Finding out SEO best practices can be a great way to get your digital brand more notice from search engines. Figuring out your SEO is just another step in working your way into the top results, which brings with it more notice and more clicks from your target audience.
There are seven key SEO best practices to look for when you first get started.
SEO Best Practices #1: Include 1 Keyword and 2-3 Secondary Keywords on Each PageOne of the few things about SEO that hasn't changed is its need for effective keywords in the right places.
Consequently, each primary keyword or phrase should be featured on a different page of your website. Each page should also have 2-3 secondary keywords utilized.
These keywords need to be placed organically, and your content should still flow around it.
It is important to remember that your keywords need to be picked with your target audience in mind. You'll want to think about what your consumers may be typing into their search query to reach your page.
There are some great sites out there that can offer you SEO services. Sites like Google Adwords and SEMRush can help you to get the right keywords for your brand. Using these resources can be a great way to bump up your SEO without the hassle or stress of trying to figure it out yourself.
Your title tag can also be classified as your page title. It's the first impression you give to search engines and can be a big determinant of whether or not people click on your website.
Website builders like WordPress, Weebly, and Wix eliminate the hassle of having to deal with actual code. You can access and update your meta tags all without having to learn any complicated computer language.
Your most important meta tag is your title tag. It will live at the top of all your search listings and will be the first thing a searcher will read. This is why your keyword should be one of the first words in your title tag.
Your title tag will also have to fit within a specific space. Having your title include '…' is unprofessional and could leave out pertinent information about your landing page.
70 characters are the max that any of your page titles should be. Think of it as half the length of your average tweet.
It can also be beneficial to include your brand name in your title as well. This will make your brand name easier to remember and more closely affiliated with your content.
SEO Best Practices #3: Include Your Primary Keyword and 2-3 Target Keywords in the Description TagYour description tag is where you get to convince people that they want to click on your page. It's like a sales pitch following your title tag. This is where you summarize your article content in a concise, yet attention-grabbing, way that also utilizes your keywords.
This is why your keyword density is critical. Too many keywords in your description tag will flag you as spam, while too few keywords may keep your post from showing up at all.
You should limit yourself to 1-2 primary keywords and 2-3 additional keywords. This will allow your content to look like valuable information instead of a spammy gimmick to get to the top of the search results.
The description tag that you write can be slightly longer than a tweet, with 155 characters allowed. However, just like with your title tag, if you go over the allotted number of characters, you will end up with a '…' which, as previously mentioned, can cut off important information and leave you looking unprofessional.
If your description and your title are cut off, it will cause your potential readers to head towards another website that they can easily find information about because it's all there waiting for them in a neat, condensed space.
SEO Best Practices #4: Include the Primary Keyword in a Custom URLWhenever you have the opportunity to customize any part of your website, you should take advantage of it. This includes customizing your URL.
A great SEO friendly URL will include your primary keyword. Usually, it will have your primary keyword, or phrase, with a single dash between each word.
Having a customized URL is a great way to cement your brand authority. The SEO benefits that customizing your URL will give you are clear, but the benefits to your brand may be more subtle. Subconsciously, people will want to click on links that are full of information instead of a jumbled set of numbers and letters.
There might not be anything you can do about customizing the URL of your homepage. However, you should do your best to at least include your primary keyword in the URL of your blog post pages. This will go a long way for attracting visitors to your side and making your brand the authority on your unique topics.
SEO Best Practices #5: Create Internal LinksCreating internal links is a quick and easy way to generate better SEO. Plus, it can even be made to look organic by adding a navigation bar to the top of your page. This will include several different internal links without causing your visitors to even blink. Adding internal links is just the next logical step to increase the SEO flow of your website.
The addition of a navigation bar works well with any brand. The navigation bar creates great 'link juice' and gives you better brand authority. Your website will just look more professional with this little addition. Plus, these are both things that SEO locaters will be looking for in their top results.
A navigation bar is not the only place where you can add internal links. Within your blog content you can add more links. These links between your pages are an excellent way to keep your readers invested and engaged on your site, both things that will increase your Google search signals.
Something else to remember is that it will be to your benefit to include your keyword in your H1 header tags. These are usually your titles or headlines and are the first text that a search engine will read in the body of your page. Including keywords in your H1 tag will also be a great boost for your HTML.
SEE ALSO: 5 SEO Mistakes That Cost You Money
SEO Best Practices #6: Link to Credible External SitesAfter you've figured out how to link to your own internal sites it's time to look externally for more links. When you link to other credible sites, you will build relationships between you and associate their brand with your content. The sites that you link to may even return the favor, mentioning you in their links and content as well.
Google has admitted that inbound links, also known as backlinks, are the number one ranking factor to be considered by their algorithm. They are weighted so heavily because this is where other users can essentially vote on your usefulness. Someone else linking to your website has a high value because it is someone else telling Google that your information is trustworthy and worth repeating.
It is important to be selective in what sites you link to, as well as to monitor what sites are linking to you. Linking to a lot of garbage sites won't improve your status or your SEO. The sites you link to should have relevance to your audience and be within a similar niche to yours.
The SEO benefits that come from linking your website aren't something that you'll notice right away. However, when consistently implemented over a long period of time and infused with quality content, your results will be undeniably positive. These actions will definitely improve your search rankings and reputation.
SEO Best Practices #7: Include Primary Keywords in ImagesContent with relevant images tends to get 94% more views than content without images. However, just having random images isn't enough to give you the boost you're looking for. Although, images will go a long way to get your posts remembered.
We are incredible at remembering pictures. Hear a piece of information, and three days later you'll remember 10% of it. Add a picture and you'll remember 65%.
When adding images, you need to do your best to optimize them. This can be done by adding your primary keywords to both the image file name and the alt tags.
When possible, it is also a fun boost to have your keywords located in the picture itself. This can work if you're are adding a picture of one of your products. Your product should at the very least have your brand imprinted on it, and will include your keywords depending on what you're talking about.
For example, if you are a company that produces soap and you're writing a post about face wash, you can add a picture of your company's face wash. This should have the words 'face wash' on it, as well as your brand logo.
Final ThoughtsYou should always have an eye out for great ways to improve your SEO. These tips should only be your foundation, not your end goal. Start implementing these seven practices, and watch your SEO results rise, but don't stop there!
Your content results are all about what other people are saying about it, which means that you need to make your content as visible as possible. Watching your SEO is just the first step.
Have you tried working with your SEO before?
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