Search Engine Optimisation's (SEO) never been a quick fix marketing solution. It’s a slow burner and there’s a lot of trial and error involved, but when it works, the results are certainly worth the wait.
If you’re new to the world of SEO and are in need of a few tips to get your feet off the ground, then you’re in the right place - because I’ve got 14 of them for you.
1. Make sure your meta descriptions are enticing. That way, when people do come across you in search results they’ll be more inclined to click through – it’s a great place to use your page’s keywords too. 2. Keep internal linking front of mind when you’re creating new pages. Linking to your own content will help define your site’s architecture and encourage visitors to explore other pages of your site.
3. Don’t underestimate the power of title tags. Title tags are the HTML element used to briefly and accurately describe the topic and theme of an online document.
They’re rumoured to be the most important on-page SEO element (behind the content itself), so make sure they’re reflective of the content, catchy, and inclusive of relevant keywords.
4. Make sure your content is fresh. Google's always crawling for new content, so to avoid being left behind you need to be constantly updating your site. A blog is a simple way to do this – but can backfire if you set one up and never update it. As a minimum, try updating it a few times a month. Ideally though, you’ll be updating it a few times a week.
5. Keep an eye out for broken links. Broken links can stop search engine spiders from crawling your site, which can impede your SEO efforts. To find and fix broken links, use an online tool like Screaming Frog.
6. Optimise your page speed. Page speed is a ranking factor for mobile search. To make sure your users aren’t left hanging around, let PageSpeed Insights’ report help you iron out any issues.
7. Stay concise to reach featured snippet status. A featured snippet is the summary of an answer to a user's query, which is displayed on top of Google search results. It's extracted from a webpage and includes the page's title and URL. To increase your odds of earning featured snippet status, you need to create great content that answers specific questions.
8. Optimise your images. Make sure your file name, caption, ALT text and title text all include relevant keywords. While you’re at it, make sure the file size isn’t too big either - this can slow down your page load speed.
9. Make sure your XML sitemap is up-to-date. An up-to-date sitemap means search engines can find your pages easier. And remember, Google ranks your pages, not your website.
10. Research your keywords before you start adding pages. Proper research will ensure you get the most out of your content and rank for the right terms.
11. Make sure your content's high in quality. Google can easily recognise quality content, so don’t think you’ll be able to fool the algorithm by posting a high quantity of subpar articles.
To rank well, you need to write content that's conversational, informative, focused, clear, easy to digest (tables and numbered lists help with this), and link to reliable outbound sites.
12. Utilise a clear URL structure. Utilising an SEO-friendly URL structure will help with the indexation process of your website. Your URL should be structured like this: http://domainname.com/subdirectory/filename.
13. Diversify your keyword strategy. Don’t just focus all your efforts on basic keywords - target long-tail terms too. Although long-tail keywords are usually searched for less often than their shorter counterparts, they tend to attract people who're further along the research process and buying journey.
14. Watch out for spam. Keep an eye on your backlinks and if you get an influx of spammy activity, disavow them.
Get SEO smart
Not sure where to start when it comes to creating SEO-friendly copy? Or finding the time to commit to fresh content? Or just how to get the ball rolling? Then don't struggle in silence.
I can support your objectives by pinpointing areas in need of improvement, pulling your content strategy together, and dedicating the time and skills needed to feed Google with what it wants.
To start boosting your organic efforts today, get in touch with me on bryonypearce@yahoo.com or +44 7824 394 237.
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