Search Engine Optimization, or SEO as those in the know call it, is a technique that webmasters and designers use to create search engine friendly websites. The end goal is to achieve a high ranking within the search engine result pages for a given page relevant to the search terms you are targeting.
However, sometimes it can be difficult to understand the workings of SEO. With this in mind, here are ten quick tips to understand SEO.
- Web crawlers love content. Give them lots of useful content, and they will come back for more.
- Give them site pages that are easy to navigate. The navigation should be right on the site, and links should be clearly labelled.
- Don't build your site with frames if you want search engine optimization. If your site is built in frames, you may want to think about changing to tables. If you are not sure how to change your site, do a consultation with your web designer.
- Do not create your site with Flash or a flash homepage. While these elements can be appealing to your users, they can also slow down your site's loading time.
- Build your site with high-quality text. Search engines are attracted to sites that have lots of text. Therefore, make sure your site minimum consists of about 300 words maximum.
- Focus on your keywords and keyword density in particular. The best placement for your keywords is page titles, headings, and the first paragraphs of your articles.
- Connect each page with site maps. A site map is like a table of contents for your users. It helps your users navigate easily throughout the site and search engines to discover and index your site's content.
- Make your crawling speed the highest priority. You want your site to load quickly and be relevant to your visitors. Thus, you need to have the right layout design and not pack too many images on one page.
- Do not create redundant content on your site. Search engines can tell if you are copywriting for the sole purpose of SEO. If you are going to do this, you must make sure that each page has a title, an About and Contact Us page, and a Privacy Policy.
- Social Media is an excellent way to increase traffic, bring more people to your site, and make sure you make strong connections with them and other people in your niche. But it is not just about social media. Anytime you add something new to your site, make sure that you create a Google Places listing for your site that can be found by people.
HubSpot estimates that over 70% of marketers are now actively investing in content marketing. With these quick ten tips, you can now start optimising your website for SEO and ranking higher on Google!