools like the Google Keyword Planner to find relevant search terms and incorporate them into your content.

A good rule of thumb: Each text should be at least 600 words long and have a clear goal. Supplement your content with images, videos, or infographics—these increase engagement and help with SEO. Make sure images have appropriate file sizes and metadata. Don’t name image files like “IMG1234”; instead, use descriptive names like “example-hotel-luxury-room.jpg.”

3. Page structure

A well-thought-out page structure makes it easier for Google to understand your content. Use clear navigation, where each page can be reached in a maximum of three clicks. Use descriptive menu labels to facilitate orientation.

By including links in blog articles to related posts or pages, you make things easier for crawlers. Also, conduct regular checks with tools like Screaming Frog to ensure there are no dead links. Create a unique meta title and meta description.
For each page, this information helps Google and its users understand what your page is about.

As an SEO agency, we help you make your website easily discoverable by Google to increase your online presence and reach users.

Register your website with Google using Google Search Console.

To ensure your website appears in Google search results, registering with Google is helpful. Use our detailed guide to successfully launch your website on Google!

1. Create a Google Account

Before you can register your website with Google, you need a Google Account. You can easily create one via the Google registration page. Make sure to use an email address that’s ideally associated with your website or business.

Once you’ve filled out the required fields—including a secure password—you can get started right away. Your Google account gives you access to numerous tools, including Search Console, Google Analytics, and Google Ads.

2. Register your website with Google

Once your account is active, the next step is to register your website with Google. Visit Google Search Console and log in with your account.

There, you’ll be asked to enter your domain or URL. There are two options: the domain method or the URL prefix method. The domain method is recommended because it covers all versions of your website (with and without “www,” as well as with “https”).

Enter your entire domain—including “https://”—so Google can index the secure version of your website. After this step, your website is already registered with Google, but not yet fully verified. The next section explains how to verify your ownership.

3. Confirm ownership

For security reasons, Google requires proof that your website actually belongs to you when you register it. There are several ways to verify your ownership. The easiest way is to create a special TXT record with your hosting provider or use a plugin. To create a TXT record, log in to your hosting provider, find the DNS settings section, and add the code Google provides.

Once you’ve made the changes, click “Confirm” in Search Console. Note that DNS changes can sometimes take a few minutes to take effect.

4. Submit sitemap

A sitemap helps search engines find all the important subpages of your website. The sitemap is an XML file that contains all the URLs on your website.

Create your sitemap using tools like Yoast SEO (for WordPress) or an online sitemap generator. Upload the generated file to your website’s root directory so it’s accessible at an easily accessible URL like yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. 

Then go to the “Sitemaps” section in Search Console, enter the URL, and click “Submit.” Google will review the sitemap and show you whether it’s error-free. When new content or pages are added, update the sitemap. This way, the latest changes are reflected immediately.

Register and index individual pages with Google

Sometimes you don’t want to submit your entire website to Google, but only specific pages—for example, after an update or when publishing a new blog post. You can easily do this using the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.

Enter the desired URL in the input field and have the page reviewed. If everything is OK, click “Request Indexing.” Google will then prioritize crawling the page and adding it to the index.

10 common Google login mistakes

Errors can sometimes occur when submitting your website to Google Search Console. We’ll show you the most common problems and how to fix them!

1. Ownership could not be confirmed

The verification file provided by Google wasn’t uploaded correctly, or the DNS TXT record was entered incorrectly. Check that the verification file is located in your website’s root directory and accessible via the direct link. DNS record changes can take up to 48 hours to take effect. Test the connection again after the waiting period.

2. Sitemap errors during submission

The uploaded sitemap is corrupted, inaccessible, or contains invalid URLs. In this case, use tools like the XML Sitemap Validator to identify and fix errors in the file.

3. URL cannot be retrieved

Google’s robots.txt file may be blocking access to certain pages or resources. Open the robots.txt file and check if any pages or directories are blocked by “Disallow.” Remove the restrictions and re-upload the file to ensure everything works smoothly.

