The secret to success in SEO lies in knowing which areas you must focus on to ensure that everything functions smoothly. Once everything works well, it is imperative for you to move in the right direction because whatever you are doing originates from some strategies that you have developed after careful consideration. Have you established a strong manual outreach plan and taken the time to optimise your content? To ensure smooth functioning of all the elements of SEO, before you implement any process it is of utmost importance to check that everything that you want to perform is ready to function the way you want.
According to the SEO experts at Cultivate Express, having a checklist to verify every point of action is part of the best practice that you must strictly follow. It is like having a thorough check of your vehicle before going on a long drive. Indeed, it does not guarantee protection against mishaps, but it increases the chances of performing better in search engine rankings. The focus of attention must be on everything concerning keywords, content, and links, which are the pillars of SEO. Which area of SEO you must concentrate on before taking the plunge will be clear as you keep reading this article.
Choose the keyword
SEO moves on keywords, which are the search terms that commonly surface during searches. You must know which are the key words commonly used by searchers in your business niche so that you can develop your SEO strategy around it. There are two steps in the process – first you must identify the keywords and then ascertain its power to drive traffic. Since the purpose of using keywords is to drive maximum traffic to websites, the ability to attract traffic is also an indication of how much search engines like it. Keep in mind that the purpose of SEO is to be lovable to search engines as well as the targeted audience. The better you can balance between the two, better is the SEO prospect. Using a Google Keyword Planner is an easy way to get a toehold in keyword research that follows.
Gauge the competition
After ascertaining what search terms you must target, you must know as much possible about the opponents. Unless you know about the competitive scene, you will never be able to work out the appropriate strategy that would help to encounter it. You must try to figure out how your competitors are doing and try to understand what keeps them ticking. Use the chosen keyword to obtain a search list and concentrate on the first ten results, excluding the paid advertisements, as this constitutes the core of competition that you would be facing. Analyze each website very carefully to figure out the reasons why it is doing well, and you will gain valuable insights that would help to build your campaign in a better way.
Create high-quality content
To make your website stand out from the crowd, you must create original content of high quality that is most relevant for the target audience. It is perhaps the most difficult part of SEO campaign but is also the most important. Compelling content not only draws great attraction, but it also enjoys a high rate of sharing. Quality content creates wider outreach and keeps visitors engaged for an extended period. Website authority gets a boost through extensive sharing of content, and this aspect would in turn favorably influence search rankings. The success of SEO is largely dependent on your ability to produce cracking content that the audience would lap up.
Keyword in header
Presenting content on the web page needs special skills because it helps Google to understand easily what the content or page is about. Organizing content is a critical aspect of SEO that can make a lot of difference in performance. For better consumption of content, its layout should comprise of the main heading with several sub headings for the sub parts of the content that are broken into small sections as it facilitates quick understanding. Placing exact keyword phrases in sub-headings is almost mandatory.
Page title must have keyword
If sub headings are important places for keywords, you can well imagine how important it is to put keywords in the page title. However, the only difference is that you may or may not use exact match keyword phrases in the page title. The most critical element is that the title must be enticing and not the run of the mill type. If the title is not attractive, it will escape the attention of viewers although keywords would be good for search engines.
Keyword in the post as well as URL
Since the URL is the most prominent place that Google looks at, putting the keyword in URL enables Google to figure out quickly about the blog post. It increases the chances of Google picking up the content during searches for the keyword. By placing the keyword in the post, you make it easier for Google to link it to the searches as now there is a keyword at the most relevant places where Google might look for it.
Point to the content internally
It may sound like beating your own drum, but you cannot help it. Provide proper link throughout the website so that no matter on which page the visitor is, there are high chances that they would automatically reach the content that you want them to see. If needed, you may have to edit some old posts to include links to new content.
Acquire backlinks by following a link building strategy
External links or backlinks remain as relevant as ever before. When you publish quality content that drives traffic and enjoys sharing, Google picks up the signal, interprets it as a sign of authority of your website and uses it favorably during ranking. Follow a link building strategy to establish a relationship with other sites that would willingly share links with you.
The above listing is only a part of good SEO, but by following it, you will get a head start that puts you quite a few steps ahead in the competition.
Conclusion
SEO is an integral part of promoting your website on the web and just not to lose traction on the SERP’s, you should follow all these points. To make sure you are following the right path, always keep an eye over your ranking every now and then.
What is the dream of every rising entrepreneur? To be a billionaire! Duh! And to be on the #1 rank of every relevant Google search result. However, we do not see as many new brands on the 1st page of Google SERP as we should, and the big fish like Amazon, Etsy, and Ali Express dominate the first page of every e-commerce related query. This is not just unsettling; it is quite demoralizing for the budding businesses. And to break the chains we should learn about some secrets of business seo.
