6 SEO Tips You Can Use for Your Website Today
Fact 1: 93% of online browsing starts with a search engine inquiry.
Fact 2: 75% of users don’t scroll past the 1st result page.
So in a sea of search engine results… how can you keep your website afloat?
In this digital age, securing a piece of SEO real estate is key to giving your website the visibility it needs to thrive. Many companies are already taking advantage of SEO techniques in order to make their websites more competitive. For this reason, it is essential to start investing into your website’s SEO so that you don’t get left behind or buried under your competitors.
Fortunately, with a little effort, there are a few things you can do today to boost your website’s search engine ranking—putting your brand at your customer’s fingertips. If you’re looking for some quick tips for search engine optimization, try the following SEO hacks today.
1. Keywords Are Key
This time-proven SEO hack has been around since before Google was even a verb, and it will continue to be a major component of SEO. Keywords are the words and phrases that web users use to find search results. Implementing niche-relevant words can help the Google algorithm identify your website as relevant content and include it in the search results.
When determining what keywords your website should prioritize, think about what potential customers would be searching for when looking for your brand. Studies show that at least half of search results are four words or longer. These phrases are referred to in SEO as long-tail keywords. Having a combination of long-tail and short tail keywords in your content can significantly boost your website’s search ranking.
2. Boost Your Local SEO
Along the same line as keywords, localizing your content with regional keywords can boost your local SEO and help convert web traffic into foot traffic at your store. Rather than just using the keyword “coffee shop”, for example, you could optimize it for local SEO by using “coffee shop in Phoenix” or “coffee shop in Ahwatukee.”
In addition, listing your website with Google Local and Google Places can also ensure that your information is up to date and accurate, and that potential clients can find your brick and mortar on Google Maps.
It’s also important to keep in mind that Local SEO doesn’t just apply to websites that have a brick and mortar location. Online blogs, e-commerce sites, and other completely web-based businesses can benefit from local SEO as well as this type of SEO allows you to tap into a niche regional market that your competitors may not have access to.
3. Create a Network of Backlinks
There’s a reason the internet is commonly referred to as “the web”—and that’s because it’s based on a network of websites that interconnect and link to each other. When you’re trying to improve your website’s SEO, consider focusing on quality backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites that direct traffic to your page. Search engine algorithms tend to favor websites that have a large network of quality backlinks, as this gives credibility to your brand and suggests that your site has quality content.
4. Embrace Mobile
Ok, this one may not be something you can accomplish today, but it’s certainly something you should have started planning yesterday. There’s no denying it, the world is more mobile than ever, which is why your website needs to be too. Over 65% of digital browsing is done from a mobile device—not a desktop. Pair this with the fact that 40% of users will click away from a website if it is not mobile friendly, and you can see why focusing on mobile is key.
However, putting aside the fact that mobile friendliness makes your site user-friendly as well, there is a much more important reason why your website needs to be mobile for SEO purposes. In early 2016 Google announced that they had officially rolled out their mobile-friendly update. This update to their search algorithm added mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal—significantly boosting sites that have embraced mobile.
5. Update your Content
It’s an age-old saying, but content really is king. Keeping your website updated with fresh quality content is one of the biggest things you can do to boost your ranking. One way to do this is by starting a blog. Studies indicate that, on average, companies that blog have an impressive 434% more index web pages than companies that don’t. This means significantly increasing your visibility to potential customers.
6. Get Your Social On
Last but not least, taking some time to boost your social media presence could help boost your SEO as well. Companies are starting to turn to social media as a free marketing tool that can broaden their network of backlinks and keep the content on their website’s fresh. Integrating a social media feed into your website can help ensure that your content is constantly being updated—something that search algorithms seem to love.
With these tips for Search Engine Optimization, you can put your website on the right path to a better search ranking today! However, if you want to develop an SEO plan that can adapt at the speed of light (aka the next algorithm update), contact us today! We can help you develop an ongoing SEO plan that will keep your website on the cutting edge.