4. Incorrect URL structure during registration

In this case, the wrong URL version was specified (e.g., without “https” or “www”). Therefore, always specify your website’s full URL, including HTTPS and “www” if applicable. It’s best to use the domain method to cover all variations.

5. No access to servers

Your server is unavailable or responding too slowly.
You can check your website’s accessibility with Google PageSpeed ​​Insights. Contact your hosting provider if the server is offline or overloaded.

6. Index coverage errors

Search Console reports that certain pages cannot be crawled. If you encounter this error, open the “Indexing” section to get detailed information about blocked pages or errors. Redirect loops or noindex meta tags are often the cause.

7. The number of submitted URLs is incomplete

Your sitemap doesn’t include all important pages or lists duplicate URLs.
If this is the case, make sure all relevant pages are included in the sitemap. Avoid duplicate entries or pages with parameters that create unnecessary variations.

8. Unknown crawling error

This error message indicates temporary problems with Google retrieving your website. Use the Google Inspector in Search Console to manually test the affected pages. Try submitting your website to Google again after a few hours.

9. Prohibited access due to IP blocking

In this case, your server is blocking the Google crawler IP through security rules.
Check your firewall or hosting settings to make sure Googlebot isn’t blocked. Add Googlebot’s IP addresses to the whitelist.

10. Specified URL leads to a 404 error page

You’ve provided a registration URL that doesn’t exist or has been deleted. In this case, check the URL is spelled correctly and is accessible. Test the URL in your browser before resubmitting it.

This is how you can monitor indexing!

While submitting your website to Google is a one-time process, indexing must be monitored regularly. Only when your pages are properly crawled and indexed will they appear in search results and reach users. 

Fortunately, Google Search Console offers several features that allow you to monitor the indexing status.

The best place to start is with Search Console’s URL Inspection tool. Enter a page’s URL to see if it’s already indexed. If it isn’t, you’ll receive detailed information about potential issues, such as whether the page is blocked by robots.txt or excluded by a “noindex” tag.

Another important area is the Index Coverage report. This provides an overview of which pages have been successfully crawled, which are still pending, and where errors exist.

4 tips for more visibility on Google

To ensure your website appears as high as possible in search results, you should actively engage in search engine optimization. We’ll show you four tips on how to specifically optimize your website to achieve higher rankings!

Register your website with Google and get started!

• Leverage analytics data: Regularly monitor your performance in Google Search Console and Google Analytics. Identify crawling errors, review individual page performance, and optimize content based on user behavior and search data. As a Google Analytics agency, we can help you set up GA4.
• External links: Backlinks from trustworthy and relevant websites boost your credibility. Look for partnerships, guest posts, or listings in industry directories to generate high-quality links.
• Create content regularly: Regularly update existing content to improve your website’s relevance. Add new information or adapt keywords to current trends to stay relevant long-term.
• Use local SEO: If you run a local business, register and maintain your Google Business Profile. This will help you get found more often in local search results!

Registering your website with Google is the first step toward becoming visible online – but the key to success lies in search engine optimization. A strong presence on Google requires time, knowledge, and a clear strategy. In our SEO seminar, you’ll learn the most important basics for your successful online presence.

We’re happy to help you sustainably improve your website. With our experience in SEA and SEO, we’ll ensure your website ranks highly in search results and reaches the right customers. Feel free to contact us for a free consultation!

Frequently asked questions about submitting your website to Google

Google Search is the most important online platform for businesses. If you can’t be found on Google, you no longer exist for most users. So let’s take a look at how Google Search works!

Influence of Google Search

Google Web Search is the top dog among search engines and, therefore, relevant for every company that wants to sell products or services online.

4.3 million people use Google worldwide. If your business appears in the search bar, you have the chance to reach precisely these people—provided you understand how the search algorithms work to rank.