Why are you not on the 1st page of every Google search result?
This is a rather difficult question. If there are a hundred companies who are competing in the same niche, they have at least a hundred reasons for not emerging on the top.
The company can claim to have ties with Google and Matt Cutts himself, but no company can guarantee you the #1 rank in a month. It is simply fantastic.
SEO is an ongoing procedure rather than a quick fix. Money may be a factor in building a working SEO plan, but it is not the ONLY factor. Your website needs tailor-made solutions that other companies may not need. Your SEO Agency should be able to understand your business needs.
No company that is dishing out universal packages for $99 a month can help you hold the #1 position.
Latent Semantic Indexing is the secret weapon of keyword optimization. Your company website may be using the long tailed keywords suggested by WordStream, Google Keyword planner, and your SEO team. You are missing out on actionable keywords that Google wants to see in your content.
LSI is quite simple. Suppose you are trying to rank for “automobile services in NY.” Type in these exact keywords and crawl to the bottom of the SERP. You will find a bunch of related keywords, synonyms and alternate keywords that Google is suggesting. These are your LSI keywords. Use them to get an extra boost in ranking.
Your website needs images, and you know that already. In a world ruled by GIFs and Memes, running a black and white website is like living in a cave in the 21st century.
Now, the catch in the situation is – Google cannot “see” your images or videos. You need to describe them for the bots so they can understand what all the hullabaloo is about. Include a file name, alt description using your target keyword and add a caption.
Do not use humongous images. This will slow your site, and by now, everyone knows, slow site equals bad SEO. Consider JPEGmini and PunyPNG to compress your images. This won’t cause you to lose much quality, and it will accelerate your page loading time.
Every online company should run an SEO and link audit at least once a year. This will help you find out about the status of your existing links. In reality, the quality and the quantity of links pointing directly at your website determine your organic ranking.
Some sites have some broken links, unresolved 404s, and bad quality links. Sudden changes in link status can cause your site to drop to the bottom of any SRL. If you are already suffering from poor traffic and terrible organic performance, look for spammy links infiltrating your site. Next, look for outbound links that may lead to “dubious” websites.
This is somewhat like “guilty by association.” Your site may be credible, but linking your content to spammy sites, you are risking your reputation. Google will automatically direct visitors away from your site, towards more credible looking competitors.
PPC is as different from SEO as New Zealand is from Australia. Most entrepreneurs tend to get confused by the two terms. PPC is Pay per Click marketing. When you look for products and services on Google, a few links pop on in the first three places. They have this tiny yellow badge on the left, which reads “Ad.” These are your PPC marketing products.
Now, you cannot really “see” SEO. You can feel its benefits once your traffic starts increasing, sales start climbing, and your returns are higher. Our stats say, over 75% of the Google users ignore the sponsored ad results that come with the “Ad” badge. The #1 rank garners over 33% of the total search traffic. That speaks oodles about the future of business, which has learned the secret to the #1 rank in Google SERP.
SEO is not easy, but it is not complicated either. There are a few points you must remember while choosing your SEO partner for the long run. The experience of your partnering company will determine the future of your online business.
SEO has always been a mystery for many of us but to hit at the righ spot at the right time and doing your ground research well is the key to break the barriers of SEO and be on the top.
To make it simpler for you, please go through Quality SEO Services For The Market Growth Of Your Online Business and How Technical SEO And WordPress Work Together.
Search engine optimization refers to the strategies and techniques that experts who specialize in this particular field employ to increase the number of online visitors who browse through your website. They achieve this objective by elevating the ratings of your business web page on various search engines like Google or Yahoo. When an internet user types a particular query keyword on the search bar of such an engine and then clicks, he/she finds some search result pages. In most cases, such an individual does not have the time to browse through all of them to find what he/she is looking for. Therefore, what position your business web page ranks in a particular search engine determines the amount of online traffic it will receive and quality seo services make sure that you achieve your aim predominantly.
Every search engine optimization process comprises of two stages, which experts refer to as the on-site phase and the off-site phase. In the former, the professionals in this field consider the relevant content and rules that apply to your business website to make it more user-friendly for online users when they type a particular query in the search bar. However, in the second phase, these specialists look for the relevant tactics or links they need to employ to boost your website’s ranks on various search results pages.
How does SEO help your business?
In the digital age, search engine optimization is essential for your business if you intend to expand your customer base in the virtual market. It is also necessary for boosting revenues from the sales you make to your online clients and gaining the competitive edge over your rivals in such an arena. This ultimately has a positive effect on your business’ bottom-line profits. Experts in this field endeavor to achieve this goal by installing certain relevant keywords on your business webpage to increase online traffic to your website. This ensures that your business website ranks high on various search engine result pages when such users type such critical phases into the search bar.
