How to Make SEO Work for You
Understanding Search Engine Optimization
Regardless of how great a website’s content may be, it will not matter if readers never see it. So, how can you improve your website’s status and make it visible to the most people? The answer is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Understanding how to make SEO work for you is vital to your website’s success.
Search Engine Optimization is refining your website to boost its ranking and drive more traffic to it. Search engines determine a site’s usefulness by measuring its content, quality, and effectiveness.
While many people are familiar with this term, countless do not take advantage of the most basic techniques for improving their sites.
Several factors affect website rankings. By implementing these SEO techniques, you will improve your website’s rank and increase its visibility.
Understanding SEO Measurement.
While incorporating successful SEO techniques will improve your website’s status, applying negative techniques will harm it. Because of this, it is important to understand both what to do and what to avoid.
While certain factors play a role in determining a site’s ranking, content has the greatest influence over it. Search engines are concerned with user experience and measure how well websites give people what they are looking for. Consequently, it is vital for writers to describe the content of their pages accurately.
Tips for Improving SEO.
Use keywords.
Find out what words people are looking for and what topics or phrases are of particular interest. Then, give that to them. If you have a blog, consider writing on relevant or popular topics that would help generate more traffic to your website.
An effortless way to find keywords is to do a quick google search on your topic and see what words or phrases appear often. One word of caution—do not drown your site in keywords because Google may think you are spamming your site with them.
Use headings.
Headings break up content and make it easier to digest. Both readers and Google bots appreciate a structure that is simple and easy to digest. In addition, these headings are wonderful places to include keywords which work to boost your ranking.
Be trustworthy.
People are more likely to stay on or revisit your site if they feel it is trustworthy. So, establish your authority and expertise. Consider citing other sources and have enough quality content for your topic.
Avoid distracting advertisements.
Advertisements can be profitable, but they can also get in the user’s way and cause frustration. Make sure your advertisements do not interfere with the reader’s ability to view the page. Eliminate them if they are distracting and obstructive.
Answer questions.
Google searches are often just people asking questions. For example: “Who won the World Cup?” or “Who is the most well-known author of all time?” Google is more likely to feature your site if it directly answers questions like these.
One way to incorporate answers to questions is to have a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on your website. The disadvantage, however, is that once users find the answer to their question, they often end the search without clicking on your other website links.
While this is helpful if you are trying to improve your brand or site recognition, it may not be the best way to drive more traffic through your website.
Keep content fresh.
Make sure your content is new. Update or retire old posts and write about current topics or trends. These can be current events or seasonal themes.
An effective way to trace the performance of your pages is to set up a Google Search Console. After entering your website’s domain and verifying your ownership, you will be able to access the data under several tabs including Performance, Enhancement, and Index coverage. You will also receive emails when the Search Console finds errors.
You can then eliminate pages that are not helping your site and update pages that are driving more traffic. This will boost your rating because Google prefers fewer pages with stronger content to more pages with weaker content.
Conduct an industry study.
Industry studies can bring your site added traffic through social media shares and news press, and studies like this help generate backlinks for your site. Because people cite studies often, these studies will also increase the number of citations your website receives.
Incorporate media forms.
Consider incorporating videos, images, or audio that can help make your site unique and set it apart from the competition.
Be a guest blogger.
Find opportunities to guest post on other blogs that have higher rankings than yours to improve your status. You can use free tools such as SEMRush, and TrafficEstimate to check a blog’s ranking.
If you post and link to blogs that have a lower ranking than your site, you can harm your own ranking.
Using Google Reviews to Boost Your SEO.
Google reviews are an effective way to increase your SEO ranking and online presence, especially if you have a business or services that you want to advertise. Customers trust sites with more reviews. Frequent reviews also mean that your website is constantly getting new, helpful content.
- Make it easy for your customers to leave reviews by creating a short review link so that customers can easily find where to leave a review.
- Ask for reviews. Customers are often eager to leave reviews. However, people sometimes need a little nudge. If a customer is happy and gives you praise in person, over the phone, through an email, or on a Facebook or Instagram post, ask them if they would share their experiences in a review. Send them the review link.
- Send an email asking for reviews. A personal request like this shows your customers or clients that you value their business and makes them feel important at the same time.
- Respond to your reviews. Google likes it when you respond to reviews; however, this can be a time-consuming task. Having pre-made templates can help you respond to reviews quickly and effectively.
- If you get a negative review, respond to it quickly and professionally. Reply on the website by addressing the reader and apologizing for the problem. Because it is better to address problems privately rather than over a public medium, tell them you will be reaching out directly or include a method to contact you with questions or concerns.
- Do not ask for too many reviews at once. It is possible to have too much of a good thing and Google may flag you for getting too many reviews at once because it thinks you are purchasing them.
To many, Search Engine Optimization sounds complicated and daunting. However, by implementing a few proven techniques, you can greatly improve your website’s rank and visibility.
Understanding how SEO is measured and what factors affect it is the first step in making it work for you.
About the Author
Ryleigh Wood is a student studying professional writing. She has a passion for writing and loves learning new ways to improve her skills.