Let’s say you sell high-quality kitchen knives. When someone searches for “buy the best kitchen knives,” Google’s algorithm determines whether your shop appears among the top results.

SEO is important for this, among other things, but targeted advertising campaigns can also help you get ahead. With well-placed ads, you reach potential customers at the exact moment they are making a purchase decision. At the same time, users’ search history helps you offer personalized content and make your advertising campaigns more efficient.

Principles of Google Search

To understand how the Google search engine actually works, let’s take a look at its principles. Google Search is a system with clear principles designed to provide users with the best and most relevant results. Understanding the principles of Google Search allows you to specifically improve your content!

• Relevance: Google wants users to find exactly what they’re looking for. The algorithm analyzes content based on keywords, topics, and context. Your content must therefore be tailored to potential customers’ search queries.
• Content quality: Content that is trustworthy, informative, and well-researched is preferred. Google also considers backlinks from relevant sources and your expertise in the topic.
• User experience: Fast loading times, mobile SEO, and intuitive navigation are key factors. Companies that neglect these aspects risk slipping down in search results—even with good content.
• Transparency for advertisers: Google clearly separates organic results from paid advertising. Companies can target keywords through advertising campaigns to increase their visibility, but they do not influence the organic results.
• Diverse search results: Google delivers not only text, but also integrates images, videos, maps, and news. This allows companies to gain visibility on multiple levels, such as in image search or Google News.

The three main phases of Google search

So what happens during a Google search? The actual Google search process involves three key steps:

1. Crawling
2. Indexing
3. Display of search results

This simplified diagram gives you an overview of how Google discovers, processes, and displays websites to users. For companies committed to sustainable search engine optimization, a deeper understanding of these processes is crucial. After all, successful SEO strategies rely on detailed knowledge of how search engines work.

Crawling

When crawling, Google scans the internet for new or updated content. The search engine uses so-called crawlers (like Googlebot ) that follow links and analyze web pages. In doing so, it collects HTML pages, PDFs, images, and other content.

That’s why your website’s content must be easily accessible to crawlers. Technical hurdles like faulty robots.txt files or missing internal links will otherwise prevent Google from indexing your website. Your page’s loading speed also plays a role: Slow pages may only be partially indexed by crawlers.

Indexing

After crawling, indexing begins. This is where Google analyzes the page content and stores this information in the search index. The content structure, keywords, and context are evaluated to make it available for future searches.

To achieve this, your content should be clearly structured. This means using titles, headings, and meta descriptions wisely to demonstrate the page’s relevance to Google. Pages with duplicate content or technical errors can be excluded from the index—a major problem if this causes your content to remain invisible.

Search results

In the final step, Google delivers search results based on a search query. These results are based on a comparison between the query and the search index. Google uses complex search algorithms to display the most relevant content first. The results can be organic, advertising campaigns, local results (e.g., in Google Maps), or visual content such as images.

For your website, it’s not just technical optimization that matters, but also the added value of your content. Good content that precisely matches users’ search intent has the best chance of ranking at the top.

As an SEO agency, we help you reach your potential customers with exactly the right keywords.

Google Search ranking factors

Google search ranking factors determine which content ranks at the top of search results. Last year, a Google leak caused a stir: An internal document listed over 14,000 factors that could influence rankings. ² The leak provides valuable insights into Google’s workings and is particularly important for SEO:

• Relevance and search intent: Content must not only contain keywords but also fulfill the intent behind the search query. In addition to semantic context, content should also offer added value. Therefore, in-depth and longer texts are often preferred.
• Technical SEO of the website: Fast loading times, mobile optimization, and clean HTML code are essential. The leak revealed that technical issues such as faulty indexing or security vulnerabilities (e.g., missing HTTPS) negatively impact rankings.
• User experience: Google evaluates how users interact with your site. Factors such as low bounce rates, longer dwell times, and intuitive navigation, therefore, play a significant role.
• Backlinks and external signals: High-quality backlinks from relevant and trustworthy sources remain a strong ranking factor. The leak suggested that Google is increasingly focusing on the quality and context of the linking page—not just the number of links!
• EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trustworthiness): The document confirmed the importance of EEAT, especially in sensitive areas such as health or finance. Therefore, many companies have their content created by experts and rely on credible sources to strengthen their authority.
• Personalization and localization: Google considers users’ search history, location, and language. Local optimization (e.g., for Google Maps) and language versions for international audiences are therefore also important ranking factors.
• Long-term quality: The leak suggested that Google also considers factors such as content freshness, ongoing maintenance, and social media engagement.