As an entrepreneur, it is important for you to know that businesses who have an online presence and take advantage of the search engine optimization, grow faster than those who do not have a website. The reason for this is because it is an essential marketing tool that can help you to introduce and develop your product brand to a large online audience. When your business website has high rankings in a search engine result page, internet users tend to consider your establishment to be reliable. They do not hesitate to browse through the commodities you are offering to sell them via your website. This goes a long way in attracting new customers to your business and expanding your existing client base in this virtual market. The most obvious effect of such a trend is an increase in the bottom-line profits of your business.
Top reasons to hire SEO marketing agency
When it comes to managing the search engine optimization affairs of your business website, you need to hire the services of a reliable search engine marketing agency. This is because only skilled experts of such an organization have the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to ensure there is a constant flow of quality online traffic to your site. They will go to great lengths to see to it that your site ranks high on various internet search engines like Google or Yahoo. This goes a long way in helping you to save precious monetary resources and manpower that you can divert to other critical areas of your business.
The skilled experts of an SEO marketing agency that has a good reputation in the market are aware of the current industry trends in this field. They will take the all the relevant steps to make sure that your business website gains the competitive edge in the virtual market and outperform all of your potential rivals. This acts as a catalyst in ensuring there is always a constant flow of high-quality online traffic to your business website, which enables you to create new customers and enhance your revenues. In the long-run, you can earn lucrative returns on such an investment.
Benefits of SEO marketing agency
One of the most significant advantages of hiring the experts of a reliable SEO marketing agency is that it helps you to promote awareness of your product brand to a large online audience. These professionals endeavor to ensure that your business website enjoys high ratings on different search engines on the internet. This goes a long way in generating a constant yet relevant flow of online traffic to your site. As more of these visitors get to know what kind of commodities you are offering them for sale, they are likely to purchase them. This enables you to achieve your business objective of increasing sales and revenue in this virtual market.
Social media networking is a critical area where the experts of an SEO marketing agency with an excellent reputation in the market focus their attention. They endeavor to ensure your business website enjoys high ranking on various relevant platforms to enable you to forge reliable networks with your customers to boost your revenues. This also allows you to build a valuable partnership with your suppliers to ensure the quality of the products you sell to your online customers are a class apart in this virtual market.
Easy tips to find the perfect SEO marketing agency
The benefits of a hiring a reliable SEO marketing company for your business website are immense. However, there are factors you need to keep in mind before selecting the right one. Such an establishment should have a good reputation in the market and understand your business needs. You should not hesitate to carry a research of this organization and speak to their previous clients an excellent the quality of the work they conduct before making a final decision.
Moreover, the price they are charging you should be reasonable according to the current industry standards. This will enable you to make the right choice when it comes to hiring such an agency for your business.
Author Bio: Robert Paul Jones is an experienced SEO expert who recommends quality services of an esteemed search engine marketing agency for the improvement of page ranks and web presence in the market.
Even though it may have nothing to do with you, your client’s future SEO results affects your reputation as a web designer.
While clients don’t understand that 50% of their website’s search results depends on what happens after the design and development of a site, their future results are still your problem.
It is your reputation at stake, even though on-page SEO depends on the work done on the site after your part is done and dusted.
Image Credit: Quicksprout
Which is why this checklist is essential for your team; to do all you possibly can to help your clients get the best possible search results, so that they rave about you as a web designer.
The WordPress host handles the technical, security, administration and performance issues of the website. Support and technical help, is also a sought after commodity in the hosting scene. Given the amount of WordPress site out there, some hosting vendors have created solutions tailored made for WordPress users. WordPress specific hosts are highly optimized for the platform, and as such reduce the speed of the website which is a major search engine factor.
If you’re not designing the site from scratch, be sure to select a theme that is mobile friendly.
Categories must make sense to users, and should include keywords.
Make it easy for users to navigate the site, easily locating the information they want.
If the site is designed primarily for the user experience, it is likely to be search engine friendly.
The purpose of a website is to provide information to visitors, but it also needs to work to make visitors take some kind of action. Working with a copywriter who provides search engine friendly content is key.
Ensure any links use the same format. Inform the client for future content management.
The default WordPress permalink is not search engine or user friendly. The post name is usually recommended.
This prevents search engines from indexing pages that should not be found by visitors.
This may be necessary because spam domains can create big problems for your client’s website and which have search engine repercussions.
When you have pages with long content that need to be paginated, Google sometimes views these pages as duplicate content, for which the site is penalized.
WordPress creates a page for each image that is uploaded to the site. This may be bad for visitors and search engines who may consider the page to be low quality.
