SEO can be mystifying. Getting your website into the top of Google’s search results almost seems like it takes magic. But even if you don’t understand SEO very well, there are tangible things you can do to boost your website in search results and bring in more traffic.
If you want to push your website up in search rankings, the most important thing you can do is fill your site with high-quality content that creates value for users. It’s also very important to use the right keywords and to create strong metadata for your website. Using social media can help you engage with your customer base and boost your website’s SEO rankings, and so can building a user-friendly website that’s easy to use and navigate.
Publish Plenty of High-Quality Content
It’s true what they say – content really is king. The best way to rank high in Google search returns for your business is to fill your website with quality content. High-quality content creates value for users – so think about what valuable information you can convey to your customer base through content on your website.
The best way to showcase new content on your website is through a blog. A blog allows you to amass a library of content that will continue to work for you for as long as your site is up, as long as the content is evergreen. You should populate your blog with a mix of written, video, and graphic content. Post blog posts about topics relevant to your products or industry – think about what topics your customers need to know about and blog about those topics. For example, if you’re an HVAC company, write blog posts about how to self-service your air conditioner in the spring, how to tell if you need to have your ducts cleaned, or even how to save money on heating and cooling costs.
Do Your Keyword Research
SEO keywords are how readers find your page. When they type in keywords relevant to your products or industry, you want the search results to lead them to your page. Use a keyword tool to generate possible keywords to use on your website.
Identify a target keyword for each page on your website. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to rank for more than one keyword on the same page, unless the multiple keywords are very similar – like “masters degree economics jobs” and “masters degree economics career.” You can still rank for multiple keywords on your website, but each one will have to be on its own page or in its own blog post.
To get the most out of your keywords, try to use them in the URL for each relevant page. You should use the keyword or part of the keyword in the title and subheadings of your page, too. Don’t overstuff your content with keywords – just focus on making it useful and easy to understand.
Create Strong Metadata
Metadata appears in the HTML code of your website. In the HTML code of your website, there is a spot between the <head> tags for metadata. The most important metadata is the title metadata, followed by the description metadata and the keyword metadata.
Most website builders are going to populate the title metadata with your title text, so that’s why it’s so important to choose a strong title that uses a good SEO keyword. The description metadata is featured in return results, so it should be about two sentences long and use your keyword. If you’re offering white label SEO services, you can ask your consulting agency or freelancer to handle these technical aspects of optimizing your website.
Build a User-Friendly Website
When a website is user friendly, users are likely to spend more time on it, and this can increase your search rankings since it shows Google that your website contains valuable content. Your website should be clean, easy to navigate, and easy to understand. It should load fast. There should be lots of keyword-friendly headings and subheadings to improve readability. And, these days, you definitely need to make sure your website is mobile responsive.
Use Social Media
Using social media is a great way to increase your web presence, because many of your potential customers will search for your business on platforms like Facebook or Instagram instead of going to a search engine. If you’re active on social media, you’ll have the chance to engage with your customer base and send more traffic to your website, while ranking higher on search engine results thanks to your active social media presence.
Boosting your website SEO can boost sales and strengthen your customer relationships. It’s worth hiring help if you struggle with SEO yourself. It can make a world of difference to your company’s success.
