5 simple SEO techniques to get you on your way to bumping up those important website rankings.
Luckily that’s where search engine optimisation comes in. SEO means using certain practises on your website to place it further up the ranks of search pages. But with so many techniques to learn about, SEO can be a confusing and daunting task for some and it can be difficult to know where to start - but it doesn't have to be this way.
We’ve put together 5 simple SEO techniques to get you started and on your way to bumping up those important website rankings.
1. Content is king
If you don't have great content on your website, you can't expect visitors to come visit. There is a lot of junk clogging up the internet at the moment so providing reliable, data-driven content will set your business apart. The better the content, the more likely your visitors are to spend time on your page, come back for more, and share it.
2. Update often
Updating often gives your visitors a reason to come back to your site, but it also gives search engines a reason to check back in as well. If Google can see your website is active, it's more likely to sit higher in the search results pages and drive your inbound traffic. One company was able to increase the number of visitors arriving on their pages by 3,000% over the course of a year because of increased content production. With just 4 posts a week, their website traffic rocketed up, leading to more conversions and higher revenues.
3. Use link text effectively
Linking is great SEO technique that's easy to implement. By linking text to other pages in your site, you're highlighting keywords and helping search engines read your site faster.Just make sure this SEO opportunity isn't wasted and use the link text efficiently. Instead of linking the text “click here”, try writing out the name of the destination. “Click here” means nothing to search engines, and without a more descriptive explanation of the link, it doesn't say a lot to your audience either.
4. Set up a Google My business page
When you carry out a Google search, you have to scroll past the ads and local listings before you even get to organic results. Users might not even get halfway down the page before they're distracted by a business that isn't yours so it's important not to neglect your local search optimisation. A verified My Business account will help identify you as a real local business and raise your rankings in local search results.Think of how many times you've Googled for "such and such near me" or "product/service in (enter location here)". Setting up a Google My Business page gives you a head start on making your way to the top of the locational results.If you already have a My Business page, just remember to double check all the information is correct as the consistency of your business information is important for Google to ensure you are who you say you are.
5. Utilise image names and tags
The images on a website are a very important, yet often underused SEO source. How they're named can make a huge difference to the way search engines such as Google view your site. If one image is named "20090302.jpg" and another is "timber-window-installation-hindhead.jpg", it's pretty easy to guess which one will appear higher up in a search for "Window installers in Hindhead".Always use appropriate alt and title tags for each image. These tags provide a description of your image and can be a prime keyword opportunity. Search engines and screen readers for visually-impaired people use these tags to understand what your image is and by making your website more accessible, Google is likely to rank you higher.
Content is still king.
Search engines are forever changing their algorithms, so it's important to remain proactive active with optimising your site. It can seem like an overwhelming task but there are many easy to implement SEO techniques that can be carried out in a matter of minutes.It's also important to take SEO with a pinch of salt. Don't get caught up in providing a great experience for Google that you sacrifice your user experience. Otherwise you end up with overly robotic sounding titles and content no human wants to read. The most important thing is to create great content that people come back for. Driving traffic to your site is one thing but generating returning visitors to your website should be a top priority.