Another great option is Installing a WordPress button plugin to the site allows your client to setup mobile friendly buttons that convert more visitors to subscribers.
Adding an SEO plugin like Yoast that helps your client more easily create search engine friendly content.
Every time your client uploads an image to their site, it should be optimized for SEO with regards to speed. Using a plugin like WP Smush automatically “crunches” images to reduce speed.
This plugin will help your client easily monitor and track the site’s progress.
When a website has schema markup in place, the website may be displayed in search results with those eye catching yellow stars, plus visitors can see what the site is all about, where the company is, what it does, how much their stuff costs, plus plenty of other stuff. It’s like an online business card in search results.
Useful for users as something of a table of contents, the HTML sitemap is a map of the site which is added to a page. It also helps search engines make more sense of the website.
The XML sitemap helps search engines crawl a site more easily in order to index it. It can be created using an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO.
Using a free online tool, validate the sitemap to ensure it’s error-free.
Force Google to “fetch” and index the site by requesting that it be indexed. Google does not guarantee that it will index any site faster, but it often does.
You can also request Bing to index the site faster than it would had you not requested it.
This is a comprehensive WordPress web designer’s SEO checklist and covers all areas related to web design from an SEO perspective. This includes:
SEO plugins are a great tool for optimizing your WordPress blog, but how much of a difference does that green light really make?
While Yoast SEO is the industry standard for a reason, it should be just one tool in your SEO arsenal – it shouldn’t be your whole SEO process.
The appeal of Yoast SEO is how easy, straightforward, and convenient it makes optimization: just check off these items on a list, and your post will rank higher!
SEO isn’t quite that simple – but it doesn’t have to be difficult, either.
Here’s how you can go beyond the green lights to optimize each post, in three simple steps.
The first step to optimizing any blog post is deciding which keyword to target.
Whether you try to find keywords that match your existing topic ideas, or use your keyword research to come up with new ideas is up to you.
In either case, you want to find keywords that are:
The trick is in balancing high volume and low competition, while staying relevant.
Targeting individual “long tail keywords” with each post is usually a good strategy if you don’t have a huge SEO budget. A long tail keyword is a longer search phrase that’s searched less often, but has very low competition. If you target multiple long tail keywords with your blog, you’ll end up ranking high for a variety of keywords, instead of trying to rank your entire blog high for one big high competition keyword.
You can also choose to target more than one keyword per post. Just make sure they’re closely related to each other, and represent the same (or very similar) intent on the part of the searcher. You might use your related keywords for your subheadings, for instance. However, Yoast won’t let you enter more than one, so you’ll have to choose one primary keyword to target with Yoast.
In order to get the data on keywords, you’ll have to use a keyword research tool.
Here are a few you can try:
Google’s Keyword Planner, an Adwords tool, is the industry standard, despite some glaring flaws. Rand Fishkin of Moz points out:
“It’s the best source we’ve got, but many marketers may not realize that sadly, the numbers and queries may not always match up to what’s actually happening on Google’s search engine.”
That’s because the tool was built with advertisers in mind, not bloggers. Still, it’s a good tool to start your research with and get a ballpark idea of the search volume of each keyword.
AnswerThePublic is a unique tool that gives you beautifully presented and incredibly helpful keyword suggestions. Just enter a word or phrase, and you’re presented with the most common questions searched for, plus tons of keywords ideas from A to Z.
Yoast provides a free tool on their website that uses the Google Suggest functionality to suggest related keywords for you. Just type in a word, and it will come up with a list of keywords for you to consider.
On-page optimization includes everything you do on your website and blog post that will help search engines to understand what you’re talking about and match your post with the right searchers. This is where the Yoast SEO plugin really shines.
Following the checklist provided with the Yoast plugin and getting that green light for your carefully chosen keyword is a great start to ranking high in search results.
On-page optimization includes things like using your keywords in:
It also includes:
Off-page optimization refers to anything you do off your website to encourage Google to rank you higher, such as getting mentions and links on high-quality websites across the web and on social media.
This is something that the Yoast plugin can’t help you with, but it’s a huge factor in how Google determines search rankings.
Some strategies for off-page optimization are:
Don’t be afraid to reach out to other bloggers and ask them to share your best posts with their readers, or to offer to do a guest post swap. Check out How To Achieve Incredible Results With Blogger Outreach for tips on conducting an effective outreach without being spammy.
You may have all green lights on your blog posts, but don’t be fooled into thinking that’s enough to rank high in search results.
While the Yoast SEO plugin is a great tool, it’s just one part of the whole SEO process. Start going beyond the green light today by researching keywords for your next post, and don’t forget to promote your posts after they’re published!