Advertising in search results

With Google Search Advertising (SEA), you can significantly increase your company’s visibility. Google Ads appear above the organic search results and offer businesses the opportunity to target relevant search queries. What’s more, you only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad – a model known as pay-per-click (PPC).

Let’s say you run an online sportswear store. With a well-planned advertising campaign, you can place your ads for search terms like “buy the best running shoes” or “breathable sportswear.” This way, you can reach potential customers at the exact moment they’re searching for your products.

Google Ads can also be personalized. You can target local customers, highlight seasonal offers, or even create ads specifically for mobile searches. Thanks to detailed analytics, you can understand exactly how effective your campaign is and where you can optimize.

But be careful: Success with Google Ads isn’t a given. An inaccurate keyword selection or a poorly designed ad can quickly cost money without delivering the desired results! As a Google Ads agency, we can help you target your ads correctly.

Advanced search functions

When considering how Google’s search engine works, we must also consider its advanced search features, including image search, Google Maps, and Google News. These offer additional opportunities for businesses to attract potential customers.

Google Image Search

Google’s image search is often underestimated, but it offers enormous potential for businesses that provide visual content. Users search for products, inspiration, or how-to guides. If you want to be discovered via image search, you should use high-quality images with optimized file names, alt text, and relevant keywords.

An online furniture store, for example, could specifically optimize images of its products to appear in image searches. Infographics or instructions can also play a role here and generate additional website traffic. If you’re successful in image searches, you’ll also benefit from stronger visual brand awareness!

Google Maps

Local SEO and Google Maps are relevant for local businesses. Users searching for “coffee shop near me” or “24/7 locksmith” want to find quick, relevant results in their area. A complete and optimized Google My Business listing invites new customers to your business.

As a local business, you should regularly update your contact information, opening hours, reviews, and even photos. Positive reviews and a good rating will help you gain more visibility in local results!

Google News

The Google News feature is particularly interesting for companies that regularly publish current content or news, such as blogs, press releases, or industry reports. Articles that appear in Google News often receive a high reach and can draw targeted attention to brands or products.

For content to appear in Google News, the website’s technical structure must be optimized. Clear titles, relevant keywords, and current topics that interest users are important.

Google search engine spam protection

Google continually works to keep search results free of low-quality and manipulative content. Spam protection is a central component of its search algorithms:

• Google Spam Updates: Google regularly releases updates to detect and combat spam. The “Spam Update 2023,” for example, aims to better detect link spam, irrelevant content, and manipulative practices like keyword stuffing.
• Quality guidelines: Content that is misleading, plagiaristic, or overly promotional will be penalized by Google. Therefore, you should only publish valuable, well-researched, and unique content.
• Spam detection: Google relies on AI-powered systems to automatically detect spam. These algorithms analyze millions of pages to detect suspicious patterns. This includes fraudulent practices such as fake reviews or links to spam sites.
• Manual actions: In addition to automated systems, Google also relies on manual reviews. Websites that repeatedly violate guidelines can be manually penalized.
• User-centricity: Pages that focus on user needs are less susceptible to penalties. High-quality content and clear navigation ensure your page isn’t classified as spam.

Google Search with AI features

How will Google Search evolve? Google has been using AI models like BERT and MUM for several years to better process search queries and deliver personalized results. Another example is the new AI Overview feature, which Google is already testing in some countries.

