Search engine optimization (SEO) can increase traffic to your website in staggering percentages. But what if you’ve never used it before? Or what if you’ve dabbled in keywords and meta tags but aren’t sure how to step up your efforts on a professional level? Here are just eight ways to improve your site’s stronger SEO.
1. Know The Lingo
First things first: Do you know what SERPs are? Do you understand the difference between back links and outbound links? If someone asks you about your anchor text, will you be able to give them statistics on its efficacy? Do some research before you dive into the world of SEO. The more you understand upfront, the less scrambling you’ll do as you actually build your website.
2. Optimize For Your Location
Make sure you’re getting all the traffic from local customers seeking your products or services. For example, if you’re running a business out of Las Vegas, you don’t want your keywords to be simply “house cleaning.” They should be things like “house cleaning in Vegas” or “Las Vegas maid service.”
3. Watch Those URLs
Good URLs clearly state the page’s purpose. It doesn’t matter if they say “how-to-create-an-ebook.html” or “natural-perfumes-for-sale.html.” As long as you can maneuver your keywords into them, you’ll enjoy better page rankings from search engines and ensure easier reading comprehensive for your customers.
4. Understand Keyword Density
There’s more to SEO than just using the right keywords. In fact, according to experts, what your keywords are can be considered less important than how often they’re used. Not enough and you won’t climb in SERPs; too much and you’ll be guilty of keyword stuffing, a practice that can get your wrist slapped by Google’s algorithms.
5. Improve Your Page Titles
For many webmasters, titles are an afterthought to content. This is a major SEO mistake! Page titles are the very first thing that search engines analyze and categorize, so they should reflect your product, service or mission statement just as strongly as the rest of the site.
6. Beware Bad Publicity
Online reputation management (ORM) should be a priority for any business operating in the virtual world. When customers look for your brand through a search engine, you’ll want them to only see positive, engaging results. Talk to ORM professionals like Brent Franson to learn more about managing your digital profile.
7. Take Advantage of Images
A single image offers multiple ways to advertise. For one, you can include a relevant keyword in its name; instead of calling it “1.jpg,” you can upload it as “affordableflashlight1.jpg.” You can also use the picture’s alt text as another platform for your keywords. Call it “the most affordable flashlight in Santa Barbara.”
8. Use Internal Links
Internal links are links that lead to various places on the same website. For example, you might urge your shoppers to browse another category or seek additional information from an FAQ page. This gives you the opportunity to use more keywords through your URLs, and Google will rank you accordingly.
These are just eight ways to take advantage of the online market through clever, purposeful SEO. If you’re serious about succeeding as a business in the 21st century, you’ll need your webpage to be optimized for success. Good luck!
