Learning Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is a really important aspect of your website. After all, you’ll likely find that most of your traffic will come from Google and other search engines. So making sure your website is appeasing those search engines is something you have to do and manage.
But SEO is a very murky landscape. To be honest, anyone saying they can improve your site’s page rank overnight is lying to you. That just isn’t the case.
Instead, it takes time to optimize your website and see real results. It’s making sure your code is written correctly. It’s doing keyword research and using words that will rank your website. And it’s doing the small things like using alternative text for images and writing quality content.
It’s a lot and can be overwhelming, especially if this is all new to you. But that’s okay because there are people who can help you out with this.
So let’s take a look at how you can harness the power of SEO for your website.
What is SEO?
Where does most of your website traffic come from? Without looking at your data, I can tell you the answer.
It’s search engines.
People are most likely going to find you on Google. So a little thing called search engine optimization plays a massive part of your digital marketing strategy. So much so that SEO is its own industry these days.
SEO is working on your website and your content to optimize it for search engines. That includes making sure your website uses the right markup so that search engine crawlers know what types of content are what. It includes creating a strategy for creating content for what your target audience is searching for. And it includes creating a linking strategy to boost your rankings and so much more.
SEO is a lot of work, but it’s worth it in the end for your website.
Website Misconception: SEO is a one-time thing
If you have a website, you’ve probably heard about SEO. But maybe you think that it’s just a one-time thing that you take care and then it’s done. Think again.
Quick ways to help boost your site’s SEO
Are you looking to increase your site’s SEO for the new year? There’s no magic bullet, but here are a few things that can help you get closer to your goal.
SEO and Your Website
Before you can really start to work on your SEO, you first need to make sure your website’s code is built and ready for it. Why does this matter?
Search engine crawlers don’t see the page the way you and I do. They just see the code underneath. And they use that code to correctly index your website for the proper searches.
Plus, the code needs to make sure your page is loading as quickly as it can be. Don’t underestimate page speed when it comes to SEO and page rank.
So let’s talk about some of the ways you can make sure your website’s code is ready for your SEO efforts.
A look at some of the top SEO WordPress plugins
SEO is basically everything on the web these days. And if you’re using WordPress, there are a ton of plugins that can help you out with that. But which one should you go with? Here are a few of my suggestions.
Website Misconception: People will find you automatically (an introduction to web marketing)
So you’ve just made your new website live. Awesome. People should just flock to your site, right? Not exactly. People won’t just automatically find your website. You have to work for it.
Keywords and SEO
When you go to Google to search for something, what do you put in? You put in keywords.
So when you’re working on your SEO for your website, your content needs to be focused on keywords that your target market is searching for and trying to rank for them. Simply put, it’s the entire reason for SEO.
So let’s talk more about keywords, keyword research and how that plays into SEO.
Linking and SEO
The main way that search engine crawlers get from web page to web page is through links. And it’s a way for them to figure out a website’s popularity.
So if your website is linked to in a lot of places, the search engines are going to think your website is popular and rank it higher in their results. Hence why link building is so important.
Let’s talk about what the common link types are, why they matter and give you a massive warning about buying link placement.
Local SEO
Unlike the generic SEO, Local SEO focuses on, well, local searches that people perform every day. You know, this is like searching for some service near you, something that you do probably multiple times a week.
The plus with Local SEO is that you really shrink the amount of competitors that you’re trying to outrank. You’re not trying to outdo some gigantic company across the country. You’re just trying to beat the same type of businesses in your area.
That means with some effort, you can start appearing in the results of people in your area looking for something that you offer.
Plus, these days with Local SEO and Google, there are a lot of benefits. First, if someone searches for something locally, they’ll usually get a list of three businesses nearby, known as the three-pack. And getting listed there greatly increases your odds that they look up your business.
Let’s take a look at how you can use Local SEO to help your website and your business.
Why Local SEO matters and what you can do about it
SEO can be very difficult for a small business. Just getting past the “big boys” to rank on the front page is a massive task. But Local SEO allows you to rank higher for local searches, and helps you reach the right people.
Why your business needs to have a Google Business Profile account
Have you ever searched for your business and come across a blurb on the right side of the search results. That’s from the help of Google Business Profile, and it’s a tool that can greatly help your local SEO.
Sitemaps
Something that you’re likely to come across in researching SEO is sitemaps.
Sitemaps aren’t the biggest part of SEO, and you’ll want to focus your efforts on other aspects first. But they are crucial for getting search engines to index your website and show your pages in searches.
So let’s learn more about what they are and how to get them submitted to Google for indexing.
Tracking Your SEO Efforts
Finally, our last step in the SEO process is to track our efforts. After all, you’re going to want to see if what you’re doing is actually working or if you need to go back to the drawing board.
So let’s go over some of the tracking tools — spoiler alert: it’s Google Analytics and Google Search Console — that you can set up and implement to see if your SEO efforts are working, how people are coming to your website and more information to help you make smart decisions.
Getting started with Google Search Console
Google Analytics will tell you a story about your website traffic, but not about its search stats. That’s where Google Search Console comes into play.
A look around your Google Search console account
Google Search Console is a powerful tool, especially when it comes to tracking your SEO efforts. But it can be a bit overwhelming at first. So here’s a look at the top things you can do with your Search Console account.
Take that Next Step
Ready to help your business grow with an awesome new website? Or ready to get help managing your current website while you focus on running your business? Now is the time to get started! Click one of the links to the right to get started right now and get the help you need to help your business in this digital age.