AI-generated summaries are displayed on the search results page, aggregating the most important information from various sources. Users thus receive a concise overview without having to search through each source.

This presents both opportunities and challenges for companies. On the one hand, high-quality content may gain greater attention, while on the other, direct traffic to their own website could shrink.

The increasing integration of AI into Google Search means that traditional search engine optimization still works and also contributes to AI SEO, but it needs to be thought through further. The large amount of AI-generated content is shifting the focus to content quality, structure, and semantic relevance. Companies that respond to these trends can secure their visibility in the long term.

Become visible with Google Search.

Google Search allows you to reach your target audience online and drive traffic to your website. However, many companies lack the necessary experience with SEO and Google Ads. Therefore, landing coveted positions in search results can be a real challenge.

As experienced search engine optimization experts, we understand the challenges and opportunities that Google search presents. We can help you make your business visible and reach potential customers. Feel free to contact us for more information and a personalized consultation!

Frequently asked questions about Google Search

The use of AI tools is a huge trend in the workplace – but with innovation comes responsibility: Data protection and GDPR compliance must be top priorities when companies use artificial intelligence. Anyone who uses AI solutions such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Google Gemini needs to know how these systems handle personal and sensitive data. The key question is: Which of these AI tools meets European data protection requirements – and where do the risks lie? In the following overview, you’ll learn how ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini perform in terms of GDPR. We’ll examine key topics such as data minimization, transparency, controllability, risk assessment, and accountability – and present DeepSeek as a negative example of GDPR violations.

Data minimization as a fundamental principle  

Data minimization is one of the most important principles of the GDPR. Only the processing of personal data that is necessary for the processing purpose is permitted. AI tools often require large amounts of data to function. Companies face the challenge of limiting the processing of personal data to a reasonable level when using AI.

• ChatGPT (especially the Enterprise or API versions) allows business customers to specifically restrict web access. The use of user input for training purposes can be contractually excluded. However, completely disabling abuse monitoring is generally not possible, as OpenAI—like all providers—remains legally obligated to detect abuse.

• Microsoft Copilot accesses Microsoft 365 data, but admins can control data access granularly via the admin center. Microsoft documents this in detail in the Compliance Center and the Data Processing Agreement. Separation of business and training data is standard, and training data is not derived from customer data.

• Google Gemini in Google Workspace is directly linked to several Google services, from Gmail to Docs. According to the Data Protection Terms and Admin Guide, access control is handled via admin policies. However, these policies must be actively customized to ensure privacy-friendly settings; otherwise, the default configuration is usually very extensive.

Practical example: When using AI for contract creation, companies should block access to sensitive HR data or emails. This is the only way to truly implement data minimization .

How to secure WordPress against hacker attacks – WordPress Security Tips

The content management system WordPress is becoming increasingly popular – partly because it’s simple. It’s easy to create a website with it. It’s easy to update content and post it online. And it’s easy to hack it.

And it is precisely because of its widespread use that WordPress is increasingly becoming a target for attackers.

WordPress is a fairly secure system in its default installation—that is, without third-party plugins and themes. However, the more components you have, the more complex their coordination becomes, which can lead to gaping security holes.

However, discussions about compatibility and updates often overlook the supposedly most important topic:

How do I optimize the security of my website completely and consistently?

