It's no secret that you've got to master the search engines, if you want to get seen online. If you're not on the top page, then you may as well be invisible. As a new or small business, this can feel rather intimidating, to say the least. You can get there, though, if you know the rules of SEO. Here are the top SEO rules you should know, and how to use them in your content.
Bring in the Inbound Links
Your site needs to have other sites linking to it. This is because search engines essentially think of your site like a celebrity. The more people are talking about you, then the more important you must be. That's why the links pointing to your site are so important. The more you have, the more search engines will take notice and bump you up the rankings.
As well as this, take care that the sites that are linking to you are quality sites. 'When I link to another site in my text, I make sure that I'm linking to sites that are actually something my readers want to see' says content administrator Kevin R. Smith from Top Canadian Writers. 'As well as this, I make sure I'm using them in the right context. If I'm writing about hot plates, for example, I make sure the links are to places you can buy them. That way, the reader's getting what they expect.'
Don't Abuse Keywords
Now, you're going to need to use keywords in your content. These are the backbone of SEO and show search engine crawlers exactly what your content is about. Years ago, writers would stuff their content full of keywords, to ensure that they were getting the visitors to their sites.
These days, this practice is very much frowned upon. In fact, search engines will now penalise any site they find doing this. This doesn't mean that you can't use keywords at all, it just means that you have to be careful about how you're using them.
Select your keywords carefully, and make sure you're using words that are relevant to what your readers will expect of the piece. As well as this, be selective about where you use them in your content. The keywords need to fit naturally and make sense within the context of the piece.
Use Academic Writing Services When Needed
Sometimes, you won't be able to create your content yourself. It could be that you won't have time, or you're unsure of how to use SEO to your best advantage. This is where you should look into bringing in expert help.
You may be surprised to learn that academic writing services are the best place to get this help. The Huffpost article details how the writers at such services are experts in writing all kinds of online content. That means that you have a wide choice when it comes to finding a writer for your site.
A good example of such a service is Best British Essays. You can talk to the experts there to get advice on using SEO, or you can hire a writer to handle the details for you. If you're strapped for time, this can be a good option.
Generate Unique Content
It's vital that you're creating content that readers want to see. If your content is derivative, uninteresting, or something that's done better elsewhere, you won't get the clicks and views that you need. If that happens, your site will disappear down the rankings.
Of course, you don't want this to happen. This means that you'll need to be creating content that's unique to your site. SEO administrator and webmaster Margie K. Sherwood at Best Australian Writers says, 'The key is to give your readers something they can't find anywhere else. You need to know your audience well, and that means doing your research. Find out what it is that they need and give it to them.'
Keep Updating
The key to a site that stays relevant is staying active. Your readers will click away from your site if they find it hasn't been updated recently, and search engines won't rank you highly because of this.
This means that you need to have a schedule for updating and stick with it. You don't have to update every single day to stay relevant, so don't worry about that if you're just starting out. Instead, try and update once or twice a week. This is enough to keep your site relevant and keep readers coming back. When this happens, you'll be ranked more highly as your site is active.
They key here is to stay motivated to write for your site. Set time aside every week to produce high quality content for your readers. You'll find that it quickly becomes a habit, and you'll actually come to enjoy that time. If you make it a task on your to do list, it'll be much easier to stay up to date.
Avoid Black Hat Tactics
In the past, 'black hat tactics' were seen as a sneaky way to get search engines to bump your site up the rankings. They were considered rather underhand, and now search engines take a dim view of them. If you're found to be using them, then you may find your site isn't showing up in search results at all.
Even if you're trying to stay above board when it comes to your SEO, you may find you're being penalised for issues that you didn't know you had. For example, take your outbound links. If your font colour is too close to the link colour, then it can be seen as you trying to hide links. This used to be a tactic for stuffing links into content without being noticed. Watch how you create content, and correct issues when they arise.
These rules of SEO will help you create content that will get you noticed online. Once you know the rules, it's much easier than you'd think. Give them a try and see for yourself.
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