Simple steps to secure WordPress – WordPress Security Basics

1. ALWAYS keep your WordPress version up to date!

2. Never modify the WordPress core.

3. Make sure all plugins are up to date.

4. Remove any inactive or unused plugins.

5. Make sure all WordPress themes stay up to date.

6. Install themes, plugins, and scripts ONLY from their official source.

7. Choose a secure WordPress hosting service.

8. Make sure your site is running the latest PHP version.

9. Create .htpasswd and .htaccess directory protection files for the administrator area.

10. Use the Google Authenticator app.

11. Change the admin username.

12. Always use strong passwords.

13. Do not reuse passwords you have already used.

14. Protect passwords by preventing the password from being transmitted in plain text.

15. Only update your website through a trusted network. An internet café on vacation isn’t the place for that 🙂

16. Use a local anti-virus on your local computer.

17. Activate Google Search Console.

18. Secure WordPress with a security tool, e.g., BulletProof Security PlugIn.

19. Always restore data using previously created backups.

Improved WordPress security – WordPress Security for more security

1. Limit the number of login attempts to a maximum of 5.

2. Enable two-factor authentication.

3. Make sure the access rights are correct.

4. Change the default table prefix.

5. Make sure you have set up WordPress Secret Authentication Keys.

6. SALT passwords.

7. Restrict PHP execution.

8. Separate databases (one database for each installation)

9. Restrict user rights for databases.

10. Disable file editing.

11. Back up your wp-config.php file and store it in a safe place.

12. Disable XML-RPC if you are not using it.

13. Disable debugging and PHP error reporting.

14. Install a firewall.

15. Use a filter for data delivery from content delivery networks.

16. Monitor the log files of your WordPress security tool

Our Top 10 Security Plugins for WordPress

1. Wordfence Security Plugin

With a selection of security features, Wordfence ensures greater security on WordPress sites.

The plugin scans core files to detect potentially malicious influences and blocks known malicious networks and attacks in real time.

Having your own firewall reduces other known security risks.

The Falcon engine also ensures increased site performance.

2. Sucuri Security

The web monitoring service scans freely definable pages for malicious code at freely definable times.

This involves using databases of known vulnerabilities and reported problems from major blacklisting authorities such as Google, McAfee, or Phish Tank.

You also have the option of generating a free API key.

3. All In One WP Security Plugin

This popular extension is aimed more at beginners who want to improve the security of their site without having to know complex rules for creating an .htaccess file.

The optimization process can be tracked using a speedometer – the higher the score, the better WordPress has been optimized for security.

Otherwise, the All In One WP Security Plugin, as the name suggests, works as a collection of useful codes that improve security.

This includes a small firewall, tweaks against brute-force attacks, the ability to change the data prefix and create user management, as well as numerous other security features.

4. iThemes Security (formerly called Better WP Security)

Instead of overwhelming you with text, iThemes Security literally takes you by the hand and shows you, with understandable, well-thought-out tips, exactly what you can do to make your website more secure.

The fairly comprehensive plugin includes, among other things, a malware scanner, database logs, two-factor authentication, 404 protection, and protection against brute force attacks by limiting login attempts.

5. Fail2ban

The plugin works as a filter that monitors logins and blocks IP addresses if anything unusual is detected, without having a massive impact on WordPress speed.

Filter settings and actions can be stored in a jail file.

Originally developed for all POSIX systems, Fail2ban is now also available as a WordPress plugin with simplified usage.

6. Bad Behavior

The PHP-based plugin acts as a bouncer, preventing spammers from spreading their garbage and even reading the page.

Bad Behavior tries to block before there is an opportunity to use the system.

To achieve this, the blog reader’s software and the method they use to submit data are analyzed. Potential spammers are then denied access with an Apache 403 message.

7. Security Ninja

This plugin allows you to detect the vulnerabilities of a website by performing numerous security tests with just a click of the mouse.

In addition, it can be used to simulate and evaluate attacks and to define preventive measures.

Updates that implement new vulnerability tests are worthwhile.

8. ThreeWP Activity Monitor

The plugin informs the site operator in real time about user activity on their site.

These include, for example, new registrations, successful and failed login attempts, comments, created pages and posts, deleted users, and changed passwords.

9. User Role Editor

With a simple interface, the permissions of different user groups can be edited quickly and easily.

10. WP Update Notifier

This plugin informs the site operator via email about upcoming updates – not only for WordPress itself, but for all used plugins and themes.

This makes the WP Update Notifier suitable for anyone who does not regularly log in to the backend as an admin to keep the system up to date and minimize security gaps.